Huskies-Cards
January 28, 2008 5:48 pm by Big Willie StyleHuge, huge game tonight!
If the Huskies win, they’re going to be right in the mix for the top of the Big East table, they’ll likely jump into the Top 25, draw more National attention after another National television win and make it very, very difficult on any selection committee to not put them in, especially considering this game will again be played without Dyson and Wiggins.
However, if the Cardinals can win, they’ll stake they’re claim as the top contender to Georgetown, get an important road victory against a hot opponent, garner more National Attention after a Nationally televise road victory and pretty much assure themselves of an NCAA bid.
Considering UConn’s two guys are out, it obviously hurts their chances. But even more importantly, it hurts them even more that this game is being played in Hartford and not Storrs. If the game were played at Gampel, I would feel very, very confidently that Huskies would win convincingly, but instead they have to play at the Hartford Civic Center, which may be the least home court advantage of any of the perennial National powers. Still, I like what the Huskies are doing. Thabeet and Adrien can certainly hold their own against the Louisville big men, and so I think it’ll come down to the guards. And something keeps hinting at me that they can pull this game out. I think it’ll be played with 5 points either way, with the better free throw shooting team pulling it out. Conventional wisdom tells me that Louisville will win this close one. I’ve gone back and forth on this, but give me Louisville by 2, and I think if it were played in Storrs, then the Huskies would win by 10.
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8 Responses to “Huskies-Cards”
Tremendous game with enormous crowd energy at the newly named XL Center. So loud in there in the last minute that Big Willie called me and I just said “I can’t hear you”. UConn has something special going with chemistry that they haven’t had for a couple years. Austrie & Price work well together and probably should remain the starting backcourt duo IF and when Dyson and Wiggins come back. Robinson plays 100% better without Dyson on the floor. Once Dyson is there, SROB defers to him and becomes a non-factor. Coach C…….. keep this starting lineup intact and bring Dyson or Wiggins off the bench to spell them.
And it just Keeps getting worse. The Hartford Courant tonight printed the following story:
Marijuana Found Near Scene Of Wiggins, Dyson Incident
If this is true, especially in Wiggins case, he will not compete again this season. Geez, if he went to Notre Dame he’d have been thrown out of school twice already!
WOW! What a game! I was 2 seats from Coach O when he was yelling in his phone to Big Willie Style that he couldn’t hear him and I couldn’t hear what Coach O was actually saying. The sound was deafening to the point where it penetrated your whole body. Everyone was standing for the last few minutes of the game and when the clock finally hit 0 it was like the time had stopped for just a moment. We all had that special feeling of joy for the team and what they had accomplished. That special feeling you get when you feel so happy for someone that you can shed a tear. We are so proud of the Huskies effort. Everyone on the team deserves that hug that Coach Calhoun has asked of everyone in the state after the Indiana game. At the beginning of the season who would have predicted that we would be so bummed when Thabeet had to sit down in the first half due to foul trouble. The kid has improved 500%. Thabeet the Treat…… Adrien has been a warrior as usual and the team can always count on him. Stan-leeee has come to his own now and I have to agree with Coach O and my wife that the reason was Dyson (who was out of control at times). Stan if you are reading this stuff, play the game you are so capable of doing with intensity. I have never seen anyone come out of nowhere like you and leap to get rebounds or block shots. Damn, your good. Believe in yourself.
Now the two guards. Price has become the leader and the team has followed him well. What more can you say about him. He is the total package and arguably the best point guard in the league. Now my favorite. Austrie! This kid has played hard the whole time he has been on the team. He is not the flash guy but the steady guy. He has always been there to pick up the pieces that past guards have left him for one reason or another since his freshman year. His loyality and good play deserves him that starting spot. I for one believe in loyalty and not flash. No sense in going into old stuff here.
Kudos Jim….. Everything you said was right on. This team now has the character that was lacking earlier in the season. GO HUSKIES!!
I told you about Thabeet. Patience is indeed a virtue.
Indeed…. he has actually become a player
Somewhere, Thabeet learned how to catch. When he caught that alley-oop and dunked it, I had to pinch myself to make sure it really was happening.
Thabeet has indeed worked very hard and I take back all the stuff I said about Calhoun bringing him into the program. It was kind of funny before the game monday night. The Huskies were out doing their shoot-around before the game and Thabeet was playing around with the ball up at the half court line like a soccer player. Bouncing it from his feet to his head. I remember pointing that out to Coach O at the time and said no wonder he can’t catch he still thinks he’s playing soccer. Well I guess he’s been practicing with his hands now. Not only has he learned to catch the ball but he actually has some good moves. That one basket he made from behind the hoop was very athelitic. http://www.courant.com/sports/ It’s the fifth picture in the series.
A certain unnamed writer here and I have argued for 15 years about soccer. I of course have always loved the Beautiful Game. Kudos to him for conceding that debate by proposing a fantasy European Football League last fall. Little sports nugget of the day: if you’re up at 6AM (like me) Saturday and Sunday mornings, when you’ve had your fill of SportsCenter, try out Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV, if they’re available. By 9 EST, it’s live games for the day in season. Sports review gives me tired head in minutes; I’ll take live games anytime I can.
Well, UConn should be thankful for the world’s most popular game. Thabeet may have a long way to go with his hands, but its those feet that dominate on defense and translate to so much potential as an overall player.