The AAC regular season kicks off on New Year's Eve. You're not as excited as you used to be when the Big East season used to roll around. But look hard enough and the American could be an intriguing league before it's all said and done.

I think UConn is on to something here. As expected, it has taken the Huskies a while to jell with a bunch of new faces and no more Shabazz Napier to bail them out of sticky situations. But there's talent here, obviously strong coaching, and the team has played pretty well lately.

I thought Ryan Boatright would be good this year, but have to admit that, so far, he's been better than I expected. Daniel Hamilton, too. Fun to watch such a fundamentally sound, unselfish player. And it looks like Rodney Purvis might be ready to blow up, as well.

And let's not forget, three of the Huskies' four losses have come from teams currently ranked in the Top 25: No. 2 Duke, No. 11 Texas and No. 17 West Virginia.

Meanwhile, have you noticed what's been going on down at SMU lately?

The Mustangs lost three of their first five games this season and fell off everybody's radar -- including mine. But SMU was without the services of Markus Kennedy, the all-AAC forward who was out on academic suspension. Xavier transfer Justin Martin also missed four games early on.

It should also be pointed out that the 'Stangs lost to three pretty good teams: at No. 7 Gonzaga, at Indiana and at home to a good (10-2) Arkansas squad whose only losses have been to No. 9 Iowa State and Clemson (in overtime).

Kennedy is back now, however, and SMU has won six straight -- including at Michigan (though, admittedly, both NJIT and Eastern Michigan have accomplished the same feat).

"I knew SMU was gonna pick it up once they got big Mo back," said Boatright.

In Kennedy and current AAC player of the week Yanick Moreira, SMU may have the league's best frontcourt. In 2014 first team all-AAC guard Nic Moore and former McDonald's All-American Keith Frazier, the backcourt's very strong, too.

Oh, and the head coach isn't too shabby, either. Emmanuel Who-diay?, the Mustangs might ask.

Is SMU a better team than UConn right now? I thought so -- by a smidge. Then, it barely beats a Division 2 team called Midwestern State at home on Monday. So I'll go with the Huskies right now. But make no mistake -- this conference appears very much to be a two-team race to the top.

And I don't think this will be a one-bid league, as some have suggested. I think both UConn and SMU will continue to improve, and their respective RPI's will remain strong enough, thanks to good out-of-conference schedules. Four bids like last year seems far-fetched, but three isn't out of the realm.

I'll give Cincy some consideration because it always seems to be there, thanks largely to its defense. The Bearcats may miss head coach Mick Cronin (unruptured aneurysm) for a while, though.

And I'm really starting to like Temple, with bona fide scorers Will Cummings and Quenton DeCosey now joined by talented transfers Jesse Morgan (UMass) and Devin Coleman (Clemson). The Owls will give the Huskies all they can handle on New Year's Eve (1 p.m.) at the XL Center.

Memphis? Forget about it. No guard play. Tulsa's been a disappointment, but could get better if it buys into Frank Haith. Same with Houston and Kelvin Sampson, I suppose. UCF's strong recruiting class is yielding some nice results. I thought USF (6-7) would be better, and still could be. Tulane's 9-1 start was a fraud, built on a bunch of cupcakes. The Green Wave has lost its last two games to ranked Washington and St. Johns (by 25). East Carolina? No.

Will UConn be better than SMU come March? It remains to be seen, and we'll have two fun games -- one an ESPN College GameDay feature on Feb. 14 in Dallas, the other a nationally-televised showdown on CBS on March 1 in Hartford -- to help sort it out.

But remember: the Huskies have yet to prove they can beat the Mustangs head-to-head, after losing both games last season.

No, it's not the Big East. But I'm looking forward to the start of the AAC season. Could be interesting.

My predictions:

1. UConn
2. SMU
3. Cincinnati
4. Temple
5. Memphis
6. Tulsa
7. Houston
8. Central Florida
9. South Florida
10. Tulane
11. East Carolina

Player of the Year: Ryan Boatright, UConn
Rookie of the Year: Daniel Hamilton, UConn
Coach of the Year: Fran Dunphy, Temple
Defensive Player of the Year: Ryan Boatright, UConn
Most Improved Player: Yanick Moreira, SMU

FIRST TEAM

Ryan Boatright, UConn
Daniel Hamilton, UConn
Nic Moore, SMU
Yanick Moreira, SMU
Will Cummings, Temple
Octavius Ellis, Cincinnati

SECOND TEAM

Amida Brimah, UConn
Rodney Purvis, UConn
Markus Kennedy, SMU
Austin Nichols, Memphis
Jesse Morgan, Temple

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

Daniel Hamilton, UConn
B.J. Taylor, UCF
Adonys Henriquez, UCF
Gary Clark, Cincinnati
B.J. Tyson, East Carolina

Here's my AP Top 25 ballot this week. Washington's out, after losing at home to Steve Pikiell's Stony Brook Seawolves. In its place is Georgetown, which notched an impressive neutral-court win over Indiana at Madison Square Garden.

1. Kentucky

2. Duke

3. Wisconsin

4. Louisville

5. Arizona

6. Villanova

7. Virginia

8. Gonzaga

9. Iowa State

10. Texas

11. Utah

12. West Virginia

13. Wichita State

14. Kansas

15. Ohio State

16. Maryland

17. Notre Dame

18. Texas Christian

19. St. John's

20. Georgetown

21. Oklahoma

22. San Diego State

23. North Carolina

24. Northern Iowa

25. Old Dominion

With the seconds winding down in UConn's 81-48 rout of Central Connecticut on Sunday afternoon, the 13,315 at XL Center started booing.

At first, it seemed the crowd was upset that former walk-on-turned-scholarship player Pat Lenehan wasn't going to get a shot off. Perhaps that was part of it, but the bulk of the booing more likely had to do with the fact that the Huskies weren't going to get to the 82-point mark.

Any time UConn scores 82 points in a game, you see, anyone with a ticket stub to the game can get a free order of wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. So, the 13,315 wound up a point short of free wings.

“I’ve never got booed like that, at the end of the game," Kevin Ollie noted. "I didn’t even know about the Buffalo Wild Wings. I’m like, ‘Man, they love Pat this much?’ So, next time, I’ll recognize that. That was on me.”

That's kind of the lead story off an otherwise routine blowout of Howie Dickenman's Blue Devils. Actually, there were others: Kentan Facey's first career triple-double, Omar Calhoun's season-high 11 points (including his first 3-pointer since Jan. 21 against Temple last season), five players in double figures and a 37-5 run between the end of the first half and the beginning of the second that turned it into a rout.

Here's some video, notes and quotes off the game:



*** Ray Allen spoke to the CCSU team in the locker room after the game. Allen, of course, played under Dickenman when Dickenman was Jim Calhoun's assistant at UConn.

"He spoke to the players for about 10 minutes, gave some very good comments and observations," said Dickenman. "Ray has always been one of my favorites, but then he’s everybody’s favorite. Our players applauded him and we thanked him for coming in.”

“You could hear a pin drop when Ray spoke.”

Dickenman shared this story of Allen, during a Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic game at Mohegan Sun Arena a few years back, when Dickenman was "coaching" Allen's team.

“We’re getting hammered about halfway through the first half. I’m gonna ‘talk to the team,’ OK? And Ray interrupts me. The nerve of him to interrupt the coach. And all he said was, ‘I’m sick and tired of this, we have to go out and fight. We’re not here to lay down.’ It was a very brief but motivational talk, and we went out and played much better. He’s such a competitor that he would take time to say that in the huddle. When Ray speaks, everyone listens.”

*** UConn is now 19-0 against former Calhoun assistants, including 3-0 against Dickenman at CCSU. The Huskies have never lost to the Blue Devils in 13 games.

*** Omar Calhoun:

"I'm starting to get my rhythm back. I'm starting to get healthy. I'm able to be more explosive at the rim, do more off the dribble .. It was definitely tough going through that and then another injury. It's good to have something going positive so I can go forward and keep growing from it ... It was definitely tough, but I'm a strong individual. I talked to Coach all the time and he said just work through it. He has my back. So as I keep working and getting healthier and healthier, it will be better every day."

*** Ryan Boatright apparently thought the boos at the end of the game were about Lenehan, as well, and didn't know about the Buffalo Wild Wings.

“I keep telling Pat, man, just shoot the ball! He’s such a good person and a good teammate. When K.O. says don’t jack the ball, he’s not gonna jack it. But when you get in with a minute left, you only have two possessions, probably -- just shoot the ball. It’s your senior year, he’s gonna put you in the next game, you know what I mean? But Pat is Pat, he’s not gonna take ill-advised shots.”

Spoke with Howie Dickenman this afternoon. Dickenman, of course, is in his 19th season as head coach at Central Connecticut State, which faces UConn for the first time in nine years on Sunday at the XL Center.

Dickenman was an assistant at UConn from 1982-96, as you all know, and was responsible for the recruitment of numerous players who helped the Huskies establish themselves as one of the elite programs in the nation, including Donyell Marshall, Donny Marshall, Travis Knight, Jake Voskuhl, Cliff Robinson ... and Kevin Ollie.

Here's some of what Dickenman had to say:

"To tell you the truth, I really don't like to play against people like them, but this was an opportunity to play the national champs. I never played against Karl Hobbs's teams, I never play against Steve Pikiell's teams, I don't play against Dave Leitao's teams when he was a head coach. But, this presented itself to play against the national champs."

"It's a great game for us, because it's an away game, but it's right down the road. And it creates a lot of interest on Central Connecticut's part."

(on Ollie)

"I've been one of the biggest supporters of him, because I've known him for so long. He's a class act, a great motivator, a great communicator, and one heck of a great coach, too."

"Look at his loyalty. That's one person who loves his alma mater. He speaks very proudly of it when I've heard him speak at different events. I don't know what the (NBA) offered him last year, but I can give you a ballpark of $4-5 million ... and he turned that down to stay home."

"I think head coach of University of Connecticut, in basketball, is one of the toughest jobs in the country. People say, 'How about Kentucky, how about Kansas?' But the media following and the demands, time-wise, of the head coach at Connecticut. Jim had 27 years of it, now Kevin's in his second year dealing with it. It's demanding."

(what does playing CCSU get out of playing UConn)

"We get to play a team that will help us be well-prepared for our league. It gives us, public relations-wise and credibility-wise, the chance to play in front of a lot of people."

"I'd have to say we're amped up more for this game than games in the past. It's only natural when you play the national champs.

I've tried not to be too annoying about this, but figured I'd give you all one final reminder that you can get holiday pre-orders for my book, Rebound! The Incredible Story of UConn Basketball's Comeback from Defeat to Dominance, both here and here.

The book is slated to be released on March 3, just in time for March Madness. Hopefully, it will rekindle some great memories for UConn fans as the Huskies embark on another journey to the tourney. Or, if things haven't straightened out for UConn by then, it will at least hark back to a better time in Husky history.

UConn looks to go 1-1 against the Ivies this season on Monday night in Bridgeport. Unlike last year's bout at Webster Bank Arena, which drew the largest crowd to a sporting event in the building's history, this game likely won't be a sellout.

Don't sleep on the Ivy League this year. Brown beat Providence, Columbia gave Kentucky its toughest challenge to date, and, of course, Yale beat UConn. The Huskies, obviously, are in no position to overlook any opponent, and desperately need a win on Monday night.

Still, no Ivy League teams in my Top 25 this week. No AAC teams, either. Briefly considered SMU ... but not yet.

Just a couple of changes: Miami's out after getting thrashed at home by Eastern Kentucky. Butler's also gone, after losing to Indiana. Tough to rank a three-loss team right now (though I do have a few here):

1. Kentucky
2. Duke
3. Arizona
4. Louisville
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Virginia
8. Texas
9. Gonzaga
10. Wichita State
11. Kansas
12. Iowa State
13. Utah
14. West Virginia
15. Ohio State
16. Maryland
17. Notre Dame
18. Texas Christian
19. St. John's
20. Washington
21. Oklahoma
22. San Diego State
23. North Carolina
24. Northern Iowa
25. Old Dominion

Blame the refs? Nah, that's a loser's lament. There were a few bad calls, and no doubt the foul troubles of Amida Brimah (and Phil Nolan, and Kentan Facey) hurt UConn in its 66-56 loss to Duke on Thursday. It also led to a massive free throw discrepancy: Duke was 25-for-34 from the stripe, UConn a mere 7-for-13.

Kenyan Facey played a terrific game. Perhaps the best of his career.

Kevin Ollie wasn't about to blame the refs:



Amida Brimah wasn't, either. Well, sorta.

“I’m not gonna use that as an excuse, but it definitely took me out of my game," he said. "But what can you say? It happened.”

“I was good. I thought they made some bad calls, and that affected my game.”

“I’m not gonna blame this game on the refs, but the refs made a couple of bad calls.”

(on Jahlil Okafor)

“He’s a good player, but I thought we did what we had to do against him.”

Asked if he was impressed by Okafor's ability to make one-handed, over-the-top passes against double teams, Brimah replied: “Everybody can do that when you get double-teamed.”

Meanwhile, here's a little Coach K postgame:

The battle of big men Thursday night may disappoint. As great as Amida Brimah was on Sunday against Coppin State, it's hard to imagine he'll turn in anywhere near the same performance against Duke.

Fact is, Jahlil Okafor is so much more polished than Brimah right now. It's not hard to imagine Brimah being overanxious and picking up a couple of early fouls, and quickly turning the much-anticipated battle of red-hot big men into something different on Thursday night.

But then again, maybe not. Maybe the Coppin State game was Brimah's coming-out party, and he continues his dominant ways against the Blue Devils. It'll be fun to find out.

Anyway, here's what Mike Krzyzewski had to say to the media this week about the big UConn-Duke matchup:





Insightful, eh? Oh yeah, Coach K didn't do media this week. Wonderful. Well, here's what some of his coaching staff and players had to say:



Here's more of how UConn looks at Duke, and how Duke is looking at UConn:

NATE JAMES (Duke assistant coach)

(on Jahlil Okafor)

“He’s gifted, man. I wish I could take credit for the ability he has, but a lot of that is just from the good Lord above. The kid wants to get better, comes to practice and has the desire to learn the game. As a result, he’s been rewarded for his efforts.”

(on Amida Brimah)

“Brimah definitely has elite size and length. That’s gonna be a test for Jah to go up and say, ‘I’m ready for the challenge, I’m gonna play my game.’ One thing about the Brimah kid, I think his defense is definitely ahead of his offense. Watching the film and seeing how he gets those baskets, a big part of it is the guard play."

:Whenever you have dynamic guards, and UConn is notorious for having terrific guard play ... I don’t think it’s an issue where we have to worry about them consistently throwing the ball down in the post and letting Brimah go against Jah one-on-one. I think it’s gonna be a total team effort, and I think it starts with the guards, making sure they keep Boatright and the other guys out of the lane.”

KEVIN OLLIE:

(on memories of the UConn-Duke rivalry)



(on Duke's ability to run)

“I think it varies with them. They run off a lot of turnovers, they’re incredibly athletic, and when you get live turnovers taht we had against Coppin State, they’re gonna convert them. Which Coppin State did, too. We’ve got to limit the mistakes with the basketball, make sure we eliminate our turnovers. Of course they’re gonna try to pound it in there, but I saw Jahlil get a steal (Monday) night and go coast-to-coast, so they’re nto gonna take their foot off the accelarator. Jahlil is a big guy, but he can run the floor very, very well. I think they’re gonna pound it in, and then they’re gonna run when the opportunities present themselves.”

(on importance of boosting NCAA tourney stock with a win over Duke)

“That’s what we’re gonna have to do. It just gets you ready, hopefully, for March and April, when you’re on neutral sites and you have to play a formidable foe. Hopefully, we understand that. It’s about ‘now’ for us. We can’t look past anybody. We’ve got to get wins.”

“You need signature wins for the NCAA to build your resume. This is a great chance for us, a great opportunity. I just want our guys to seize it. That’s what we’ve been talking about the last couple of days in practice.”

(on Okafor)

“He can run the court, he’s got soft hands, he catches everything, outstanding rebounder. Just skilled. Can go over both shoulders, pivot in the post with both pivots. I mean, I could go on and on. He seems like a great teammate, a great person. He’s just the complete package. He’s a force to be reckoned with on a college game, and when he gets to the pros, he’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with, too. Because he seems like he loves the game and likes to get better. He’s someone we’re gonna have to pay great attention to. It can’t just be Amida guarding him, it’s got to be everybody on the court guarding him.”

RODNEY PURVIS:

(on Okafor)

“He’s really good. He’s young, really light on his feet. He’s just a really tough cover, so we’re gonna do our best to guard him. I feel like Amida has everything it takes to shut him down.”

“Playing against a team like Duke, they’re undefeated right now, we’re kind of getting back on the road. It’ll definitely be a great game.”

(on whether Brimah is primed for the challenge of battling Okafor)

“Oh yeah, definitely. I don’t know what kid wouldn’t be. I guess he’s projected as the No. 1 draft pick for the upcoming draft. This is a great game to boost your stock.”

RYAN BOATRIGHT:

“We’ve got to take it as another game that’s on our schedule. No matter who’s out there, we need to go out and compete.”

“Definitely, it would help us with our resume and our confidence. These big out-of-conference games, we’ve got to go out and take care of business.”

“It’s Duke. They’re on TV all the time. I’ve seen a few games they’ve played."

“We’re two tournament teams that are colliding early in the season. It’s a great test for both of us.”

(on being the underdogs on Thursday)

“We’re pretty used to that. Nobody gave us a chance last year. Nobody ever gives us a chance. As long as I’ve been here, we’ve always been big underdogs going into big games. It’s nothing new.”

(on whether Brimah is embracing the challenge of Okafor)

“He’s not scared of anybody. He’s extremely competive. He’s tired of hearing all this hoorah about Jahlil, he’s excited to get a shot at him. I tell him just be confident, go out there and play your game, and the game will take care of itself.”

AMIDA BRIMAH:

“I’ve got to be aggressive when I come out, and I can’t let them punch first. I’ve got to punch first.”

“We’ve just got to stay composed and take care of the ball.”

“I’ve got to do my work early and run the floor.”

“Definitely. That’s an opportunity for our team. That’s gonna be a great win for us. We need that.”

“I’m always confident, but that (40-point game) helped me boost my confidence up.”

A few quotes on the UConn-Duke rivalry. (Or is it a rivalry?)

NATE JAMES (a sophomore on the 1999 Duke team that lost to UConn in the national championship game, and now a Blue Devil assistant):

"If you play that game 10 times, I truly believe we’ll win nine out of 10 times. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen that way. You get one time to show up, and they did. I think for the rest of our lives -- Elton Brand, my good friend, Trajon Langdon -- we’ll forever regret not bring our best to the table that night.”

“Whenever you have one of the best teams ever assembled, you get the opportunity to do something truly special, and for that night, it didn’t happen for us,” James recalled. “Like all kids and players, you let any type of distraction into your group and you face a team that was together -- Coach Calhoun had his guys together and obviously had some outstanding players on that team as well, Rip Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin, (Jake) Voskuhl. He had a terrific game plan, and it all came together.”

(is it a rivalry?)

“We don’t really use that term. They’re a team we definitely respect and has had some outstanding teams, won national championships, defeated us before. It’s a program you have a high level of respect for, and you know you have to bring your ‘A’ game against.”

KEVIN FREEMAN (a junior on the 1999 UConn title team and now the Huskies' director of basketball administration):

(responding to Nate James' comments)

“All we had to do is win the one. So, I don’t know about the next 10 times. I don’t think you play anybody in college 10 times in four years. I’ll take my one.”

“It was a tough, gritty game. Sort of like on Thursday, we were an underdog, everybody picking to beat us. We had the confidence in our locker room to go out there and know we were gonna win the game and try to win the game.”

“I think it’s a great rivalry, in the sense that every time we play it’s been a great game. The early 90’s games, the game we beat them and also in the 2000’s -- it’s gonna be a great game, it’s gonna be fun for the fans, and it’s fun for us overall.”

“It was called the Duke Invitational that year (1999), because of that team. It was definitely sweet for us to play the No. 1 team. It was us and them, and it was a great game.”

“It’s funny to fast-forward now. Because we beat them, a lot of people don’t know how great that Duke team really was. They don’t get the credit. But they were a great team, and it does give you a lot of satisfaction beating that team.”

KEVIN OLLIE:

(on UConn's 90-86 win over Duke in a Great 8 game in 1994, in which Ollie poured in 24 points)

“It was a good game. We came out with fire and passion. I think that was the first time we beat Duke."

“We kind of had a chip on our shoulder. We wanted to get Duke. It’s always been a good rivalry. They’re a great program. I have the utmost respect for Coach K and what he’s done. I look at him and marvel at the success he’s had, the sustained success. That’s what you want in your program. I think he’s done a great job. And what he’s done with USA Basketball and with his teams over the years, it’s a noble job by him.”

“It’s always a rivalry. Our first national championship was over Duke. It’s always gonna be a rivalry between us. We have more historic rivalries with Syracuse and Georgetown, of course. But whenever UConn and Duke goes, you go back and relive the past, the Christian Laettner incident, all the different things that happened during our past when those two teams got together -- Christian Laettner’s shot. A lot of memorable things in NCAA basketball history that came between these two teams when they got on the court.”

“These programs have been built with toughness, hard work and character. I think they kind of mirror themselves in those aspects.”

RODNEY PURVIS (a Raleigh, N.C. native who played at NC State as a frosh):

“I’m 1-1 against Duke, so it’ll be good to get another win.”

“I liked Duke. I had the chance to talk to Coach K and things like that. I’m not really a fan of blue. I like navy blue better than that color blue, so ... it was great. He recruited me growing up. I definitely don’t like Carolina blue. He’s definitely a great guy, a great coach. There’s nothing bad I can say about him.”

No, despite UConn's 106-85 win over Coppin State, led by Amida Brimah's 40-point, 12-rebound dominance, the Huskies don't re-enter my Top 25 this week. Obviously.

It's funny, though. Even though UConn is 4-3 and didn't receive a single Top 25 vote last week (and likely won't this week, either), the Huskies are really only a few seconds from being 6-1 and firmly in the Top 25. Last-second corner treys by Jonathan Holmes and Jack Montague don't fall, and the Huskies are ranked. And while you can always list a bunch of "if's" for teams that lose close games, in these two cases, it really was just a matter of seconds. UConn seemed en route to victory in both games, even if it didn't play particularly well in either.

Such is the fickle life of a college hoops team in this season of parity, however. Now, if UConn somehow manages to beat No. 2 Duke on Thursday at the IZOD Center, do the Huskies return to the rankings? Kinda have to, don't they?

Anyway, my Top 25:

1. Kentucky
2. Duke
3. Arizona
4. Louisville
5. Wisconsin
6. Villanova
7. Wichita State
8. Texas
9. Gonzaga
10. Virginia
11. Kansas
12. Iowa State
13. Oklahoma
14. Ohio State
15. San Diego State
16. Butler
17. Miami
18. Utah
19. West Virginia
20. Maryland
21. Notre Dame
22. Texas Christian
23. St. John's
24. Washington
25. North Carolina

Wife and kids are out of town, so I went up to watch New Haven's own Tremont Waters up at South Kent School on Saturday evening. Right now, there's no doubt he could help out UConn (which looks to get back on track on Sunday against Coppin State)  in at least one department: breaking fullcourt pressure. His ballhandling is that good.

"Teams are throwing two men at him, three men at him," said South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson, "and I've never been in a situation where I panic when he has the ball. Even if they have two or three guys on him, I let him go. Because I just believe no one can guard him. And he busts it, and we have advantages."

Waters is best-known as a shooter, and he's a terrific passer, too. Here's some (admittedly raw) video of Waters in action in Saturday's 92-85 win over Coastal Academy, during which he had 23 points and seven assists before fouling out (he's No. 4):



If there's one question about Waters right now, it would be his size (5-foot-9, 145 pounds). But he more than makes up for that with his quickness and ballhandling skills. And anyway, he's still just a sophomore, with plenty of time to grow.

"I think if a school doesn't recruit him based on his size, they're crazy," said Jefferson. "I think they're nuts. I think he's the best point guard in the country, in that class. I think he's an elite shooter, an elite passer and an elite ballhandler. And he has a good IQ. As a sophomore, does he always make the right decision? No. But by the time he's a freshman in college, I think he's going to be one of the best in the country."

Spoke with Waters a bit after the game, and while talking about how he likes to keep his teammates involved, it didn't take long for him to bring up the name: "Shabazz Napier."

Waters spoke with Napier briefly while on an unofficial visit to UConn last season.

"He just told me to stay focused, stay in the books. Without books, you can't really do anything else. So it was like, stay focused, stay humble."

UConn has already offered Waters, and is one of many schools heavily in on him, along with Duke, Louisville, Ohio State, Stanford and Clemson, to name just a few.

Asked if UConn was his "dream school," Waters paused for a moment and answered: "Well, it's my home state, so, I'd have to say 'Yeah.' Or Duke. Since I was little, I used to watch Duke all the time. They have a ton of point guards that they've produced. I just like the way they play."

(No, he won't be at the IZOD Center Thursday night for UConn-Duke. South Kent's playing up in Worcester that night).

Anyway, don't expect a decision any time soon from Waters. His parents want him to enjoy being a kid up at South Kent, away from a lot of the pressures of both the city and the recruiting world. And, of course, a lot depends on what other recruits are brought in -- and who's still coaching where -- once 2017 rolls around.

*** As reported by Adam Zagoria recently, UConn is trying to get back in the mix with Tyler Dorsey, who recently decommitted from Arizona.

Spoke with Dorsey by phone on Saturday night.

"Yes, I'm considering them right now," he said of the Huskies. "I don't really know what I'm doing with this college situation. I'm just watching games, still talking to coaches. I'm still considering them."

Dorsey added that he has "no leaders. Nobody has an edge right now."

Dorsey played with current UConn freshman Daniel Hamilton at St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, California (though he's playing at Maranatha High in Los Angeles this year as a senior).

Asked if playing alongside Hamilton would make UConn more intriguing, Dorsey said: "It does. That's my boy, Daniel. That is intriguing, when I look at UConn and that situation ... I talk to him. He's doing good, trying to make me lean towards coming over there with him."

But Dorsey doesn't know when he'll make his decision.

"I have no clue. It depends how I feel and whenever I feel the right school is for me, I'm going to just choose it. But there's no real set date.'

Rodney Purvis didn't participate much in practice today. Omar Calhoun did, but seems unlikely to play on Sunday against Coppin State. Also, Ryan Boatright suffered a lower leg contusion a couple of days ago in practice when he was accidentally kicked by Terrence Samuel. He should be fine, however.

A few notes and quotes from after today's practice:

KEVIN OLLIE:

"They've responded great. They've got the faith, I've got the faith in them. They responded great."

(on injury status of Purvis, Calhoun, Boatright)

"It's the same. Rodney's kind of come back from that high ankle sprain. He didn't participate in practice today, but Omar went through some drills. We're trying to get him back, hopefully soon. Same ol', same ol'. Ryan was able to practice today. He had a contusion on his lower leg, so it's good to see him back on the practice court. We're just trying to get everybody healthy."

"They're not practicing, so of course it's a game-time decision."

(on Calhoun's confidence level)

"I believe he's confident, but with the sprained MCL, it's hard mentally to make sure he's able to make the cuts, (he doesn't) want to feel that sharp pain he felt six weeks ago. I think he's getting back comfortable ... Hopefully, he can string some practices together and get more comfortable."

"I think he's been sitting on the bench, seeing us struggle with shots. If we can have somebody come in, make a couple of 3's, it can really open up some things for us. Hopefully, he sees an opportunity here and takes advantage of it when he comes back healthy."

"You've got to probably ask him that question, but I know he wants to come back healthy ... The knee is 100-percent, now it's just getting the functionality, the 20-percent being on the court. Hopefully, he can work through that ... Today he was good. Hopefully, we can keep building on that ... We'll see 10 a.m., if he's able to bounce back (on Saturday). I don't think he'll be playing against Coppin State, but hopefully we can get him back for next week."

(on Coppin State)

"We've got to stop the bleeding. If it was a YMCA team coming here, we've got our antennae up. We're not looking at their record or anything, it's a game we've got to look within, work on the things we've been working on. They've got some athletic guys, they're turning teams over at a high rate, so we've got to take care of the ball at a high rate ... Coach Grant is going to go to a 2-3 zone that we haven't had particular success against, in the last couple of minutes of our last couple of games ... we worked on a lot of that today."


RYAN BOATRIGHT:

"Terrence kicked me on the side of my leg, so I've got a bad bruise. I'm just trying to protect where he kicked me.

"We're just trying to keep the team positive, keep them motivated. I've been around for a long time. I've had a lot of years where we've lost two, three straight. It's tough, keeping your head and staying confident. Especially for these young guys, they've never experienced anything like that. Everybody who was praising you, you lose three straight, they walk right past you when you're going to class. I'm just trying to keep them motivated and that we've got to get back to the basics and work hard in practice."

"We're banged up a little bit, but it's part of basketball. It comes with the game. As long as we keep doing the things we've got to do, once we get back to full-strength, we'll get on a role."

"I wouldn't say 100-percent. It's better than it was when I played against Yale. Being kicked in the same leg, the muscle that's right on top of it doesn't help. I'm going to rehab everyday, trying to get through it."

(not overlooking Coppin State)

"Not at all. We just lost to Yale. You've got to go into every game like it is Duke. We've got to get a win, we've got to get back on the winning side of things. Dropping four would be devastating. It's a must-win for us."

RODNEY PURVIS:

"It's OK. I did shooting drills with the guards today, I didn't do much contact. The main thing is just letting it heal now, because I feel like I keep trying to come back and play and I may delay (the healing) a little bit."

(on whether he could have played in the second half of the Yale game)

"Mentally, yeah, I felt like I could. I just tried to keep myself upbeat. That's the main thing, because once it stiffens up, it's kinda hard. I kept myself loose just in case my number was called. I felt like I could have gone in the second half."

(on whether he understands why Ollie didn't put him back in)

"Definitely. He said I was limping. If I'm limping, I'm not really helping the team. I'm really hurting the team. That's the main thing. I focus all on the team at this point. If I've got to sit out because I can't help the team, that's what it is. But if I can play, I'm definitely going to try to play and help some team."

A bit of reasonably interesting information:

According to Vivid Seats, a secondary ticket marketplace, UConn entered the season 10th in ticket prices in all of men's college basketball, with a median price of $79. Duke has the most expensive median ticket price at $195, with Kentucky in second at $177. Kansas is 3rd at $165 with VCU ($100) and Stanford ($100) rounding out the top-5.

While the top-25 is still filled with the usual suspects like UNC, UCLA, Arizona and Indiana, smaller programs like Seton Hall, Iowa State, San Diego State and St. Louis all land in the top-15.

Duke takes part in nine of the top-10 most expensive matchups of the season, with the UNC-Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 18, 2015 the most expensive matchup of the year at $1,475. The Huskies don't take part in any of the top-25 most expensive games of the season.

I was one of the final three voters not to vote Kentucky No. 1 the past two weeks (I had my reasons), but obviously, the Wildcats top the ballot this week. Hard to imagine that they won't be unanimous.

Elsewhere: I say goodbye to Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Arkansas and Creighton and welcome Utah, Notre Dame, TCU and St. John's.

There were obviously some awful losses this week, led by Michigan's home loss to NJIT and Miami falling at home to Green Bay (which would make sense ... in the NFL). So why, you ask, do I still have Miami and Michigan ranked? Because they both had pretty good wins this week, as well: Miami beat No. 24 Illinois and Michigan beat Syracuse.

1.       Kentucky

2.       Duke

3.       Arizona

4.       Louisville

5.       Wisconsin

6.       Wichita State

7.       Villanova

8.       Texas

9.       Gonzaga

10.   Virginia

11.   Kansas

12.   Iowa State

13.  Oklahoma
14. San Diego State

15.   Butler

16.   North Carolina

17.   Ohio State

18.   Miami

19.   Utah

20.   West Virginia

21.   Maryland

22.   Michigan

23.   Notre Dame

24.   Texas Christian

25.   St. John’s

Not trying to take anything out of context (or, as Roger Clemens would say, content) here, but I think Kevin Ollie was taking a not-so-subtle jab at Omar Calhoun with this quote following Yale's stunning, 45-44 win over UConn on Friday night at Gampel:

Asked about Ryan Boatright's effort, Ollie reponded:

“Ryan’s got to do a better job with the four turnovers, just careless turnovers. But I applaud his effort out there, because a lot of people are sitting on that bench, hurt. I know his ankle hurts, but he got up there and played. I’ve got to applaud that.”

Calhoun, of course, has yet to play this season after suffering a preseason right knee sprain. Meanwhile, Purvis -- who missed Sunday's Texas loss with a high ankle sprain -- gave it a go. He came off the bench but missed all three shots in eight first-half minutes and never returned to the floor.

“He’s limping around, I just didn’t think he was effective,” said Ollie. “I just thought our energy picked up in the second half and I was going with the guys that were playing hard. Not saying Rodney wasn’t playing hard, but that group in there -- Sam (Cassell) starting, (Terrence Samuel) coming in -- got us back in the game.”



On Jack Montague's game-winning shot:

Ollie: “(Ryan) Boatright had Montague. He was pointing for the switch and Sam took a couple of steps in. Montague just came off and got open, then Sam was late to retreat. It was just a communication (breakdown) again, things that we went over in practice to stop. We’ve just got to do a better job reacting to late-game situations, and switching. Boat called the switch, but we just didn’t react fast enough -- kind of like in the Texas game.”

“That corner’s not my favorite corner."

Ollie was accountable: “I know I’m not playing, but I’ve got to do a better job in those last (second) situations, finding the guys that are going to communicate and follow the game plan.”

Confessed Cassell: “(Boatright) called a switch. I thought I saw a guy come through the middle. The guy went to the corner. It was my fault.”

“Both shots hit me to the heart, just seeing both of those shots go in the same way. It’s just crazy.”

With Javier Duren inbounding from near the opposite corner with 3.5 seconds left, the plan was for Duren to hit Justin Sears with a lob pass.

“The design was for me to cross from one side of the 3-point line to the other, and I guess the man who was guarding me must have got caught up in traffic, and I felt like I was open,” Montague said. “Javier found me out of bounds, and I let it loose from there.”

Maybe not option No. 1, but not a surprise to Yale coach James Jones.

“I told (Montague) some time during the game that he’s going to make a big shot. I was just waiting for it all night, and it finally came.”

Some notes, quotes and video from after UConn's practice on Thursday:

Ryan Boatright participated in practice fully for the first time all week. Here he is putting up a few shots:



Will he play tomorrow? Game-time decision.

BOATRIGHT:

“I feel like I can play (Friday). But it’s a game-time decision. I want to make the best decision for my health. When I wake up in the morning and it’s super-stiff and I can’t go ... I’m gonna see how I feel around 6 p.m. (Friday).”

“When I woke up the next morning, I anticipated it was gonna be crazy, super-stiff, I couldn’t move. Actually, when I woke up in the morning -- I think it was my mother and my grandmother putting prayers up, because when I got up, I could actually walk. It was better the next day than the night that it happened.”

“We dropped two straight, we can’t afford to drop three. We can’t overlook anybody. We’ve got to take it game-by-game. We can’t look forward to the next game. We’ve got to come out (Friday) and compete. We’re gonna get Yale, get Coppin State ... then we’re gonna go get Duke.”



KEVIN OLLIE:

(on Yale)

“They’re a senior-laden team, and juniors. They’re kind of like our team last year -- experienced guys that have been playing together for a while. I expect a great matchup.”

Ollie said Boatright is "about 85-percent" to play on Friday.

As for Rodney Purvis and Omar Calhoun:

“Rodney limped around in practice today, but he went full-speed. We’re gonna assess all of them (Friday), and it’ll be a game-time decision.”

“Whatever Omar feels like he needs to do to get back on the court and feel 100 percent, I’m just waiting for him to give me that nod. I think the doctor’s already cleared him, it’s just mentally if Omar’s ready to get back on the court. I’m not in Omar’s head.”

Calhoun practiced on Wednesday but didn't go on Thursday.

More Ollie:

“We’ve pretty much got five new starters. Ryan was a starter last year, but he wasn’t our primary ballhandler. Him being in that role is something he’s got to get comfortable with. He’s doing an amazing job.”

(on the team's improved rebounding)

“They’re going after the basketball. Kentan is doing a great job. Daniel at the three-spot is averaging seven rebounds, and I think Boatright is averaging about six. I don’t know what it is with my guards, but they’re rebounding the basketball, starting with Kemba, Shabazz, and now Ryan. They’re getting in there, getting rebounds. We want Amida’s rebound totals to go up, too. Amida can’t play 30 minutes and get two rebounds, three rebounds. He’s gonna have to start rebounding the basketball better, and that’s gonna make us an even more dangerous rebounding team.”

(more on Yale)

“They’ve been there, they’ve been in the grind, they know how to play, they’ve been running their system for four years. They understand what they have to do on a day-to-day basis. Duren is a great point guard, they slot him over to the two-guard. He can play off the basketball, he’s got a great handle and a great shot. And Sears is just a monster. We remember him from last year. He really dominated us inside, then he stepped out. Coach Jones puts both players in a good spot to succeed. That’s what a good coach does.”

(on if he's surprised that Boatright is back so quickly)

“I’m not surprised about that. I can hardly take Ryan out of practice. That’s not a guy I think is gonna have an injury that lingers on. He’s gonna get out here and play. It’s his last year, he’s pretty much given everything he can give to this program. Ryan isn’t gonna sit out. I’m gonna have to drag him out of here to get him to not play in games.”

(on Boatright having never missed a practice before this week)

"That’s just amazing, for him, going so hard ... we ask him to do so much. He does a great job of getting his body ready. That’s what a professional does.”

PURVIS:

“I’m feeling alright. I just feel like I can’t catch a break. I started off practice today and busted my nose. I’m just staying strong through it all. I’ll be back soon. I’m gonna try to give my ankle a try tomorrow. It felt good in practice today. We’ll see how I wake up and feel in the morning.”

A fairly amusing video Christmas card from UConn, featuring Kevin Ollie, Geno Auriemma, Bob Diaco, Susan Herbst and some other UConn coaches, etc.