Thursday is a big day for UConn on the recruiting front. Isaiah Briscoe, Derrick Jones and Tevin Mack, all coveted Husky targets, will be announcing their respective collegiate decisions.

Ultimately, it could be a day of disappointment for UConn. All signs point to Briscoe signing with either Kentucky or hometown St. John's. Jones seems to be leaning towards UNLV, though UConn and Auburn are very much in the mix, while Mack is down to VCU and UConn.

But even if the Huskies lose out on all three recruits -- and it's no sure thing that they will -- it doesn't necessarily mean all doom and gloom in Storrs. Diamond Stone, one of the top-rated big men in the Class of 2015, is expected to make his commitment next week, right after the early signing period expires on Nov. 19. Stone, a Milwaukee native, is down to UConn and hometown Wisconsin. From everyone I've talked to, it's really 50-50, but it appears Stone might be UConn's best shot of the above-mentioned recruits.

And if Stone commits to UConn, that could re-open the path to Malik Newman heading to the Huskies, as well. Newman, the No. 3-rated player in his class, per rivals.com, stated last spring that he and Stone would be a package deal. Since then, both players have wavered off the package deal talk. But if, say, Briscoe goes to Kentucky, and Antonio Blakeny does, as well, there might not be room for Newman at UK. Could that open the door for Newman to reconsider that "package deal" and join Stone, if Stone chooses UConn?

A lot will be decided Thursday evening.

*** As for Class of 2015 players who we already know WILL be heading to UConn next season, local fans can see two of them in action at the 2014 National Prep Showcase Nov. 21-23 at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven.

The team to see at this event will be Brewster Academy, which features a backcourt of UConn-bound Jalen Adams, Donovan Mitchell (Louisville), Justin Simon (Arizona) and David Crisp (Washington).

"That's probably the best backcourt in high school basketball," said ESPN recruiting analyst Adam Finkelstein. "I think that's fair to say."

Add to that a front line of Marcus Derrickson (Georgetown), Alex Illikainen (Minnesota) and Jarred Reuter (Virginia), and Brewster is must-see entertainment.

Brewster begins play on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 4:30 p.m. against St. John's NW Military Academy (Wisc.). Brewster's second game is on Sunday, Nov. 23, against New Jersey's Coastal Academy at 10 a.m.

Meanwhile, fellow UConn pledge Steve Enoch will lead St. Thomas More into action. St. Thomas More will face Elev8 Academy (Fla.) on Friday, Nov. 21, at 3:30 p.m., and Fork Union Military Academy (Va.) on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 9:30 a.m.

There will be some other players with offers from UConn, including New Haven's own Tremont Waters, a Class of 2017 guard who plays at South Kent Prep, and Omari Spellman, a 6-foot-9, 270-pound  Class of 2016 power forward out of MacDuffie School near Springfield, Mass.

South Kent plays Fishburne Military Academy on Friday at noon, then Vermont Academy on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. MacDuffie's lone game is on Friday at 1:45 p.m. against Hargrave Military Acadmy.

Other top-rated prospects in the event will be New Hampton School's Tyler Lydon (Syracuse); Our Savior New American big man Cheick Diallo; Vermont Academy's Tyrique Jones of Bloomfield and Bruce Brown; Elev8 Academy's Travon Reed; IMG Academy's JaQuan Lyle; and Hargreaves' Daniel Purefoy, KeJuan Johnson and Justin Goode.

For those not heading to Puerto Rico to watch UConn play, here's the schedule, with games featuring Adams, Enoch, Waters and Spellman in bold:

Friday, November 21st

10:30a.m. Fork Union Military Academy (VA) vs. Notre Dame Prep (MA)
12:00p.m. Fishburne Military Academy (VA) vs. South Kent (CT)
1:45p.m. Hargrave Military Academy (VA) vs. MacDuffie (MA)
3:30p.m. ELEV-8 Academy (FL) vs. St. Thomas More (CT)
5:15p.m. Lee Academy (ME) vs. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA)
7:00p.m. IMG Academy (FL) vs. Putnam Science Academy (CT)
8:30p.m. Our Savior New American (NY) vs. Cushing Academy (MA)

Saturday, November 22nd

9:30a.m. St. Thomas More (CT) vs. Fork Union Military Academy (VA)
11:15a.m. Notre Dame Prep (MA) vs. Fishburne Military Academy (VA)
1:00p.m. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) vs. Hargrave Military Academy (VA)
2:45p.m. vs. New Hampton School (NH) vs. ELEV-8 Academy (FL)
4:30p.m. Brewster Academy (NH) vs. St. John’s NW Military Academy (WI)
6:15p.m. Bridgton Academy (ME) vs. West Oaks Academy (FL)
8:00p.m. Lee Academy (ME) vs. IMG Academy (FL)

Sunday, November 23rd

10:00a.m. Coastal Academy (NJ) vs. Brewster Academy (NH)
11:45a.m. West Oaks Academy (FL) vs. New Hampton School (NH)
1:30p.m. St. John’s NW Military Academy (WI) vs. Bridgton Academy (ME)
3:15p.m. Vermont Academy (VT) vs. South Kent (CT)
5:00p.m. Blair Academy (NJ) vs. Tilton School (NH)
6:30p.m. Mt. Zion (MD) vs. Wilbraham & Monson (MA)

I'd love to be there myself, but I'll be with the Huskies in Puerto Rico.

*** On a final note, Craig Austrie will be inducted into the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame's UConn wing on Thursday night:

The Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame has announced its next class of honorees to be recognized in the Hall of Fame’s University of Connecticut wing, which pays tribute to athletes from the county that went on to stellar careers at the state university. The UConn wing is housed at the UConn Stamford Campus.

Three natives of Stamford will be recognized November 13 at 6 p.m. at the Stamford campus: Craig Austrie (men's basketball), Bruno Giordano, (cross country and indoor/outdoor track) and Rick Robustelli (football). With the induction of its three newest members, the UConn Wing now has 27 athletes enshrined.

Austrie played four seasons for the men's basketball team (2005-09). He played a key role in leading the Huskies to a spot in the Final Four his senior year. He was the starting point guard for the first 24 games of his freshman season, after a standout scholastic career at Trinity Catholic, where he was the state Gatorade Player of the Year in 2005.

Giordano, the former mayor and parks and recreation superintendent of Stamford, was an All-American cross country runner and a star on the indoor and outdoor track teams as a one and two mile distance standout . He attended UConn from 1947-51 and was the captain of the cross country squad his junior and senior years. He finished sixth at the national collegiate meet in 1951 to earn his All-American status.

Robustelli was a quarterback for the UConn football team from 1968-70 and is still in the top ten in school history in completions, yards passing and touchdowns (31). He was named to the All-Yankee Conference team in 1970. As a high school senior he earned All-State and All-American honors in leading Stamford Catholic to an undefeated season in 1966 as the Crusaders won the FCIAC and state championships.

The UConn wing of the Hall of Fame was started in 2007. Here is the list of the previous inductees: 2007 -- Moira & Tara Buckley (Trumbull, women’s soccer), Chris Smith (Bridgeport, men’s basketball), Brian Usher (Stamford, football); 2008 – Nick Giaquinto (Stratford, football), Paul & Tim Hunter (Westport, men’s soccer); 2009 – Rashamel Jones (Stamford, men’s basketball), Joe Markus (Trumbull, football), Tom Penders (Stratford, baseball and men’s basketball), Rita Williams (Norwalk, women’s basketball); 2010 – Mary Schmidt (Stamford, women’s swimming), Bob Staak (Darien, men’s basketball); 2011 – Donna Fagan (Norwalk, softball), Gregg Hutchings (Ridgefield, men’s ice hockey), Sean Mulcahy (Westport, football), Ken Murphy (Westport, men’s soccer); 2012 - Ryan Equale (Wilton, men's ice hockey), Rocco Murano (Greenwich, football), Robert Ross (Norwalk, men's soccer), Christine Vorvis (Fairfield, women's tennis); 2013 - Alison Hirsch (Stamford, softball), Mike McKay (Bridgeport, men's basketball), Jim Penders (Stratford, baseball).

Spent the morning at the National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College. Many college assistant coaches were there, including UConn's Glen Miller and Ricky Moore, who were taking in the Brewster-South Kent game that featured 2015 Husky recruiting targets Donovan Mitchell and Jarred Reuter, both of Brewster, as well as a potential big star down the road: South Kent freshman Tremont Waters of New Haven.

Miller was there all day Saturday, watching kids like West Haven's Mustapha Heron, who poured in 35 points on 12-for-17 shooting in Wilbraham & Monson's 89-82 loss to Elev 8. Moore was slated to stay for most of the day Sunday, ostensibly to see Cushing's Jalen Adams play the tourney's final game at 6:30 p.m. And it appears Kevin Ollie showed up Sunday night, as well.

Here are some observations:

*** Waters, who's being touted as one of the top freshmen in the nation, seems worthy of that title. He popped off the bench about five minutes into the game and immediately knocked down a 3-pointer almost as soon as he touched the ball. Hit a few more treys as the game went on and finished with 17 points. On Friday evening, Waters, a 5-foot-10, 145-pound point guard, was 8-for-14 from the floor (including five 3-pointers) to score 26 points in a 94-91 win over Elev 8.



He's a quick, smart player with remarkable poise for a freshman. Perhaps just as important, his parents, Ed and Vanessa, are very protective and won't allow him to get swallowed up by all the hype. Waters is definitely one to keep an eye on for the future.

*** Perhaps the biggest revelation of the day was South Kent's Schadrac Casimir, a 5-foot-9 guard from Stamford. Casimir was lightning-quick and athletic and draining 3's all game, finishing with 36 points on 13-for-20 shooting (4-for-6 on 3's). He had 22 points on Friday in the win over Elev 8.

Casimir, a postgrad who starred at Trinity Catholic, hasn't been getting much recruiting attention. That could very well change after Sunday, with possibly even some high majors taking a greater interest.

"It's been really quiet," said South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson. "I think what a lot of people are concerned about is his size. He's small, he's always going to be small. I love him. I saw him in high school, he was one of the top scorers, if not the top scorer, in Connecticut. I've seen him play AAU, he led his team to numerous championship games. And, I've seen him play here, and I think he's one of the best guards around. Regardless of size, all the kid does is put the ball in the basket, whoever he's playing against. I'm hoping that college coaches see what I see -- that he's a great point guard, he can put the ball in the basket, and he's got a lot of heart."

Casimir has another good guy on his side: ex-UConn guard Craig Austrie. Austrie is living in Fairfield and runs the Craig Austrie Basketball IQ Skills Academy in Stamford. Casimir is one of his prized pupils, along with several other high school kids from around the area. Austrie, who was at Sunday's game, said he'd like to get into coaching some day.

*** There are some good bloodlines on the South Kent team: Jordan Strawberry is the son of Darryl, who was also at the game. Meanwhile, guard Kalvin Hobbs is the nephew of UConn assistant Karl Hobbs.

*** Brewster won the game, despite just seven points from Mitchell and 10 from Reuter. On Saturday, Mitchell had netted 17 in a win over Kiski School.

Here, Mitchell drives to the hoop and misses, but Reuter is there for the rebound putback and foul:

It had to be asked. Still, you could see Jim Calhoun readying to pounce as soon as the reporter started asking: “Do you feel like you’ve done enough to make the NCAA tournament?”

“Well, let’s see …” Calhoun began, and what followed was his now daily dissertation on the Huskies’ No. 3 strength of schedule, their 22 games against top-100 RPI teams (and don’t forget tourney-bound UNC-Asheville!), etc., etc.

Bottom line: UConn is in the NCAA tournament. The Huskies may have cinched it with Tuesday’s win over lowly DePaul. If not, Wednesday’s victory over West Virginia likely sealed the deal.

“I’m not going to make a pitch for it,” Calhoun said. “I trust the basketball committee.”

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim not only has the Huskies in – he’s got them going to the Sweet Sixteen, if not further.

“I would be shocked if (the Huskies) don’t win two games in the NCAA tournament at the minimum,” Boeheim said. “At the minimum.”

Entering Thursday, UConn was ranked No. 33 in the RPI and No. 3 in strength of schedule. Both rankings may have raised despite the loss to the Orange, who boast the No. 1 RPI.

Bottom line: the Huskies are likely looking at a No. 9 or 10 seed for the Big Dance.

“I feel confident the way we’ve played the last couple of days in this tournament have pretty much solidified a spot in the tournament,” said Tyler Olander. “If it doesn’t, we’ll go from there, that’s kind of out of our hands.”

Added Calhoun: “I don’t know what else we have to prove that we’re probably one of the top 30 teams in the country. We’re certainly not one of the top 10, 20, but we’re one of the top 30 teams in the country. I don’t make those decisions, but I know who we are. I’ve seen who we’ve beaten.”

Still, Shabazz Napier will be nervous watching the Selection Show on CBS on Sunday.

“I was nervous last year, and I knew we were making it in (after winning the conference tourney),” he said. “I’ll probably be nervous again, that’s just how I am.”

*** Andre Drummond's massive, one-handed putback jam of a Napier missed trey was truly awe-inspiring. It also gave UConn an eight-point lead with 14:02 left, causing Boeheim to burn a timeout.

The Orange clamped down on defense, went ahead for good about 6 ½ minutes later and held on for the 58-55 win over the Huskies – their third win over UConn in the past 26 days.

“Nothing bothers us,” Boeheim said afterwards. “If things were bothering us, we wouldn’t be 31-1.”

Syracuse went ahead for good (48-47) on a Dion Waiters 3-pointer with 5:41 left, led by seven with 26.7 seconds left, then survived a near-miracle UConn comeback.

Napier hit a layup and was fouled with 16.9 ticks remaining, missed the free throws, but Drummond scored on a putback. James Southerland hit a pair of free throws, Drummond countered with a reverse layup with about five seconds left, and the Orange managed a long inbounds pass to run out the clock.

Close but no cigar for a third time meant little to the Huskies.

“That’s our third time playing them, we fell short every time,” Jeremy Lamb pointed out. “First time, OK, we played them (well). Second time, alright … but if you lose again, you can’t get confidence out of that.”

Still, Calhoun – a man who almost never finds satisfaction in a loss – was extremely proud of his team.

“Did we shoot great? No,” he said. “Did we make great decisions? No. Did we play with great heart and great intensity and did we play for us and each other? Without a doubt, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Waiters led all scorers with 18 points. Napier led the Huskies with 15, Drummond had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Lamb netted 10. After surrendering 26 offensive rebounds to West Virginia the day before, UConn outrebounded the Orange, 46-34. Tyler Olander grabbed eight boards.

“We were going to rebound today,” Calhoun said. “Did we have a hard practice to do that? No, we just kind of all collaborated on it last night.”

Last year, of course, behind the heroics of Kemba Walker, UConn won an unprecedented five games in five days to win the tournament championship. The Huskies were hoping for a repeat run, but fatigue – mental, not physical – hindered them. The Hall of Fame coach had returned to coach the team in practice on Friday after missing the previous month on medical leave and undergoing back surgery on Feb. 27.

“Fatigue is the most over-written about thing in sports,” Calhoun said. “Mental fatigue, though, I felt we had a little bit at the end. Emotionally, we’ve been through seven – and we’re going back to Friday – Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh was very emotional and traveling Monday and playing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and they stood up to it all. We came up a little bit short. Once again, I love them and I’m proud of them.”

Personally, I think it's a bit of a blessing for UConn that it lost Thursday. Now, the Huskies have a few days to collect themselves, take a breather before (almost certainly) getting ready for the NCAA tournament. This team was a bit tired, either mentally or physically, and playing another night or two in New York may not have behooved them as much as getting their legs (and minds) back a little.

*** Calhoun took the loss hard, not for himself but for his players.

“I’m really, really anguished in many, many ways because when I arrived last Friday in the gym, not knowing after four weeks what was going to happen, little did I know that I’d find a new team,” he said. “Not that we were bad or anything else before, but just who we were and what we were was different.”

Napier concurred.

“We’re starting to have fun,” the sophomore point guard said. “We’re out there smiling, no matter what. Team chemistry comes from having fun and doing things that friends do. We all finally started having fun when Coach came back because we all started feeling like a big family again.”

*** Olander had four points, four assists and eight rebounds (his highest total since mid-November). Still, he placed blame on himself for the Huskies’ loss.

“I feel I played well until when it mattered,” he said, “then kind of broke down a little bit, and I think maybe cost us the game a little bit with mental mistakes that can’t happen.”

Down the stretch, Syracuse was playing its guards far out on the perimeter to keep Napier and Jeremy Lamb in check. UConn wanted to get the ball to Olander at the high post, where his passing and shooting ability could be a weapon against the Syracuse zone. But apparently, there were some breakdowns at key spots.

“We just didn’t run the play we were supposed to run,” Napier said of one sequence. “We were supposed to run a quick-pick play. We were unable to do that, so I stood out there forever trying to figure out what we were going to run. We were just confused. It’s my fault, I’m the point guard, I’ve got to tell my team this is the play we’re running, especially in those situations. The moment got too big for me, I guess.”

*** Boeheim was asked about the NCAA investigation into reports that Syracuse had allowed players to practice and play with the team in prior years even after having knowledge that they'd flunked school-administered drug tests.

"This was reported five years ago, and we're waiting for them to finish the process," he said.

He later added: "This is a media, this is you people's thing. This doesn't bother our players or our team or me. This is a media thing, period ... I'm much more concerned aobut my wife being mad at me than I am anything else, to tell you the truth."

Then, he quipped: "I think that Manning should really come to the Jets, too."

*** Many of the usual suspects were at the game cheering on UConn: Andrea Walker (Kemba’s mom), Craig Austrie. Donyell Marshall wasn’t there but was obviously watching, as his frequent Tweets would indicate. New UConn athletic director Warde Manuel was in the house, as was Geno Auriemma – a close friend of Jim. That’s Jim Boeheim, it should be noted.

The feeling, apparently, is mutual with Calhoun.

"I  love Jim Boeheim like a brother," he said, "and through everything else, includding other things that have gone on, he's done an incredible job coaching his team and being unselfish and giving to each other."

*** UCoonn-Syracuse is like Red Sox-Yankees of '03-04: two teams utterly incapable of playing a nice, normal, tidy game. Today wasn't as crazy as normal, but still pretty entertaining.

Sad that it could soon be a thing of the past.

*** Oh, and I'm not crazy about the Orange in the NCAA tourney. Don't you kinda need that star player who's going to lead you and take over when you need it most? Is Dion Waiters that guy? Maybe. But I'd hardly be shocked if the Cuse is done before the Final Four.

Just got off a conference call with George Blaney, who’ll be coaching UConn in its first three Big East games, including Wednesday’s opener at South Florida.

Blaney said the fact that he’s known about Jim Calhoun’s three-game suspension since last February doesn’t make things any easier this time around.

“I don’t think ‘easy’ is a good word,” he said. “You knew about it, the other ones kind of came more as a surprise or much quicker. We’re just trying to keep things going the way Coach would like them to go.”

Blaney said Calhoun attended UConn’s practice last night, told them what he wanted from them and watched the rest of the short practice. The Huskies had a long practice today and will have another tomorrow morning before departing for Tampa.

“You just try to maintain what we do, and what we do well,” Blaney said. “You try to really talk to the team about giving the kind of effort that he would demand of them. The more competitive we’ll be, the more successful we’ll be. It’s never easy to try to simulate what Jim would do. I don’t do some of things he does, he wouldn’t some of the things I do. We just try to keep it in line with what we do in practice.”

Blaney isn’t worried as much about the team’s first true road game as he is 7-6 South Florida.

“I think South Florida’s really good,”he said. “They have really excellent players, big big’s that can score inside and pop out outside and shoot the ball well. They have a number of good, swing-type athletes, and I think they’re vastly improved from last year.”

Indeed, Augustus Gilchrist has been somewhat of a UConn-killer over the years. The Bulls took UConn to overtime before losing last year in Hartford, beat the Huskies in Tampa the year before and were slain by a Craig Austrie last-second shot in Tampa in 2008.

Blaney expects to have Roscoe Smith playing some power forward to counter USF’s versatile big men, and stressed UConn needs a big effort from Alex Oriakhi on the boards and on defense.

He’s also happy to have a supporting staff of Kevin Ollie, Glen Miller and Ben Wood with him for the next three games.

“They really have been through this before, they know how to help, so I’ll rely on them a great deal,” Blaney said. “Their energy will help us a lot, too … Sometimes as a head coach you don’t see things, where when you’re watching as an assistant, you see the overall picture a little bit more.”

Here's who's expected to play in Saturday night's Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game (in alphabetical order): Jeff Adrien, Ray Allen, Rashad Anderson, Hilton Armstrong, Craig Austrie, Taliek Brown, Scott Burrell (may not be able to play), Caron Butler, Dan Cyrulik, Lyman DePriest, Jerome Dyson, Khalid El-Amin, Kevin Freeman, Rudy Gay, Ben Gordon, John Gwynn, Richard Hamilton (maybe), Rudi Johnson, Kirk King, Travis Knight, Oliver Macklin, Donyell Marshall, Donny Marshall, Ricky Moore, Ed Nelson, Emeka Okafor, Kevin Ollie, Stanley Robinson, Rod Sellers, Charlie Villanueva, Souleymane Wane, Murray Williams and Boo Willingham.

Not sure how the team's will be divided quite yet. Last time it was sort of a pre-1999, post-1999 battle, if I remember correctly.

Tickets are still available to the event at the Mohegan Sun Casino by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. You could probably walk up to the ticket window at Mohegan Sun and buy them then, too. Doors open for the public at 6:30 p.m.

Also, there will be a lengthy autograph session with the players and coaches directly after the game.

Most of the same players who attended the event two years ago are expected to play in the 2010 Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game on Saturday, Aug. 7, at Mohegan Sun.

That is to say Rip, Ray and Emeka, two Browns (Taliek and Denham), two Williams (Marcus and Murray), two Marshalls (Donyell and Donny), a Butler (Caron), a King (Kirk), a Knight (Travis) and appropriately, considering the venue, a Gamble (Phil) are expected to be in the house. New UConn assistant Kevin Ollie and Ricky Moore, who was recently named an assistant at Dartmouth, will also play.

And a few newcomers to the game are expected, as well: Jerome Dyson, Jeff Adrien, Craig Austrie and Stanley Robinson.

About the only big-name player who participated two years ago who won't likely be there next week is Rudy Gay, who seems on the verge of earning a spot on the Team USA roster.

The game starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 and $29 and are available by calling 800-745-3000, or visiting the Mohegan Sun box office.Ticket revenues go to the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UConn Health Center.

After the game there will be an autograph sesson on the floor of the arena.

Somehow -- a product of good, tough teams and gritty, physical battles, etc. -- UConn-Pitt has emerged as the Big East's best rivalry, at least over the past decade.

As Pitt's game notes eagerly point out, the Panthers and Huskies, respectively, are the Big East's two winningest programs over the past 10 years. Pitt is 233-58 (.801 winning percentage) overall and 99-36 in the Big East, while UConn is 218-67 overall and 98-38 in league play. During that period, Pitt has made eight NCAA tournament appearances and UConn has made seven. The schools have met in three of the last eight Big East championship games (with UConn winning two of them), and both boast five Sweet 16 appearances in the last eight years.

(Pitt's notes conveniently neglect the fact that the Panthers have yet to reach a Final Four, while UConn has been to three and won a pair of national titles).

Over the series' last 10 games, it's tied at 5-5, with each game decided by 10 points or fewer. In nine of the last 10 matchups, both teams entered the game ranked in the AP Top 25, as they do again tomorrow night (UConn at No. 15, Pitt at No. 16).

Their battles over the past decade have left indelible images on the college hoops landscape – from double-overtime classics in the Big East tournament championship game to DeJuan Blair flipping Hasheem Thabeet over his back last February.

Both teams suffered huge defections to the NBA last spring (Thabeet and A.J. Price from UConn, Blair and Sam Young from Pitt) and other key losses (Jeff Adrien, Craig Austrie, Levance Fields, Tyrell Biggs).

“Jamie Dixon probably has done as good a job of getting his team ready (as anyone in the country),” Jim Calhoun said of the Panthers’ seventh-year head coach. “They lost some very, very good players, certainly – as we did ourselves … We have some good players back, they have some good players back. They’ve been able to avoid a couple of losses that we haven’t been able to avoid.”

The Panthers, who entered the Top 25 for the first time this season this week, have topped No. 5 Syracuse on the road and won at Cincinnati on Jan. 4. The Huskies, of course, lost at Cincy in their Big East opener.

The Panthers have won six straight and nine of its last 10. After early-season losses to No. 1 Texas, as well as a double-overtime set back to Duquesne and a loss to struggling Indiana, Pittsburgh has been bolstered by the return four games ago of Jermaine Dixon (right foot injury) and Gilbert Brown (academic suspension).

Pitt has won four straight road contests and nine of its last 12 away from home. A win over UConn would give the Panthers three straight Big East road wins for the first time in school history.

***It's hard to believe, but tomorrow night will be just the second time Jerome Dyson has ever played against Pitt and the first time since his freshman season. Dyson was sitting out a suspension two years ago when the Panthers came to Hartford and missed both of last year’s battles after suffering a season-ending injury against Syracuse.

“I feel like I’ve watched a lot more games than I’ve played in,” Dyson noted. “This time last year, I was looking forward to the big game, and I got hurt. It’ll be nice to get out there. We definitely need the win.”

***It will be interesting to see how UConn responds in its first game since squandering a 19-point lead Saturday in a loss to Georgetown. Jim Calhoun said he’ll know if his team is over that loss “somewhere around 9 p.m. (tonight),” adding that the team had a decent practice Monday after Sunday’s day off. According to Dyson, the Georgetown loss “is still tough for me, even now … It’s definitely still lingering around us.”

***Calhoun was asked today at practice about the recent firing of DePaul head coach Jerry Wainwright, who hasn't won a league game over the past two seasons.

“It’s hard to believe that, all of a sudden in the middle of January, it’s going to change anything. If you have those plans, you’re going to be able to execute them in the first week of March. It doesn’t make anybody look good – the university, college basketball. I happen to know both the A.D., who I like very much, and Jerry Wainwright, who I have great respect for, one of the best guys in the business. If you pull the plug in mid-season, it’s not exactly the best example to make."

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but Craig Austrie has been cut by the Springfield Armor, an NBDL team located in Springfield, Mass.

Craig Austrie has made the final cut for the Springfield Armor. Here's a look at the team's roster:

1. Julian Allen: A 205 lb, 6'4" Guard from Georgia Southern University

2. Craig Austrie: A 185 lb, 6'2" Guard from The University of
Connecticut

3.James Cripe: A 250 lb, 7'0" Center from Northern Kentucky
University

4.JamesOn Curry: A 195 lb, 6'3" Guard from Oklahoma State University

5. Kentrell Gransberry: A 250 lb, 6'9" Forward/Center from The
University of South Florida

6. Adam Harrington: A 210 lb, 6'5" Guard from Auburn University

7. Perrin Johnson: A 215 lb, 6'6" Forward from The University of
Louisville

8. Maurice Maxwell: A 190 lb, 6'4" Guard from Goldey-Beacom College

9. Dante Milligan: A 210 lb, 6'4" Forward from The University of
Massachusetts

10. Tre Whitted: A 215lb, 6'4" Guard from Marshall University

The Armor opens its season on Friday at 7 p.m. against the Iowa Energy, which features Rashad Anderson.

Rashad Anderson, Craig Austrie and Nate Miles were each selected in the 2009 NBDL Draft on Thursday night. Anderson went with the ninth overall pick to the Iowa Energy, Austrie was the third pick in the fourth round by the Springfield Armor, and Miles was taken with the fourth pick of the sixth round by the Sioux City Skyforce.

Here are all the selections of the eight-round draft for the NBA's official minor league. About 20 percent of all current NBA players have D-League experience.

First Round
1. Carlos Powell, Albuquerque Thunderbirds
2. Donell Taylor, Erie BayHawks
3. Deron Washington, Los Angeles D-Fenders
4. Amara Sy, Bakersfield Jam
5. Garret Siler, Utah Flash
6. Alonzo Gee, Austin Toros
7. Desmon Farmer, Reno BigHorns
8. Paul Harris, Maine Red Claws
9. Rashad Anderson, Iowa Energy
10. Alade Aminu, Fort Wayne
11. Curtis Withers, Dakota Wizards
12. Antonio Anderson, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
13. Raymond Sykes, Sioux Falls Skyforce
14. JamesOn Curry, Springfield Armor
15. Sundiata Gaines, Idaho Stampede
16. Latavious Williams, Tulsa 66ers


Second Round
1. Mustafa Shakur, Tulsa 66ers
2. Dar Tucker, Idaho Stampede
3. Major Wingate, Springfield Armor
4. Pete Campbell, Sioux Falls Skyforce
5. Jonathan Wallace, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
6. Doug Thomas, Dakota Wizards
7. Frank Tolbert, Fort Wayne Mad Ants
8. Pat Carroll, Iowa Energy
9. Darnell Lazare, Maine Red Claws
10. Haminn Quaintance, Reno Bighorns
11. Russell Carter, Austin Toros
12. Orien Greene, Utah Flash
13. Reece Gaines, Bakersfield Jam
14. Alan Wiggins, Los Angeles D-Fenders
15. John Bryant, Erie BayHawks
16. Chad Toppert, Albuquerque Thunderbirds



Third Round
1. Erek Hansen, Albuquerque Thunderbirds
2. Martin Zeno, Erie BayHawks
3. Jeremy Wise, Los Angeles D-Fenders
4. Anthony Goods, Bakersfield Jam
5. Kevin Goffney, Utah Flash
6. Lewis Clinch, Austin Toros
7. Chris Lowe, Reno Bighorns
8. Frank Young, Maine Red Claws
9. Sean Barnette, Iowa Energy
10. Jamelle Cornley, Fort Wayne Mad Ants
11. Marcus Dove, Dakota Wizards
12. Jamarcus Ellis, Rio Grande Valley
13. Reggie Williams, Sioux Falls Skyforce
14. James Cripe, Springfield Armor
15. Delonte Holland, Idaho Stampede
16. Cecil Brown, Tulsa 66ers

Fourth Round
1. Jeral Davis, Tulsa 66ers
2. T.J. Cummings, Idaho Stampede
3. Craig Austrie, Springfield Armor
4. Leemire Goldwire, Sioux Falls Skyforce
5. Mickell Gladness, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
6. D’Lancy Carter, Dakota Wizards
7. Booker Woodfox, Fort Wayne Mad Ants
8. Carl Mitchell, Iowa Energy
9. Gary Ervin, Maine Red Claws
10. Louis Graham, Reno Bighorns
11. Ira Brown, Austin Toros
12. Jason Richards, Utah Flash
13. Jared Newson, Bakersfield Jam
14. Christopher Hayes, Los Angeles D-Fenders
15. Derrick Mercer, Erie BayHawks
16. Yaroslav Korolev, Albuquerque Thunderbirds

Fifth Round
1. Shagari Alleyne, Albuquerque Thunderbirds
2. Rod Wilmont, Erie BayHawks
3. Christopher Moore, Los Angeles D-Fenders
4. Lance Hurdle, Bakersfield Jam
5. Joe Darger, Utah Flash
6. David McClure, Austin Toros
7. Terry Martin, Reno Bighorns
8. Scooter McFadgon, Maine Red Claws
9. Joah Tucker, Iowa Energy
10. Lenny Stokes, Fort Wayne Mad Ants
11. Jason Straight, Dakota Wizards
12. Kenny Dawkins, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
13. Draezon Burns, Sioux Falls Skyforce
14. DeSean White, Springfield Armor
15. J.C. Mathis, Idaho Stampede
16. Mitchell Johnson, Tulsa 66ers

Sixth Round
1. Keena Young, Tulsa 66ers
2. Mike Gansey, Idaho Stampede
3. Perrin Johnson, Springfield Armor
4. Nate Miles, Sioux Falls Skyforce
5. Antoine Hood, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
6. Darren Cooper, Dakota Wizards
7. C.J. Anderson, Fort Wayne Mad Ants
8. Casey Love, Iowa Energy
9. Anthony Terrell, Maine Red Claws
10. Jermaine Johnson, Reno Bighorns
11. Quemont Greer, Austin Toros
12. Travis Holmes, Utah Flash
13. Chris Ayer, Bakersfield Jam
14. Charlie Parker, Los Angeles D-Fenders
15. Jeff Skemp, Erie BayHawks
16. J’Nathan Bullock, Albuquerque Thunderbirds

Seventh Round
1. Garrison Carr, Albuquerque Thunderbirds
2. Ryan Troutman, Erie BayHawks
3. Moustafa N’Doye, Los Angeles D-Fenders
4. Ramon Dyer, Bakersfield Jam
5. Alain Laroche, Utah Flash
6. Augustine Okosun, Austin Toros
7. Chris Davis, Reno Bighorns
8. Tony Bobbitt, Maine Red Claws
9. Russell Hicks, Iowa Energy
10. Andres Sandoval, Fort Wayne Mad Ants
11. Rashaad Powell, Dakota Wizards
12. Rashad Woods, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
13. Rodney Alexander, Sioux Falls Skyforce
14. Brandon Jones, Springfield Armor
15. Bryson McKenzie, Idaho Stampede
16. Adam McCoy, Tulsa 66ers

Eighth Round
1. Tim Parham, Tulsa 66res
2. Vince Oliver, Idaho Stampede
3. Brayden Billbe, Springfield Armor
4. Lawrence McKenzie, Sioux Falls Skyforce
5. DeAngelo Alexander, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
6. Jimmy Binnie, Dakota Wizards
7. A.J. Ratliff, Fort Wayne Mad Ants
8. Marcus Walker, Iowa Energy
9. Matt Clement, Maine Red Claws
10. Ron Allen, Reno Bighorns
11. D’Mond Grismore, Austin Toros
12. Jordan Brady, Utah Flash
13. Stephen McDowell, Bakersfield Jam
14. Travis Pinick, Los Angeles D-Fenders
15. Zachary Sowers, Erie BayHawks
16. Brian Kortovich, Albuquerque Thunderbirds

Lots of stuff from today's Big East Media Day at Madison Square Garden. As you likely know by now, UConn has been picked to finish third in the Big East, being Villanova and West Virginia.

That comes as a surprise to Jim Calhoun.

"My fellow coaches have made a vow going back 12 years of making sure I never got coach of the year by making us third or better preseason," Calhoun said. "There seems to be a pact. New coaches come in and are told that, I think."

He was kidding. Pretty much. We think. (Calhoun has, incidentally, won the league's Coach of the Year award four times -- but not since 1997-98).

Calhoun was equally astonished that the Huskies even got a first-place vote from one coach.

"I couldn't believe that someone picked us first in the league, after losing the No. 2 guy in the draft and the most dominant defensive player in the league," he said, before adding, "I'm not saying we can't (be the best team)."

***Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker have been selected to the preseason All-Big East second team. Stanley Robinson made Honorable Mention.


Dyson said he knew Jasper Howard, largely through Dyson's cousin, Anthony Davis, who is on the UConn football team.

"He just went out to have a good time after winning a game, and to have that happen is just tragic. It leads you to question what can you do on your own campus? Do you have to watch your back at every moment?"

***Could UConn have gone to last year's national championship game if Dyson had been healthy? Dyson thinks so.

"I think we could have beat Michigan State. It would have been a great game between us and North Carolina. I really can't say who would win that game, because we both had great players."

***Most people probably know that Dyson was a standout football player at Proctor Academy, but did you know he also played baseball? Center field, to be exact.

"I was alright," Dyson reported. "I liked playing."

He's a Yankees fan, if you care to know.

***Robinson said he's had surgery on a deviated septum a short while ago. He's tried to keep it somewhat under wraps, however.


"I don't want anybody aiming for my nose," said Sticks.

And he doesn't want to play with the face mask, a la Richard Hamilton.

"I'm not coming out with a mask. Can't do the 'Rip'."

***Calhoun said that Tuesday was the first time so far that Dyson and Robinson have dominated in practice. The Portland Trailblazers and Charlotte Hornets were at practice, monitoring Robinson in particular.

"I guess they watched TV last spring," Calhoun said, referring to Robinson's superb run through the NCAA tournament.

*** Calhoun said he's quickly coming to the realization of "how much the big fella (Hasheem Thabeet) meant so us. Jeff (Adrien) was a good player, A.J. (Price) was a very good player, Craig (Austrie) was a solid veteran. But any game we went into, the other team's power forward or center, most times was negated, if not eliminated. So, that's a great concern of mine.


"It's a whole new group, a whole different kind of team. This is the first team in a long time where I don’t even know how many shots we're going to block. I used to book it with most of our teams, a lot (of blocked shots)."

Charles Okwandu? No-can-do. At least not yet.

"He hasn't put together a practice yet," Calhoun noted. "He hasn't even put in a solid hour together yet. He's got to be better. He's big, strong, he's in the best shape of his life. He should be getting more done than what he is. Some of that's confidence."

Is it unfair to expect Okwandu to step in and be that 7-foot, shot-blocking presence in the middle the Huskies have had for much of the past decade?

"It is (unfair). He should be close to it. I don't think he'll be a double-figure scorer, but he should be that guy who plays 15, 18 minutes a game, along with Alex (Oriakhi). Alex has looked more ready than he has, and Alex is a freshman."

***Calhoun said Oriakhi has been the team's best newcomer so far. He.was asked if Oriakhi compares to Jeff Adrien.

"No. He's more of a post player. I think he'll be a better shooter than Jeff. And … I don't remember anybody coming in with as good post moves. He's got to be more assertive. He's a really nice kid, which really doesn't count much in the Big East. "

***Over the first four days of practice, freshman Jamaal Trice has been the biggest surprise so far.

"Of our six perimeter players, he might be the best defensive player," said Calhoun.

***Naturally, Rick Pitino drew a huge crowd of reporters. His offseason travails – a revealed extramarital affair, which resulted in an alleged extortion attempt – were, of course, brought up.


"You all have tough periods in your life, as I do in my life," Pitino said. "We all know how to get through tough periods the right way. The best part about basketball is, we're so tuned into our goals right now, these players – Sosa, Smith, Reggie Delk – it's their last opportunity. Six months from now, they'll never put on another college basketball uniform in their life again."

Addressing the media, Pitino insisted "I like and respect all of you, and I really do. That's not patronizing in any way. You have a job to do."

However …

"In case you all misread my press conference, that's the only mistake you've made, because I wasn't chastising you at all, in the slightest way. I had just had enough, my family had had enough, and I needed to step up for my family and for myself, get something off my chest. It's your job to evaluate me, it's not my job to evaluate you."

Pitino was asked if his situation will result in distractions for the team.

"It won't be. There'll be no more distractions. I owe it to my team. There may be, for a few hours one day, a personal distraction on my part. But there won't be any team distractions.

"In recruiting, it hasn't come up one time, in one phone call. You're interested in it, because it's your job … the players and the recruits, all they're interested in is their future and making their lives better for their families someday, becoming the best player they can possibly be, and winning games. That's really what they're tuned into."

Noting that he's coached in New York and Boston, Pitino quipped: "I'll hit the Triple Crown someday if I ever decide to take a job in Philadelphia … if I ever take the Drexel job, I'll have the Triple Crown."

***Madison Square Garden has agreed to continue hosting the Big East men's tourney through 2016.

***Jim Boeheim was informed that Calhoun said he missed the old days, when every team played each other twice per season.

"Well, Jim says a lot of things," Boeheim said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, I miss high school."

Craig Austrie has been invited back to Sunday's tryouts for the Springfield Armor, a new NBA Development League team, on Sunday.

Austrie and 61 other athletes -- many with local ties -- went through seven hours (!) of drills and scrimmages over the weekend under the watch of head coach Dee Brown and assistant Kevin Whitted. Ex-Celtics coach K.C. Jones addressed the players, as well.

Just 32 players made the cut to Sunday's tryouts. Joining Austrie were former UMass forward Dante Milligan, Hartford Pro-Am MVP Charles "The Beast" Easterling, and ex-Georgia State University guard Julian Allen.

The team's roster will take shape over the next few weeks. Some of the tryout attendees will be invited to training camp, which starts Nov. 15, ten days after the NBDL draft.

Went over to the Golf Club of Avon for the 11th annual Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic this afternoon. Among those playing in the scramble tournament: Calhoun, Ray Allen, Scott Burrell, Dana Barros, Travis Knight, Sam Jones, Dee Brown, Donny Marshall, a bunch of ESPN personalities and many more.

It was hot, but the weather couldn't have been much better. Many of the golf swings could have been better, though not necessarily those of Calhoun and Allen (a 4-handicap), as you'll see in the following videos:

Calhoun hitting a fairway wood:



Calhoun teeing off on a par-3:



Allen smoking a stogie and teeing off on a par-3:



Including a tournament on Sunday at The Mohegan Sun C.C. and a gala event afterwards at the casino, the event raised about $300,000 for the Jim & Pat Calhoun Cardiology Research Endowment Fund for the UConn Health Center. That's down about 20 percent from the norm, but still very strong in this economy.

"We are lucky," said Calhoun, "in the sense that we have great loyalty from the people who show up."

The event has raised about $3.5 million over the past 11 years.

Talked with Calhoun about some basketball news, as well. Here's what we've got:

***There's been some negative recruiting against the Huskies on the summer circuit, but as Calhoun pointed out, "That's every year. Last year it was cancer, this year it's 'I'm going to retire.' I haven't heard much NCAA stuff. We've been upfront with all the people we need to be. We fully expect we'll be fine, but we can't make that decision, obviously."

***To this point, no real progress has been made on Calhoun's contract extension with the university. His current six-year contract, which will pay him $1.6 million this year, expires next summer. It was thought that by now, negotiations would have started on an extension. But save for some preliminary conversations between Calhoun's agent, Jeff Schwartz, and UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway, it doesn't appear much has transpired.

"Nothing that I've heard about," said Calhoun. "I'm not sure why that is. I'm sure something will be worked out, but right now, there's nothing to report."

Calhoun isn't worried, though he'd like to have things ironed out before the 2009-10 season begins.

"I think that would be a good idea," he said. "It's not one of those things, between everything else – recruiting, resolving other situations, etc. – I don't think it's as much as a top-burner issue as it might normally be. And you're also talking about being creative, fiscally, because of the situation in the state.

"For everybody's benefit, it might be better that we have something going forward," Calhoun added. "But, I'm not worried about not being at UConn."

***Calhoun is excited about the upcoming season. He knows Hasheem Thabeet, A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie will be tough to replace, but he believes several of the incoming freshmen – Alex Oriakhi, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Darius Smith, Jamaal Trice – will be able to contribute right away.

"It would be hard to believe that Alex won't be able to do some of the muscular things we'll be asking him to do right off the bat," Calhoun said. "Darius certainly can play between the one and two. We are going to depend upon them, but we're going to really depend upon, 'Can Gavin Edwards now take his game to maybe a little different level?' And, 'Will Charles (Okwandu) or someone else stand up and be the guy in the middle?'"

***Calhoun isn't too concerned about the leadership vacuum created by the loss of Price and, to a lesser extent, Adrien and Thabeet.

"Jerome (Dyson), when healthy, was always a leader. Kemba, this year, I think, will not defer as much to the older guys. We get on him about that. At times he deferred to them."

Calhoun added that's nothing new in the program.

"Caron was subservient to Edmund Saunders, and there was no reason for it. He was stronger, tougher …"

*** Coombs-McDaniel hasn't been on campus this summer. He's been finishing up work at the Tilton (N.H.) School – a result, apparently, of one of his teachers getting sick and not being able to give him his last grade. Calhoun said the 6-foot-6 swingman "should be" ready to enroll at UConn in September.

***The coach figures Villanova and West Virginia to be the toughest challenges in the Big East this season.

*** As mentioned in the post below, UConn is expected to get an official visit this weekend from Jeremy Lamb, a 6-foot-4, Class of 2010 shooting guard out of Norcross (Ga.) High.

Lamb, who also has offers from Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, Marquette and Xavier, didn't start last year for Norcross, which had about six Division 1 players and is one of the strongest programs in the nation. He averaged about 14 points per game, however, and was said to be the second or third-best player on the team. A long, rangy 6-4 and 165 pounds, Lamb has been one of the surprises of the summer.

The Huskies should have about another half-dozen unofficial visits over the next couple of weeks, as well. Presumably, those will involve some of these players.

***Funny story from Allen, who was at Calhoun's charity bike ride in June when Calhoun collapsed due to exhaustion and broken ribs.

"The EMT arrives, and the guy is about 22, 23," Allen recalled. "He's nervous already, and now he's going over to Coach to see what's wrong. Coach says to him, 'Here's what you're gonna do …'"

Always coaching, that Jim Calhoun.