Crimson & Clover

Some quick-hitters from today's practice, as UConn held its media availability a day earlier than normal for Sunday's 1 p.m. game vs. Harvard:

***Harvard is 6-1 and is coming off an 85-64 rout of Rice. The Crimson has also defeated two common opponents of the Huskies: William & Mary (87-85 in triple OT) and Boston University (78-70). Their lone loss came at Army, 56-53.

***Harvard, coached by ex-Duke star and Michigan and Seton Hall coach Tommy Amaker, isn't your typical Ivy League team. They're athletic (seems admissions has loosened its standards a bit to get some better athletes in), they like to get up and down the floor and play a lot of man-to-man.

"They're playing exceptionally well at Tommy," said Jim Calhoun. "Tommy's one of my favorite people. He's done a great job of getting a different kind of Ivy League team – better athletes, they can do a lot of things."

***Harvard is led by Jeremy Lin, who averages 16 points per game and is one of the few Asian-American players in college hoops.

"He's a little bit like (Duke's Jon) Scheyer in the sense that you don't think he's that quick, but he is," Calhoun said. "He's probably a better rebounder, actually. He shoots it pretty well, maybe not like Scheyer's distance, and he makes plays. He does it with very deceptive speed. He's crafty, and he knows how to play … Lin certainly could play for teams in the Big East."

***Same starting lineup on Sunday.

***Jerome Dyson was practicing and showing no ill effects of his injury Wednesday night (which, apparently, was more of a foot sprain than a groin issue). Jerome was back to being Jerome today. On at least two occasions, he went flying to the ground and seemed a bit shaken up both times, only to pop right back up after a few moments.

"I think if he woke up feeling no bumps and bruises, he'd call a doctor saying 'There's something wrong with me,'" Calhoun noted.

Sticks Robinson on Dyson: "Ever since he got here, he's been falling crazy. He doesn't know how to fall. I hope he doesn't kill himself, because we need him. I felt like if we had him last year, (we would have won) the championship."

***Good Sticks story. On Wednesday night, after a good second half following a subpar first half, Robinson told Calhoun on the sidelines: "See, I told you coach. Everything turned out alright."

Only problem was, according to Calhoun, Sticks never had actually told Calhoun that everything would turn out alright.


***Expecting to see Jonathan Mandeldove in uniform next semester? Don't hold your breath. Not that it really matters much.

***Sticks on if he's happy with the way he's played so far this year:

"Nah. I'm not satisfied yet. When I feel satisfied is when I'm scoring 30 points, 25 points … 10 rebounds."

Robinson is averaging 15 points and 6.3 boards.

***Looking ahead to Wednesday's showdown with Kentucky at Madison Square Garden, Robinson noted that UK freshman DeMarcus Cousins is from his hometown of Birmingham, Ala.

"Yeah, he's so cocky, man. Too cocky for his own good," Sticks said with a smile.

Bad blood between the two?

"No, he just jokes too much. I told him, just stop playing around so much. He jokes a lot, but he's a great dude overall."