No doubt, Ryan Boatright had the quote of the day today. The kid can't watch ESPN anymore, and I'm right there with him (though, for me, it has more to do with the station's obnoxious love affair with the NFL than anything else).

When asked prior to UConn's practice (in preparation for Wednesday's bout at the Garden with St. John's) about how frustrating it is knowing that UConn can't play in the postseason, especially at this time of year, he replied: “I don’t even like watching ESPN half the time. I see the daggun’, ‘Journey to the Tourney’ commercial every other commercial. I get irritated, so I turn the TV off.”

Here's the video:

That's "daggun'" as in Roy Williams' pet saying. Maybe it's "daggone," or "daggum." Not sure. But Boatright's point was clear: with March Madness seeping back into the national lexicon over the next couple of months, it's tough for UConn to be on the outside looking in.

“It’s definitely frustrating," Boatright continued, "especially when you work hard every day, you put the work in that we put in, and you see other schools that aren’t even doing as well as you and they’re getting a chance to play in the tournament. It’s frustrating, but we knew going into the season that we weren’t going to be able to (play in the postseason). We’re alright.”

Added Kevin Ollie: “I imagine if you look at it that way, it gets frustrating. We’re trying to emphasize the positive things – you’ve got a good record in the Big East, you still have that opportunity to win that conference championship, which is very elusive. That’s the first and foremost goal, anyway – for any season – to win that conference championship.”

“I don’t see this team dwelling on the negatives.”

*** At the Husky Run back in October, Shabazz Napier noted that the Huskies might relish the chance to play spoiler.

"Why not go out there and hurt someone else’s postseason?," he said at the time. "We’re going to do our best to win every game possible, and realize we’ve still got a chance to win a championship – the regular season championship."

Certainly, St. John's (at 14-8, 6-4 Big East) is a team that needs to build a resume for NCAA tourney consideration.

On Tuesday, Napier added: “You kinda think about (being the spoiler). The first thing you think about is trying to win the game. After you win the game, that’s probably the second thing you think about. I just wanna go out there and play them with utmost respect and try to win a game. Especially playing for the last time in Madison Square Garden, it’s something special for the whole team … If we win, just think about that we spoiled it a little bit for them.”

*** Red Storm freshman Chris Obekpa leads the Big East and is second in the nation in blocked shot at 4.50 per game. UConn, of course,heavily recruited the 6-foot-9 center from Long Island. Omar Calhoun put the hard sell on Obekpa after committing to the Huskies.

"I tried to," Calhoun said. "It didn't work too well, but me and him are close friends. He knows how to time blocks and jump. He’s definitely someone like me likes playing with.”

Enosch Wolf will have to go up against Obekpa on Wednesday night.

“He’s a good defensive player," said Wolf. "I’ve just got to stay solid, try to maybe outsmart him a little bit. I know he’s really athletic.”

*** Naturally, Calhoun (a Brooklyn native) was recruited hard by St. John's, as well.

“Coach (Steve) Lavin’s a great guy," he said. "St. John’s is a great school. Everyone looks at St. John’s if they’re from New York.”

*** Seen at Gampel today: Taliek Brown (he's taking courses to get his degree) and SNY honcho (and Mets owner) Fred Wilpon.

*** UConn's bout with Syracuse on Feb. 13 will be ESPN's 7 p.m. game. Brent Musberger and Bob Knight are expected to be on the call.

Although Michael Bradley has been granted a release from his scholarship by UConn, it's still possible he'll remain with the program.

One of the main reasons Bradley is considering a transfer is to be closer to his ailing grandmother, who has cancer, in Tennessee. He has already visited Western Kentucky, and both Belmont and Tennessee-Chattanooga have inquired about the 6-foot-10 forward.

UConn has put together a plan that it hopes will help Bradley navigate his way through the upcoming year while remaining a Husky: getting him back to Tennessee every third week, mapping out his classes and workouts for the summer, etc.

Bradley is slated to meet with head coach Jim Calhoun some time today, and could have a decision within the next day or two. Certainly, with Alex Oriakhi, Andre Drummond and Roscoe Smith all gone, there will be a great opportunity for playing time for Bradley, who has yet to play a single second in his two years as a Husky (red-shirted as a freshman, injured this past season).

Meanwhile, the Huskies are obviously focusing much of their recruiting efforts on frontcourt players, with Bradley Hayes and Chris Obepka still at the top of their wish list. Hayes, a 6-foot-11 project who was seen by the UConn coaching staff in Las Vegas and by Calhoun recently in Pittsburgh, appears to be down to UConn, Texas A&M and Georgetown.

Obepka appears more of a long-shot for UConn. Cincinnati, Oregon and St. John's seem to be in the lead, with UConn a distant fourth.

The Huskies are also looking at the JUCO and/or European (German) route. But UConn -- which has 12 scholarship slots for next season (it's still docked one for NCAA violations) -- won't simply fill all the available spots for the sake of filling them. Unless the Huskies can get a marquee player or two, they'll likely save scholarships for the following season, when a bumper crop of top recruits will be available and UConn should be back to 13 available scholarships.