Stanley Robinson predicted last week that Jim Calhoun would return for Wednesday's game at Syracuse.

Sticks was wrong. George Blaney will be coaching the Huskies for a seventh straight game at the Carrier Dome tomorrow night. As for Calhoun, the usual: still not timetable, will return when his doctor tells him to, hopefully sooner than later.

Apparently, Calhoun hasn't stepped foot on the UConn campus since taking his indefinite medical leave on Jan. 18.

Geno Auriemma walked by as we interviewed Blaney today at Gampel.

"Leave the guy alone, would ya? Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the (stuff) he's got going on, he's got to deal with you guys?"

Geno was just kidding.

***As for Syracuse: could there be a worse matchup for a Husky team that a.) is 0-5 on the road, b.) normally views zone defenses as if they're Chinese algebra and c.) is 1-4 against Top 25 teams (and that one win, against reeling Texas, isn't looking so good anymore)?

But the Huskies will show up, Blaney promises.

"I still have the feeling that we're so very close to being good," he said. "That's what's been so confounding about this team all year. They're so capable of playing such great minutes. I keep going back to the Louisville game: 13-for-19 to start the second half. To play that kind of basketball, it's there. For some reason, it hasn't come out in a full game enough times."

No. 2 Syracuse is off to its best start ever at 23-1 overall (10-1 Big East). The Orange are a well-rounded team led by a superstar (Wes Johnson), a sharpshooter (Andy Rautins), a dominating big man (Arinze Onuaku) and terrific talent off the bench (Kris Joseph, Scoop Jardine).

But it's that 2-3 zone that could present UConn with the most problems. Always a hallmark of the team's style, Syracuse's zone this season is as good as it's ever been.

"I think the players fit better," said Blaney. "It's probably because of Wes Johnson's ability to go out and in, and to cover as much ground as he does, and as intelligently as he does. It's certainly one of the best that I've seen."

The key to beating it (short of "having Emeka Okafor inside," as Blaney joked), is ball movement.

"Once you change sides," Blaney explained, "then you can attack thte middle, or behind, or at the rim. But the problem is, so many teams – us included, sometimes – get caught in either keeping the ball on one side of the court, or you window-wash up on top with passes. By that I mean you just sort of pass it between each other and there's no penetration or slipping in between two guys."

That collective "gulp" you just heard came from Husky Nation, which realizes that "window washing" perfectly explains UConn's halfcourt offense too many times this season. And that's against the zone defenses of lesser teams like Providence and Michigan.

"And they try to keep you on the perimeter so that you get frustrated, and then take a late 3," Blaney continued. "That's kind of what they try to do. They don’t get too concerned if you make a couple of 3's, particularly if you make them early. I can't speak for Jim (Boeheim), but I'd say a lot of times he's happy he makes 3's against them early, because it becomes a little bit of fool's gold sometimes."

An upset win tonight at the Carrier Dome wouldn't be fool's gold for the Huskies. It would be pure gold for them to beat the Orange.

***Blaney said that Ater Majok (in particular), Jamal Coombs-McDaniel and Donnell Beverly have looked real good in practice lately.

"Ater is gaining confidence every single day. He's starting to do more and more things every day. He certainly is a factor in games. He can affect games. That's what you're looking for from guys who come off the bench, or in his case he's starting. He's doing that with his motor, with his ability to block and alter shots, and he's now getting much more confident with the ball. I think he's always thought of himself as an offensive player, but his inexperience is something that's always hindered the offensive part of his game."

***Blaney said he picked the 'Cuse to finish either first or second in the league back in the fall, so they're impressive start hasn't surprised him.

Blaney on Jim Boeheim: "I've never seen a guy that is in the Hall of Fame and has won 800-and-whatever games he's won, get less credit for being a good coach than Jim Boeheim ... The guy wins all the time. He's just like our Jim. They know how to win. You put 25, 27 wins a year for 30 years, you have a pretty good idea of what you're doing."

Here's today's story from the Register, focusing on how UConn still has plenty of opportunity left on its schedule. They've still got a chance. A slim chance, to be sure. Obviously, the Huskies have to play much, much better to take advantage. But, being 14-9 with a bunch of potential marquee wins left on your schedule is better than being 14-9 without much chance at improving your lot.

And here's the Top 25 I submitted last night. It's getting tougher and tougher to pick the last seven or eight teams. There really are about 20 teams to choose from for those slots.

1. Kansas
2. Syracuse
3. Kentucky
4. Villanova
5. West Virginia
6. Purdue
7. Georgetown
8. Kansas State
9. Duke
10. Michigan State
11. New Mexico
12. Tennessee
13. Gonzaga
14. Wisconsin
15. Ohio State
16. Texas
17. Brigham Young
18. Georgia Tech
19. Butler
20. Northern Iowa
21. UNLV
22. Texas A&M
23. St. Mary’s
24. Baylor
25. Temple

I'm nervous for this evening. I just hope they play well and represent themselves properly.

The Colts? No. The Saints? Uh-uh. Could care less about the actual game. I'm rooting for The Who.

The Who -- or is it The Two, with just Pete 'n Rog left? -- are my all-time favorite band, but even I admit they're somewhat of an odd choice for the Super Bowl halftime show. I just hope they play well. They are the greatest live act in rock history, although that dates back to the Keith Moon days. I've seen them about 10 times over the past 15 years, and most of the shows have been great. But Roger's voice tends to give out (I'm real worried about the "Won't Get Fooled Again" scream) and the band can sound a bit ragged at times.

We'll see. As for set list, I know they're doing a medley, and I know the songs are "Pinball Wizard", "Won't Get Fooled," "Baba O'Riley" and "Who Are You". (I predicted those four and "My Generation," but that one's not getting played).

My prediction for song order: "Baba", "Who Are You", "Pinball" and "Won't Get Fooled."

Oh, as for UConn: I wouldn't let last night's lackluster win over DePaul worry you any more or less about this season. This team, for better or worse, tends to play better against better opponents, under the bright lights and national TV cameras. I'll even say this: DePaul is long and (somewhat) athletic on defense, which certainly helped make the Huskies look all the more inept offensively. And Will Walker hit some tough, tough shots.

I expect them to play better against Syracuse, though that 2-3 zone might make them look silly. If you're thinking of a big road upset, I'd say the chances are better next week at Villanova.

After a game that was like pulling teeth just to watch, George Blaney summed up UConn's 64-57 win over DePaul best:

"The definition of that game is a pure dentist game," Blaney said. "It was grind it out, hang tough."

Bring on Syracuse?

We're just going to post the game story I just submitted for tonight's blog. Enjoy (?).


STORRS --- A big offensive rebound, a tough fallaway jumper, a key defensive stop, a whole lot of free throws.

A win … finally. Barely.

The UConn men's basketball team snapped its three-game losing streak with an important – if unsightly – 64-57 win over DePaul Saturday night at Gampel Pavilion.

The Huskies kept the Blue Demons, losers now of 29 of their last 30 Big East contests, in the game until the very end thanks largely to the hot hand of Will Walker (game-high 24 points) and UConn's own inability to function in a halfcourt set.

A nine-point lead early in the second half had gradually been whittled away and, ultimately, erased after Stamford's Devin Hill hit a jump hook with 5 minutes, 57 seconds left to give DePaul a 52-51 lead.

UConn regained the lead a minute later when Kemba Walker stripped Will Walker of the ball and cruised in for layup. The Huskies would never again trail, though they could never truly put the peaky Blue Demons away until hitting four free throws over the final 35 seconds.

"The definition of that game is a pure dentist game," said acting head coach George Blaney. "It was grind it out, hang tough … I told the team that after the three losses, I felt sick and I felt bad. Tonight, I still feel a little sick, but I feel good, because W's are better than L's. And it's a Big East win that we needed to get ourselves off the deck."

Still, as Kemba Walker cautioned: "We've still got a lot of work to do. But, it's a Big East win. We'll just take it and go from here."

The Huskies (14-9, 4-6 Big East) travel to Syracuse to take on the fourth-ranked Orange on Wednesday night. DePaul fell to 8-15, 1-10.

The key sequence of the night came with about 2 ½ minutes remaining. Mac Koshwal scored inside with 2:55 left to bring DePaul to within three (57-54), and Kemba Walker went to the foul line for two shots. He made the first and missed the second, but Ater Majok grabbed the rebound and kicked it out.

"Me and Coach (Andre) LaFleur have been working on how to get rebounds from the free throw line," said Majok. "That kind of helped, trying to slide and hit the man before he hits you. It worked."

The Huskies moved the ball around until Jerome Dyson hit a fallaway baseline jumper that gave UConn a six-point cushion.

"(Majok) got it out, and Jerome hit a great baseline jump shot," Blaney noted. "That probably won the game for us."

Will Walker countered with his sixth 3-pointer of the game, and after Dyson missed a bank shot, the Blue Demons had another chance to tie.

But UConn forced DePaul into a bad shot, Kemba Walker grabbed the long rebound and, rather than take it to the hole, slowed up and brought it back out. Gavin Edwards hit a pair of foul shots with 35.5 seconds remaining, Nate Rogers missed a three, and Dyson sealed the deal with two more freebies.

Dyson finished with 20 points (10-for-11 free throws), and Edwards and Stanley Robinson contributed 10 apiece for the Huskies, who improved to 14-9 overall and 4-6 in the Big East.

UConn went 25-for-35 from the charity stripe; DePaul was just 1-for-6.

"Over the past couple of years, we've been shooting almost 500 more foul shots than our opponents," said Blaney. "We go to the basket very hard, we generally offensive rebound very hard, and we're generally pretty big. It's a big part of our game, not just a big part of this game."

When asked about the free throw discrepancy, DePaul interim head coach Tracy Webster seemed to chuckle to himself for a moment, then replied: "All I can say is, the six that we took, we need to make all six of them. Hopefully one day, we'll get to the line 40 times."

A technical foul on Webster with 7:13 left in the first half helped spark a 14-2 UConn run that allowed the Huskies to enter halftime with a 34-27 lead.

DePaul would fight back, of course, and eventually take the lead. But UConn had just enough to avoid the upset and remain relevant for another day.

Barely.

RIM RATTLINGS: Dyson, Robinson and Kemba Walker each battled ailments throughout the contest. Dyson battled a balky knee and ankle and nearly didn't come out for the second half due to stomach pain.

"I don't know what happened, I must have gotten hit," Dyson said. "It was just a pain in my left side, and it was really bothering me … I don't remember what caused it."

Robinson battled cramps in his back and arm and spent several minutes on the bench in the latter half, and Walker has been battling sore legs the past couple of days, according to Blaney.

***Koshwal, who finished with 12 points, is a distant cousin of Majok.

UConn commit Maurice Harkless, a Class of 2011, 6-foot-7 forward, is here tonight with his AAU coach.

Harkless plays at Forest Hills High in Queens, N.Y.

Big news at Gampel today. As we walked into the gym to catch the last portion of practice, there he was. He wasn't too recognizable at first, but after a moment, we realized who it was.

Stanley Robinson. With a brand-new haircut.

The corn rows are gone, people, replaced by a closely cropped head of hair.

"I just wanted a more professional look," Robinson explained. "I think it looks better on me."

Does it make the high-flying Sticks even more aerodynamic?

"Yeah, a little bit," he said.

Sticks said he got the haircut three days ago -- and it had nothing to do with losing a bet or anything of the sort.

"No, not at all. I just felt like it was time for me to cut it off."

George Blaney said he wanted Stanley to get a haircut "as a sophomore. Everybody learns at their own pace."

Apparently, a season-ticket holder who was watching the earlier part of practice was equally befuddled, asking Blaney, "Who's that guy down there?"

"He did not recognize him," Blaney reported. "I told him it was Stanley, and he said, 'No, no, you're kidding me.'"

So, that qualifies as the big news of the day in Storrs. Otherwise, the Huskies realize they can't overlook an improved DePaul team tomorrow night. They know they've got to cut down on their turnovers, and they've had some "pretty great" practices lately, according to Sticks.

Oh, and this from Sticks on Jim Calhoun's potential return:

"I'm thinking next week," Robinson said. "I'm thinking Syracuse. I've just got that feeling. I'm going to call him tonight, see how he's doing, check up on him and hopefully everything's OK."

Conventional wisdom for the past couple of weeks has been that Saturday night's game with DePaul at Gampel would be the perfect time for Jim Calhoun to return to the sidelines. Makes sense in a lot of ways: home game, lesser opponent (though the Blue Demons have beaten Marquette and had a 19-point lead before being edged by Syracuse, and are only two games behind UConn in the Big East standings), etc., etc.

And when, for I believe the first time since Calhoun went on medical leave, we got an e-mail today from UConn's men's basketball SID that didn't specifically state that George Blaney would be meeting the media before practice on Friday (rather, simply that "availability will follow at the conclusion of practice,") it made me wonder.

But conventional wisdom doesn't apply in this case. Calhoun's doctors are going to tell him when he's ready to return, and they're probably not looking at the Huskies' schedule to make that determination.

Blaney just said on this week's conference call that he's assuming that he, not Calhoun, will coach the team against DePaul.

"It’s day-to-day, we’re waiting for he and the doctors to decide when is the right time for him to come back," said Blaney. "He seems good, he feels good, he’s feeling better, but we don’t have any timetable on when he’s coming back."

Asked if it's likely Calhoun will return for a home game rather than a road contest, Blaney said: "When they decide he’s ready to come back, I don’t think it will matter if it’s a home game or road game for him. He wanted to come back two weeks ago."

Blaney said the team had an "incredible" practice on Wednesday.

"But you’ve got to translate that into the game," he pointed out. "I told them yesterday, we would have won some games yesterday, but you’ve got to carry that over into Saturday ...."