Alex Oriakhi is averaging just 6.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this year, both well down from last year's numbers (9.6, 8.7).

But by far his most impressive -- and, in the long run, perhaps most relevant -- number he's logged this season is 3.6. That's his grade-point average from last semester, Oriakhi said on Friday. Prior to Wednesday's win over DePaul, he and three walk-ons -- Kyle Bailey, P.J. Cochrane and Ben Stewart -- were honored for notching GPA's north of 3.0, as well.

“All my hard work studying, keeping my grades up, it’s definitely an accomplishment," Oriakhi said. "I was happy to be recognized.”


Oriakhi, who is majoring in sociology but may switch to communications, said he learned a lot from one particular teammate the past two seasons.

“Just watching Kemba (Walker), he was definitely a role model, even off the court," Oriakhi noted. "Just to see the kind of student he was. It’s easy for kids not to care about their grades and just go to class, but Kemba definitely excelled in the classroom. He was definitely a role model for me, academically.”

(Beating Marquette may be signature win Huskies need).

With so much scrutiny -- fair or unfair -- on UConn's academics lately (APR, etc.), Oriakhi's good grades are a nice representation for the program right now.

"I definitely am going to work hard, and hopefully my teammates can follow suit and get their grades up," he said, adding that he's not even the lead dog, academically, for the Huskies right now.

"I think Boat (Ryan Boatright) has the highest GPA overall, so now I’ve got to catch up to him.”


Oriakhi is leading the team on the court, as well. His 14-point, 10-rebound effort against DePaul was his second double-double of the season (he had 11 last year), and his oncourt leadership has been noticealbe ever since he called a team meeting a couple of weeks ago.

“I just tell myself when I’m out on the court, ‘Just talk,'" Oriakhi said. "DeAndre said when he hit those two 3’s (vs. DePaul), he heard me cheering for him and it made all the difference for him. When I’m on the court, I’m going to be the loudest guy out there. Even if I’m on the bench, I’m going to be cheering for my teammates."

Said George Blaney: “Since that (team meeting), he has fully committed to being ‘all-in.’ He’s just been great. I love the way he played the other night with the 14 and 10. When he plays with confidence like that, and with that kind of exuberance and energy level, it’s really good for us.”

"He’s the one veteran we’ve had, he’s been through a lot of wars," Blaney added. "He’s put up some incredible numbers against some really, really good basketball teams over the years. That’s what we need from him. The more he does that, the easier it will be for Andre, Tyler and Roscoe to do things, too. Especially with rebounding, defense and scoring inside.”

Elsewhere:

*** Everyone is pretty much healthy for UConn. Both Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond are good to go, DeAndre Daniels has been battling a bad back but will play tomorrow, and Roscoe Smith (Achilles) also should be able to play. Smith didn't play at all against DePaul on Wednesday. He could have, if needed, but had missed the prior two practices -- and, as it turned out, UConn did just fine without him.

*** NCAA.org has team pages on every team in the country, focusing on their RPI, strength of schedule, etc., throughout the season. It's alphabetical, so scroll down a short ways to find UConn.

A Jim Calhoun quote:

"No matter how this season ends up, it's going to end up as a wonderful season. I guarantee that, it will ... I've enjoyed being around these kids. It's been a fun year."

So when did Calhoun utter these words? Last week, after UConn's miracle run through the Big East tourney? Saturday night, after its win over Cincinnati that put the Huskies into the Sweet 16 later this week in Anaheim?

Neither. Calhoun made this statement back on Feb. 9, the day before UConn's game against St. John's and on the heels of two losses in its prior three games.

The Huskies would, of course, get blown out by the Red Storm at the Garden the following night, as well. But you really get the sense that Calhoun meant those words then just as much as he did on Saturday night when he said the following:

“This has been an incredible journey with these kids, and I would have said this had things turned the other way. We can’t wait to get out to California and keep playing and keep being with this group. This is such a special team for me, certainly.”

Really? Would Calhoun, one of sports’ most tenacious competitors, really still have felt this way if UConn had, say, lost to Georgetown in the second round of the Big East tournament, then been knocked out of the first weekend of the Big Dance?

Honestly, I believe so. Oh, he'd be a grump for a day or two, but upon reflection, he'd truly treasure everything this team has brought him.

Because this is an extremely close-knit bunch of kids who are likeable and fun to be around. They truly seem to enjoy each other’s company, none of the egos or petty jealousies that may have fueled last year’s bitterly disappointing season. As much publicity as Kemba Walker has rightfully earned, his teammates don’t appear to begrudge him at all and, in fact, speak of him in the glowing terms reserved for players they idolize – or even greater influences.

“We’re going to go as far as God lets us,” freshman guard Shabazz Napier said Saturday night.

“God and Kemba,” a reporter quipped.

Napier had to pause for a moment and smile before admitting, “There’s God … and Kemba’s nowhere near God.”

Tell that to a UConn fan. But we digress ...

It's clear that this group has helped Calhoun through another trying season. Last month, the program was punished by the NCAA for violations in the recruitment of Nate Miles. Calhoun was suspended for the first three Big East games of next season, a sanction he clearly disagreed with but eventually opted not to appeal. A few days later, Calhoun’s sister-in-law passed away. He missed a game while attending the funeral and talked about how there are “more important things in life” than basketball.

But watching this group enjoy each other’s company, as well as improve on the basketball court, seems to be therapeutic to Calhoun. There’s really not a bad story in the group: the emergence of Walker as perhaps the very best player in the nation and Jeremy Lamb as a star on the rise; the improved inside play and toughness of Alex Oriakhi, the boundless athleticism of Roscoe Smith and the enthusiasm and leadership-beyond-his years of Napier; the steady leadership of senior Donnell Beverly and the surprising recent contributions from a senior (Charles Okwandu) and a freshman (Tyler Olander).

And there don’t seem to be any malcontents in this bunch. Sure, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel may pout a bit after getting a tongue-lashing from Calhoun and riding the pine for a while. But a half hour later, he’s the first off the bench to mob walk-on Benjamin Stewart for scoring his first-ever basket, and the next night he’s in for Smith 14 seconds into the game and scoring 10 first-half points against the Bearcats.

Calhoun’s perspective on this season is enough to make one wonder whether he’s pondering retirement whenever this run ends. With most of the key players back next season, UConn could be strong again. But with Walker almost certainly heading to the NBA, and with blue-chip recruit Andre Drummond likely to opt for another year of prep school, the Huskies probably won't be national championship contenders.

Whether UConn’s season ends at the hands of San Diego State on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif., or two days later against – be still CBS’s beating hearts – Duke, or if the Huskies complete their miracle mission and reach Calhoun’s fourth Final Four or, somehow, capture his third national championship, would it all be enough on which to ride off into the sunset?

It certainly all bears watching. But one thing is certain: this team and this season was as special to Jim Calhoun back in the middling days of early February as it is right now.

Don't think college basketball players pay close attention to what other teams are doing in the NCAA tournament? Think again.

Alex Oriakhi was watching Morehead State pull off its big "second-round" upset of Louisville in his hotel room Thursday afternoon and, admittedly, started getting a little fidgety.

“I was a little bit nervous, to be honest with you,” the sophomore forward confessed. “I didn’t know what to expect (from his own team later in the day).”

Roscoe Smith was watching, too, with his roommate, walk-on P.J. Cochrane.

“I watched the Louisville game, and a little bit of the Kentucky game," he said. "I thought Kentucky was going to get upset, also. When I watched that, I couldn’t believe it.”

Two teams from Kentucky moved on Thursday: the Wildcats (barely) and Morehead State. Louisville's season is all over, just like that.

“They had a tremendous season, battling us in the Big East championship," Smith said of the Cardinals. "But, that’s what happens when you don’t have the mindset or the determination of going hard.”

Ouch! Take that, Rick Pitino!

The Huskies certainly went hard Thursday night in their 81-52 whitewash of Bucknell. The numbers are so one-sided they're not worth getting into -- except maybe Kemba Walker's.

Walker scored a game-high 18 points to go with 12 assists (most-ever for a UConn player in an NCAA tournament game) and eight rebounds. He finished two rebounds shy of the seventh “official” triple-double in NCAA tourney history. There were eight “unofficial” triple-doubles in the tourney prior to the ranking of assists in 1984 and blocks and steals two years later. The NCAA considers “official” triple-doubles to have occurred from 1987 to the present.

When asked if he knew if he was close to a triple-double in the waning minutes, Walker smiled and said: “I knew ... Alex stole my rebound.”

Calhoun took him out of the game for good with 3:47 remaining.

Oh, one other stat is worth mentioning: Walk-on Benjamin Stewart scored on an inside hoop with about 30 seconds to go, his first-ever points as a Husky. His teammates were ecstatic on the bench, as they always are when a walk-on scores.

Asked who was happier for the basket, Stewart or himself, Walker said: “It might have been me."

And when told that Stewart appeared to have traveled on the play, Walker responded:
"Did he? It’s not a travel, unless the ref calls it.”

(Somehow, we don't think Kemba is as gracious when refs call fouls and travels on him ... but we digress).

Walker is also now 13 points shy of matching UConn’s single-season points record of 855, set in 1993-94 by Donyell Marshall. He also moved past Marshall and Khalid El-Amin into ninth place on the school’s career scoring list.

Bottom line for tonight: Bucknell's coach and players had said over the prior few days that they didn't really fear UConn's outside shooting. The Huskies certainly made them pay for that, burying nine 3-pointers.

Granted, it's only Bucknell, but UConn truly appears to be clicking on all cylinders right now. And the Huskies have done another thing: no longer can we media types ask them about any the "fatigue factor" from the Big East tournament.

"That's done," Walker said, emphatically.

So is Louisville.

Get yer Husky trivia on at Sporcle, where I never would have thought Kyle Bailey and Benjamin Stewart would be quiz answers.