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.

Ask Jim Calhoun his favorite memory of the UConn-Syracuse rivalry and the answer might surprise you.

It’s not the six-overtime game or the Gerry McNamara virtuoso performance. The Huskies, after all, lost those two games.

“It’s not like I walked into my hotel room at 4 a.m. and said, ‘Boy, what a great day,’” Calhoun said, referring to the six-OT classic in the 2009 Big East tournament.

Rather, it was a 51-50 win at the Carrier Dome that sticks out the most in Calhoun’s mind.

“Cliff Robinson had a one-and-one with no time left to win the game,” Calhoun recalled. “Cliff wasn’t the most clutch guy. He was more of a second guy, but he had to be a (clutch leader) on that team.”

Robinson swished the two freebies and UConn had the win in what wound up being its NIT championship season.

The Huskies and Orange have met 90 other times, 69 of them as members of the Big East. The 70th – and final – was Wednesday night at the XL Center.

“There isn’t any question in my mind they’ve been our No. 1 rival in the Big East,” said Calhoun. “I don’t remember a game played with them that wasn’t meaningful.”

Syracuse owned a 54-36 all-time advantage in the rivalry heading into Wednesday’s game. The Orange were 37-32 in Big East play.

Calhoun and longtime Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim had a long chat prior to the game. The two have been good friends, if heated rivals, for years.

“He’s not my best friend, but I have incredible respect for him,” Calhoun said.

Calhoun would like to see UConn continue to play Syracuse in years to come, though it appears the Orange, who move to the ACC, won’t be facing the Huskies next season. It’s possible, however, that the two programs could be league rivals again in the not-too-distant future.

“I don’t think, in a year, we’re going to be where we are right now,” said Calhoun, referring to the Big East. “I think a lot depends on Maryland and its lawsuit.”

The only thing that’s certain is that UConn and Syracuse will never again face each other as members of the Big East after Wednesday night.