Without Calhoun, UConn rolls to end skid (AP)
Ryan Boatright had 19 points and Jeremy Lamb scored 17 for Connecticut, which played without coach Jim Calhoun to beat Seton Hall 69-46 on Saturday. Lamb added eight rebounds and Boatright had five assists and four steals for the Huskies (15-7, 5-5 Big East), who ended a four-game losing streak. Andre Drummond scored just seven points but had seven blocks.
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Jim Calhoun: UConn Coach Taking Indefinite Medical Leave for Spinal Stenosis
With the Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball team struggling to retain its form following a national championship season last year, the last thing it needed was to be without head coach Jim Calhoun. That is precisely what will happen for an undetermined amount of time, though.
According to Andy Katz of ESPN, Calhoun will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team. as he cannot currently coach through his spinal stenosis condition.
NBC Connecticut is reporting that Calhoun has been dealing with the condition for the past few months. Spinal stenosis is a debilitating lower back condition that causes Calhoun great pain and discomfort and prevents him from moving fluidly.
UConn Health Center physician Dr. Peter Schulman said that Calhoun had been treating the condition with stretching and exercise but that it had recently become too severe to cope with:
“Last summer, Jim had some significant back pain and has seen two excellent back specialists,” Schulman said. “The initial approach recommended to him was stretching, physical therapy and exercise, and that was successful for several months. It turns out that there is some degenerative problem in the lumbar vertebrae and it’s impinging on the nerves. It has led to significant back pain and some symptoms in his lower extremities.”
NBC Connecticut also reports that associate head coach George Blaney will assume Calhoun’s duties during his absence. Blaney certainly will have a lot on his plate, as the Huskies are 14-7 overall with a Big East record of just 4-5.
They have lost four consecutive games and now sit in the middle of the conference standings. Big games against Seton Hall, No. 25 Louisville and No. 2 Syracuse loom in the coming week, so it will be contingent upon the players to press on without Calhoun.
This isn’t the first time Calhoun has taken a leave of absence for health reasons, as he battled prostate cancer in 2003 and took some time away in 2010 as well for an unspecified ailment. Getting better should obviously be Calhoun’s main focus right now, but it can’t be easy with his team in dire straits.
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UConn Must Put All Its Energy into Recruiting Top Prospect Nerlens Noel
With college football’s national signing day now behind us, the focus will turn to college basketball, where there is still a lot of recruiting to do.
There has been a lot of anticipation nationwide about where the three remaining 5-star recruits will go (according to ESPN): Shabazz Muhammad (No. 1 SF, Las Vegas), Anthony Bennett (No.1 PF, Brampton, Ont., CAN), and Amile Jefferson (No. 4 PF, Philadelphia). However, the battle among some schools for the three top recruits just became a battle for the top four.
Nerlens Noel, a 6’10″ center from Everett, Mass., has reclassified and will graduate from the Tilton School (NH) this spring in order to enroll at the school of his choice in the fall, according to a report Wednesday.
The reclassification makes Noel, who was fighting with Jabari Parker, a highly sought-after small forward from Chicago, for the top spot in the class of 2013. According to ESPNU, he is now the top player in the class of 2012, ahead of Muhammad.
This is big news for the University of Connecticut. The defending Big East and national champions have been struggling severely in recent weeks and are in free fall. One of the big problems has been the play of the big men under the hoop.
Watching the UConn big men lately has been like watching Kyle Williams fumble twice in the NFC Championship game, costing the 49ers a chance at the Super Bowl. UConn are unable to handle the basketball, they’re struggling to block shots, and they’ve even had trouble scoring.
Normally, the one thing that gives UConn fans headaches about the big men is a common UConn basketball player trait—they can’t hit free throws.
While this is also true, the other characteristics are uncommon at UConn, and Jim Calhoun’s team is in trouble.
In no way should anyone give up on this season. Everyone should have expected there to be growing pains post-Kemba Walker. It was a young team last year, and one can argue that the team is even younger this year, as no one has stepped up to be the leader of the team.
Freshman guard Ryan Boatright is as close to being Kemba as there is on the team right now, but he has seen very little court time this season, having missed a total of nine games while the NCAA investigated him and his mother.
That said, the focus on the future is essential. The team on paper looking toward next season is strong. Jeremy Lamb, as dreadfully awful as he is playing right now, is likely NBA-bound, but UConn have already acquired their first recruit for next season. Omar Calhoun, the 52nd-ranked player in the Class of 2012, committed last summer.
Andre Drummond has reiterated time and again that he plans on returning to UConn next season rather then make the one-and-done jump that almost everybody expected of him after his last-minute decision to enroll at UConn this past fall.
Things could get sticky with UConn’s scholarship situation due to the Nate Miles scandal and the Academic Performance Rating, but getting Noel to Storrs has to be priority. As mentioned above, the team looks good next year on paper, but the big men have looked extremely poor all season, and there needs to be a revitalization.
Noel and Drummond playing in the same frontcourt could be something special. Like many people talked about Lamb and Napier being a dynamic one-two punch in the backcourt going into this season, the two big men could bring UConn fans back to the days when the sight of a giant wearing a UConn jersey made a top guard cringe.
Such a sight can be found when looking back to the 2004 national championship team. You know you’re team is really good when Hilton Armstrong is coming off the bench because your 4 and 5 are Josh Boone and National Player of the Year Emeka Okafor.
After Noel, Amile Jefferson should be the next target. If he can develop a jump shot, at 6’7″ he could become a top forward.
UConn also has offers out to Sam Cassell Jr. (according to the player’s Twitter), the son of the former NBA guard, and Christopher Obepka (No. 11 C, Centereach, N.Y.). The idea of getting all four is nice but most likely that won’t happen. The scholarship reduction has UConn in a bind.
However, there is the possibility that a player like Cassell, who isn’t bad off being the son of a former NBA All Star and three-time champion, could possibly pull an Andre Drummond and play as a walk-on until the scholarships are back, but it’s a difficult process ahead.
No matter what happens, a big man needs to be priority with Calhoun already committed. If UConn could get the top recruit in the nation for a second straight season, that would be a big boost for a struggling team.
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No 14 Georgetown thumps UConn
Hollis Thompson had 18 points, and No. 14 Georgetown held Connecticut to season lows in scoring and shooting Wednesday night.
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UConn vs. Georgetown: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info and More
The incredibly disappointing Connecticut Huskies travel to take on the 14th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas. The Huskies are coming off their third consecutive loss and have fallen from the Top 25. The talent on this team makes that inexcusable.
The excuse of youth is thwarted when you take a look at what the Kentucky Wildcats are accomplishing in Lexington. While UConn may not be expected to be the top team in the nation, unranked is pretty bad.
Georgetown is grinding it out, which we’ve come to expect from John Thompson III’s teams. They were upset at Pittsburgh in their last game, but the Hoyas had won three in a row before that.
UConn needs to get back on track, and a road win at Georgetown would be huge for their confidence and the Big East standings. Check out this preview of a key Big East matchup.
Where: Verizon Center, Landover, MD
When: Wednesday, February 1, 7:00 ESTWatch: ESPN, ESPN2, DirectTV 209
Listen: WTIC 1080 AM—Connecticut, GU Radio: WSPZ-570—Georgetown
Betting Line: UConn minus-3 per oddshark.com
Key Injuries
UConn
Michael Bradley Out (ankle)
Georgetown
Tyler Adams Out (heart)
Moses Ayegba Out (knee)
What’s At Stake?
The Hoyas desperately want to snap this three-game losing streak. They are 14-6 after starting the season at 12-1. The young team needs to grab a win for obvious reasons, but they also need it for their confidence as March approaches.
Matchups with Louisville and Syracuse loom shortly, the Huskies need a win over a quality team to get right mentally.
Georgetown sits at 16-4 overall and 6-3 in the Big East. Despite their better record and home-court advantage, they are still three-point dogs. The Hoyas need to add to the win column and gain some respect in the process.
What They’re SayingSenior, Jason Clark had this to say about junior teammate Hollis Thompson who has been struggling to score over the last three games:
“He knows that teams are keying on him—we all know that,” Clark said. “He’s a great scorer so they’re definitely going to do that. But we have a lot of wrinkles in our offense that will get him easy shots that I don’t think any teams can guard.”
The Hoyas will need Thompson to knock down shots as the Huskies carry a decided advantage inside with Andre Drummond and Alex Oriakhi. Thompson could help his team if he can make some outside shots to loosen the defense.
Legendary UConn head coach Jim Calhoun knows his team has to step up the tempo to be effective. He is replacing Shabazz Napier at point guard with the recently returned Ryan Boatright. Boatright was sitting out while the specifics were worked out with a potential eligibility issue. He offered this to convey his reasoning:
“We have to push the pace,” Calhoun said Tuesday as the Huskies were checking into their hotel. “We can’t win at the pace we’ve been playing.”
Boatright is ultra-athletic and he can get the Huskies into a up-and-down tempo. That style is much better suited for them because of their youth and athleticism.
UConn Player To Watch: Ryan BoatrightBoatright could be the key to the Huskies turn around. So much of the success that takes place in March is based on solid point guard play. Boatright’s ability to accelerate, create and finish near the rim will be key in this game, as well as going forward.
In limited time this season, he has averaged 10 points, three rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Those numbers will increase with his time on the floor. I expect that to continue to grow tonight.
Georgetown Player To Watch: Henry SimsThe senior center will have his hands full against the possible No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Andre Drummond. At 6’10″, 242 pounds, he has decent size to contend with Drummond, but the athleticism edge goes to Drummond easily.
How Sims does against Drummond will be key. Sims needs a double-double performance to help his team get this victory. He accomplished that on January 21 against Rutgers. He’ll need another strong night to help contend with Drummond.
Key Matchup
The Sims-Drummond matchup is the biggest key. Unless Georgetown is hot from the outside, the points in the paint will be pivotal. UConn will feed Drummond and Oriakhi—Sims will largely be in charge of holding his own there and limiting second chances.
He won’t likely outplay Drummond, but if the production is similar, the Hoyas have a huge edge.
Prediction
UConn 64 Georgetwon 58
This will be a tough and hard-fought Big East battle, but UConn will prevail. They almost had things back on track in their last game against Notre Dame, as they played well defensively. It was only Boatright’s first game back after a three-week layoff. The team will be more in-tune and the offense should flow much better.
Boatright may go for his biggest game of the season, and Drummond is getting better every week. He tallied his third double-double in five games against the Irish. Riding their inside advantage, UConn gets off the schneid with a win.
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UConn, Indiana and Teams with Upcoming Must-Win Games
At this point of the season, slumping teams need to turn things around, bubble teams need any win they can snatch and teams with something to prove strive for noteworthy wins.
UConn and Indiana would fall into the “slumping team” category. The Huskies have lost five of their last seven while the Hoosiers have dropped four of six, but both teams have significant upcoming games they need to win.
Here’s a look at UConn, Indiana and several others with must-win games over the next two days.
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College Basketball Top 25: Kentucky No. 1, UConn out in B/R Writers Rankings
Kentucky tops the college basketball B/R Writers Rankings again, but several Top 25 upsets led to yet another shakeup in the poll.
The Big 12 might have suffered the biggest hit, as Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State all lost. However, two Big East teams fell from the ranks.
If you’re a Bleacher Report college basketball writer who wants to participate in the weekly poll, message me with your email address to indicate your interest.
Voters: Ryan Eshleman, Ari Kramer, Jesse Kramer, David Mayer, Thad Novak, Daniel O’Brien, Matt Overing, Andrew Pregler, Josh Schoch, Jordan Schwartz, Gene Siudut, James Sullivan, Dan Vasta
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College Basketball: 5 Unpredictable Teams That Could Be This Year’s UConn
UConn’s run to last year’s NCAA Championship was anything but textbook.
At the end of January, the Huskies were 17-3 and ranked No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today’s Poll.
Over the next five weeks, Connecticut went 4-6 and dropped to No. 19 in the same poll.
They lost four of their last five (and seven of their last 11) regular season games, not exactly full-speed ahead going into the 2011 Big East Tournament.
Jim Calhoun’s club was reeling with very little signs of recovering.
But then, they somehow shook themselves in time to beat four ranked teams in their conference tournament and then didn’t stop until they beat Butler in the championship game.
What team could be this year’s UConn? What team has the talent but may need to regather themselves in the final month-plus of the season in time to start their trek towards the Final Four in New Orleans?
Here are five teams that may be just right for that role:
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Uconn Basketball: The Struggles for Alex Oriakhi Continue
After the departure of All-American guard Kemba Walker to the NBA, the UConn Huskies knew they would be fighting an uphill battle in 2012.
Many expected players such as sophomores Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier to pick up the slack scoring-wise. In addition, the entire Husky faithful were excited to see the hype and publicity regarding freshman Andre Drummond.
However, all were anticipating even more from the team’s elder statesman, junior forward Alex Oriakhi, and he has not delivered.
While all of the aforementioned players struggled at some point during the 2011-2012 campaign, none have been worse than Oriakhi.
After a November tournament in the Bahamas, he lost his starting job, one he has had for 72 games, to freshman Andre Drummond. In a regrettable act, he marched to the airwaves of Twitter and aired his grievances with head coach Jim Calhoun for the entire world to see.
Even after regaining his starting spot a week later, his production has been less than satisfactory.
In 19 games this year, he has scored in double figures just four times and has double digit rebounds just once. Adding to his disappointing season is the fact that he has more turnovers than blocks and in UConn loses is only averaging 5.8 PPG.
Earlier in the season, Calhoun challenged him to be a “bully under the basket”.
But after a 70-67 loss to Cincinnati, it has become quite evident that the bully hasn’t shown up, and the 69-year-old coach is becoming aggravated. “Maybe I should have played [walk-on Brendan Allen] more minutes,” Jim Calhoun told the media. “At least he had the guts to go to the rim and didn’t look like he was going to fumble the ball.”
The remarks were coarsely worded and not specifically directed toward any one individual, but Oriahki would be hard pressed to believe he wasn’t one of the players being referenced. Even Kemba Walker, in the stands for the Cincinnati loss, told Calhoun some of his old teammates didn’t look the same as last year.
Obviously, one of the biggest obstacles he is facing this year is the presence of newcomer Andre Drummond.
Last year, Oriakhi was paired with forward Charles Okwandu in the paint. Comparing the talents of Okwandu and Drummond are like night and day. The same rebounds, points and, most importantly, minutes that Oriakhi once possessed are now being gobbled up by the freshman.
His struggles can also be attributed to the vast improvement of sophomore Tyler Olander. As of late January, he has nearly doubled last year’s point total (111 from 58) and has become an effervescent force in the blocks.
Yet, throughout all his struggles, the hardworking junior hasn’t given up. He realizes that despite any outside forces, he needs to have faith in his game. “Confidence is so important in basketball,” Oriakhi admitted. “I feel when I’m confident, I can be one of the best players out there.”
For the Huskies sake, let’s hope he’s right. Spiraling downward, the team needs a leader with poise and assurance.
Could Alex Oriakhi could be that guy?
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UConn Huskies: NCAA Continuing to Make Life Miserable for Boatright and Team
The Connecticut Huskies have lost five times this season. Each time, the loss has come from a team they were supposed to beat.
Three times they lost without a player, that in only a few games in his freshman season has been compared by his Hall of Fame coach to the player whose footsteps he follows in—Kemba Walker.
That player is Ryan Boatright, a freshman from Aurora, Illinois and the son of a single mother raising four kids outside of Chicago. Boatright was Mr. Basketball in Illinois during his senior year of high school. He was also one of the most exciting players in the Class of 2011.
When he’s on the court, his energy motivates his teammates and gets the crowd fired up. His feisty demeanor and ability have been responded to with incredible love from the UConn faithful.
Following his home debut, Boatright had been the player chosen to be interviewed by UConn sideline reporter Emily Noonan, who normally speaks to the star of the game. Throughout the interview, his responses were drowned out by the sound of the students yelling: “Ryan Boatright!”
The praise is well earned. Shooting 48 percent from the field, 47 percent from three-point range and averaging 10 points and 3.5 assists per game in a three-guard lineup will normally make you pretty popular.
The problem is Boatright has only played 10 of UConn’s 19 games.
Why is this?
Boatright is the target of an NCAA investigation—one many thought had been done and dusted several months ago.
Boatright missed the first six games of the 2011-12 season. At first UConn, coming off of a season where punishments were handed out for the infamous recruiting scandal revolving around Nate Miles, was simply being compliant with the NCAA—while they investigated the claims.
In the end, Boatright had been suspended for a total of six games because his mother had accepted a handout from long-time friend Reggie Rose (who has had run-ins with the NCAA before) in order to be able to afford an expensive plane ticket. So that she could fly to Connecticut to see the school her son would be furthering his education and basketball career at.
What a horrible thing right?
It’s one thing if a UConn booster or an agent is providing the money for this sort of thing, then I would understand where the NCAA is coming from. But this was a friend that Boatright’s mother had known for a long time who was just trying to be a human being. Humans are compassionate and are willing to help their friends. It is interesting that being human is a crime in the eyes of the NCAA.
Another thing to consider is that the allegations were coming from a jealous ex-boyfriend of Boatright’s mother. This man, a convicted felon, saw Boatright take the money for the ticket. When the relationship went south, he vowed to make things miserable for the family.
But that situation seemed to be in the past. Boatright came back for the Battle Four Atlantis Consolation Game, following the loss to Central Florida. He was a big part of UConn overtaking Florida State.
After that, UConn was much better with Boatright on the floor. Numbers provided by the UConn blog make a strong argument for UConn being better with Boatright eligible and on the floor. Despite a bad week in New Jersey, which has been a mean place to all UConn sports this year, the Huskies have looked better with Boatright.
But then came the trip to Notre Dame. Boatright had reason to be excited. South Bend was the closest to home he would play all season and he had 400—yes 400—family and friends making the nearly three-hour trip.
The night before the game, Calhoun calls Boatright in to talk to him. It turned out that more allegations had been made against him and UConn. With the requirement to comply with the NCAA, he needed to sit him out until further notice. The young freshman cried in his coach’s arms before a tearful phone call to his mother to break the news.
Boatright has now missed three more games. The first, UConn were able to find some energy in the second half and hang on to beat the Irish. This was followed by a three-point loss to Cincinnati. I had the pleasure of speaking directly to ESPN’s Andy Katz after the game and he agreed that with Boatright in the lineup—UConn is a completely different team. Anyone would agree with that.
Calhoun was forced to ask the likes of Andre Drummond, Alex Oriakhi and Tyler Olander to defend the perimeter—taking them away from the hoop and leaving UConn vulnerable.
Tennessee was an ugly game, but again, UConn struggled to defend the perimeter with big men and they were extremely vulnerable. The offense could get nothing going, but they were clearly missing a spark.
So UConn clearly has struggled without Boatright, a player that could have easily been considered for Big East Rookie of the Year and who could have gotten UConn a bit closer to the top of the Big East, all because the NCAA are investigating the finances of his family.
They don’t believe that family friends wanted to make sure that the Boatright’s were able to have a good Christmas and thus donated some money to the family. The NCAA thinks that agents are pouring money into the Boatright’s account for a future star.
Let’s rewind the clocks a bit though. Everyone remembers the 2010 college football season. Like Tim Tebow was the story of the NFL in 2011, Cam Newton was the talk of college football in 2010. The Auburn quarterback ran and passed his way to a Heisman Trophy and a national championship.
However, during the entire season there was a bit of scandal around him as Mississippi State boosters revealed that during their recruitment of the former Florida quarterback (no longer at Florida because of an arrest for stealing a laptop), his father Cecil had said that it would take between $100,000-$180,000 to recruit his son. Cecil Newton was “pimping” his son to schools.
Newton was declared ineligible on November 30, 2010, but Auburn argued that the booster from MSU in question could not be considered an agent. The NCAA agreed and reinstated him.
So Reggie Rose, a man just trying to be a friend to a long-time friend, is an agent just because he’s trying to help a friend?
Yet there’s nothing wrong with Newton’s father shopping him around?
That seems a bit ridiculous.
Should I remind everyone again that the NCAA is also going on the word of a convicted felon and are unable to believe that friends are just trying to help a struggling family get by?
The mood around the UConn basketball team has been plagued since the second wave of the Boatright scandal. Tweets from students and fans, even players at times, have called for the freedom of Ryan Boatright. Now the movement is taking to Facebook, as a group was created on Wednesday to show support for UConn’s star freshman.
The ridiculousness of the NCAA’s antics is showing once again. This issue, which shouldn’t really have been an issue in the first place, had been taken care of months ago. Now, the NCAA sees the Boatright family as crooked and living off of money from agents.
This second investigation hasn’t even garnered a decision yet. According to Katz, Boatright has even met with the NCAA. But UConn is forced to keep him out.
It is on the verge of obnoxious. No, it exceeds obnoxious.
Follow Tim on Twitter @TimFontenault
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