UConn and Syracuse both held their ends of the bargain, and we end up with the best Thanksgiving Day rivalry game of all when the Huskies and Orange meet at 3:30 p.m. in a Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal game.

On ESPN!

Only three current UConn players (Omar Calhoun, Amida Brimah and Phil Nolan) have experienced the Husky-Orange rivalry first-hand. But the ones who haven't are looking forward to it.

Rodney Purvis had the best quote:

"It's definitely a huge game. I remember being in high school when the went into, like, five or six overtimes. My mom let me stay up and watch that game. I'm happy to be a part of this game tomorrow. It should be a really good game."

As for Jim Boeheim? Well, I understand a coach might not want to talk about an opponent he doesn't even know he's facing yet, so he wouldn't discuss UConn after his Wednesday afternoon win over Charlotte. Still, I thought he might at least comment on how special it might be to meet up with the Huskies again. Instead, I got a "you guys" from him:



So, apparently, "us guys" -- the media -- are the only ones who wanted to see this game. Not the fans. Not ESPN. Not anyone here at the tournament. Just "us guys."

Oh, and as for Wednesday's win over Michigan? Impressive. Very impressive.

Here's Sam Cassell, Jr. talking about his breakout game.

UConn is anxious to kick off its 2015-16 season Friday night against Maine at Gampel. Game starts at 7:30 p.m. (not 7 p.m., per usual).

Here's some of what Sterling Gibbs had to say after Thursday's practice, as he gets set to begin his first and only season as a Husky:



And here's some of what Kevin Ollie had to say:



Elsewhere:

*** Phil Nolan took part in most of Thursday's practice, but Ollie wouldn't completely sign off on Nolan being available to play on Friday, saying that the senior forward was still favoring his ankle a bit.

*** Tyler Olander took in practice. Olander is playing professionally in Lithuania, but recently hurt his leg and is back rehabbing it for a couple of months. It's a similar injury to what DeAndre Daniels sustained over the summer, according to Ollie.

Met up with Phil Nolan today for an interview for a story that will run in a few days.

It may be easy to overlook Nolan this season, what with so many good, new players coming in (not to mention some talented returnees, as well). But he's a senior now. He's got a national championship ring. And though he's coming off a disappointing junior season, Nolan looks fit and sounds ready to make amends.

Here's a few things he had to say today:

"I gained a lot of weight last year. It wasn’t all good weight. I lost a lot of weight, but then I started gaining it back and made sure it was good weight this time.

“It makes it tougher to move around, move your feet, not as explosive. When I went back home to Milwaukee, working with my trainer, it was a lot of agility stuff on the court and working on my explosiveness.”

(what he worked on this summer and needs to do better this season)

 “I know I’m way better at finishing around the basket. I want to improve on that, just make sure I’m in the best shape possible so I’m able to run the floor and be explosive, rebound ... just all the little things that will help the team out.”

(on how he feels about newcomers like Shonn Miller and Steve Enoch, both of whom could cut into his playing time)

“Anybody that knows me -- I’m not saying that I don’t want to play -- but anybody that knows me knows that I’m all for the team. What’s best for the team. Bringing in guys like that, it’s just Coach Ollie telling us to step up our game. We’ve got to get in the gym more, work out more. At the end of the day, it’s only gonna benefit us.”

(on taking charges)

“I had no clue that I was good at it. One day, Coach Ollie was yelling at us, ‘Nobody’s taking charges!’ He was really talking to the guards, I think. I was just like, 'I’m gonna go out and try it.' I think the first game I tried it, I got, like, three. So I’m like, ‘Man, I might as well keep doing it.’ Back then, I was getting in foul trouble a lot, too. Instead of jumping and getting a foul, I might as well let someone run into me and the referee call it a charge.”

“It hurts. I wouldn’t say it’s tough, but you’ve got to be dedicated. You’ve got to be predetermined and know what you’re gonna do. As soon as you see someone coming full-speed, just stand there and let them knock you over.”

(on the NCAA's decision to extend the arc underneath the basket by a foot, from three feet to four feet, to help reduce the number of collisions)

“I don’t think that’s gonna hold me back. They’re gonna have to put the arc out pretty far to stop me from taking charges.”

Check back in a few days for a feature story, which looks at Nolan's interesting home life back in Milwaukee ... and just why he was at the NBA draft this past June.

It was Husky Day at the State Capitol today. Most of the members of the UConn men's and women's basketball teams were there -- no Ryan Boatright, but just about everyone else there, including coaches Kevin Ollie and Geno Auriemma.

One reporter's daughter even got a whole bunch of autographs, including Geno's.

(Oh, and if you're in the Southington area tonight around 6:30, stop by the Southington Public Library, where I'll be doing a book signing and discussion of Rebound!).

Anyway, here's some of what Daniel Hamilton and Ollie had to say:

HAMILTON:

(on rumors he might be leaving the program)

“I never had any thoughts. I had a sitdown with Coach Ollie, and we talked about the season during the exit meeting. Everything was good. I’m excited to be coming back.”

“He said I’ve got to shoot the ball better, and just getting to where I wanted to go, not forcing shots, not taking ill-advised shots.”

“It never crossed my mind. I know there were some rumors out there saying I might leave, but there was no thought of me going. Especially after the year that we had, I want to come back and do even better things next year. I wasn’t satisfied with the year we had as a team. Next year, I want to come back and be better than we were this year.”

“I knew my grandma’s been sick the last couple of years. I was always talking to her, she was always watching my games. She was just proud of me throughout the whole year.”

(on watching his brother, Isaac, help UCLA make a run to the Sweet Sixteen)

“Them making the Sweet 16, it was definitely fun. I was supporting them the whole way.”

“Not jealous, I was happy for him. I was excited for him.”

OLLIE:

(on Duke winning the title)

“They definitely deserved it. Coach K is a wonderful coach.”

(on recruiting focuses)

“We’ve got a couple of players that we’re looking (at). We’re just trying to add some spots. My job is to evaluate the program ... We have a couple that’s right on the brink, and hopefully we’ll get some good news here soon.”

(on any possible transfers)

“No one came in my office yet. It’s always an open door. I’m not telling them to come in the office. If they decide to come in and decide to go somewhere else, I can’t hold them back, I can just give my opinion on going forward. Hopefully, everybody stays and we can add on some compliments to these guys we’ve got now.”

“We just had our regular exit meetings. I gave them my expectations of them. went over the stats with them, just the standards that we uphold here at UConn. It was a character-building season for us, for me as a coach. We’ve got to get better. I think everybody has that desire, to get better.”

(on how Ollie can get better as a coach)

“Everything -- management of the team, getting them in better positions. I can always improve on everything. It’s not just one thing. I’ve got to get these guys better. We all fell short. We’re all UConn, and we’d like to get to the tournament. It’s a fine line between good and bad. We lost a lot of close games. You look back at those situations, I could have done things better, players could have made shots. We’re all in this together. It’s not one thing.”

(on recent college coaching changes)

“I was happy for Dave (Leitao), and to see Shaka (Smart) move to Texas. Some great acquisitions there, but also some great coaches that got their walking papers, which is unfortunate, too.”

(on Steve Enoch)

Every time I see Steve, he’s getting bigger, he’s getting better, he’s performing very well, he’s rebounding the ball. He’s got a chip on his shoulder every time I see him. I think he’s gonna be a phenomonal basketball player for us. He’s gonna be a serviceable big man coming in his freshman year, getting to lear from Amida, Kentan and Phil on how to conduct yourself as a UConn basketball player. I see a lot of potential in him. Now, that potential’s got to turn into skill. And that just depends on how hard he’s gonna work. What I see from him, I don’t see where that pattern’s gonna stop. Every time I see him, he’s adding something to his offensive repertoire, defensive rebounding -- doing things we lacked a little bit last year.”

(on Jalen Adams)

“Jalen Adams is gonna be an instant player for us that’s gonna really impact the game instantly. He can do so much stuff off the bounce, he’s very athletic. A lot of people don’t know how good a passer he is. I’m just gonna weigh on him to come in and do the different things we know he can do. But, athletically, ball-handling, pushing the ball -- those are his strengths. I’m gonna try to display that every single day, give him a platform where he can go out there and show his God-given talents. And God has given him a lot.”

Apparently, Adams may not play in Friday's Jordan Brand Classic regional game at Barclays Center. Nothing's official as of now, however. Doesn't sound like an injury or anything, just a possible conflict of some sort.

Some quick numbers:

In the (extremely) brief history of the AAC tournament, no team has shot better from the floor (54.5 percent) and from 3 (64.7 percent, 11-for-17), hit more 3's (11) or allowed fewer points in a half (14) than UConn did on Thursday night. And no freshman has ever scored more than rookie of the year Daniel Hamilton's 20.

(Alas, Hamilton isn't perfect: it was he who banged heads inadvertently with Kentan Facey in practice on Tuesday, causing Facey to suffer a concussion. He didn't dress for Thursday's game)

Oh, and South Florida is terrible.

Another number: 5,431. The attendance at the XL Center. Honestly thought it was closer to about 7,500, but it's not like they're gonna shortchanged themselves, right?

Anyway, expecting a bigger turnout Friday night in the quarters against Cincinnati. A game that promises to be a "dogfight."

KEVIN OLLIE:

“Our guys came out with intensity. We’ve just got to continue with that. It’s a short turnaround, we know that. It’s tournament play, so we’re gonna go back, get ready for Cincinnati. Everybody knows when you play Cincinnati, it’s a dogfight.”

(on Phil Nolan's seven rebounds)

“That was great. I challenged the bigs, in the Temple game, Phil played 20 minutes and got two rebounds, and Amida (Brimah) played 28 minutes and got one rebound. So, it was great to see those guys combine for 12 rebounds in their minutes. We want them to continue to rebound -- rebound out of their area.

“Phil did an amazing job. It doesn’t show in the points ... He sacrifices his body for our team, takes charges, does all the small things. That’s why I give him the minutes I give him, because I really trust him on the defensive end. And on the offensive end, he knows the right spots to be in.”

“He knows about this time of year. He started all six games of our tournament run last year. He’s a very experienced guy, especially in March and April.”

RYAN BOATRIGHT:

(on Cincinnati)

“It’s gonna be physical. I’ve played them a lot, and every single time we play them, it’s extremely physical. It’s gonna be a close game, it’s gonna come down to whoever wants to win the most. It’s gonna be a dogfight. They’re probably gonna play their match-up zone, so we’ve got to execute and break that zone down.”

NOLAN:



OMAR CALHOUN:

“I never lack confidence. Just a clean slate. Everybody’s just leaving it all out there, we all have the same goal in mind. We’re all just playing for each other.”

(on Cincy)

“It’s gonna be a dogfight. We beat them before, they beat us. We’ve got to come out with our best game. The best team’s gonna win.”

“I’m just healthier. We have a couple of days off before the tournament, and I needed those days to get my body back for this run. I’m feeling real good right now.”

Calhoun said his knee had been bothering him, as well as a sprained toe.

BRIMAH:

“Coach was talking to us about rebounding the last two games. We just came out and made sure we did that.”

Phil Nolan started all nine of UConn's postseason games last year (three AAC tourney, six NCAA tourney). He scored in double figures three times during the regular season and showed an uncanny knack in taking charges on defense.

While no one was expecting him to be a double-figure scorer-type this season, a natural progression could have been expected. But to this point, Nolan has had a disappointing junior campaign.

The 6-foot-10 forward is still adept at taking charges, but hasn't contributed a whole lot more than that. Nolan is averaging just 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. His minutes have been dwindling lately -- in his last four games, he hasn't played more than seven minutes, including just three in Saturday's win over Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, freshman Rakim Lubin is making a spirited case for taking Nolan's minutes off the bench. He's played 10 minutes in each of the last two games and made some valuable contributions here and there.

So what does Nolan have to do to get back out on the floor? We asked Ryan Boatright and Kevin Ollie on Monday evening.

"I think he just needs to continue to play hard," said Boatright. "Just try to finish some plays around the rim. If he can get his hands on a few more balls, on both ends of the floor, then he can finish down there when he touches it, Coach will have no choice but to leave him in. Especially when Amida gets in foul trouble or needs a break."

Said Ollie: "Everybody gets a chance to come in and take care of their minutes. It's a competitive state of mind that we're in now. A lot of guys are stepping up and playing minutes, everybody's got to come in and take care of their minutes and play. Hopefully, that's what players want, how they thrive and get better. 'Cuz it's competitive out there for minutes."

Nolan was bothered by a sore heel recently. He's also put on about 30 pounds of muscle over the off-season and is noticeably bulkier. I've seen several players over the years lose their touch and become different (not always better) players after muscling up too much. Maybe all that's a factor, maybe not.

One thing is sure: UConn would love better and more consistent play out of Phil Nolan going forward.

Some notes 'n quotes from UConn's practice today at the Werth Center:

Asked about today's announcement that the Huskies were rekindling their rivalry with old Big East foe Georgetown, Kevin Ollie had some interesting things to say ... about possibly rekindling a rivalry with Syracuse:



A lot of talk today about Phil Nolan, who is noticeably bigger after adding about 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season. Here's a story on how Nolan put on the extra pounds over the summer, and how the early results are positive. Ollie noted that Nolan will be playing alongside Amida Brimah at the four at times when UConn goes big this season.

“We got a glimpse of it last year against South Florida," Nolan recalled, "and it was pretty fun that game.”

*** Asked a couple of Calhouns -- Jim and Omar -- about the North Carolina situation, where the Tar Heels program apparently ran fraud classes for athletes for the past 18 years or so. UConn, of course, got a postseason ban for the academic shortcomings of players who wound up leaving the program. UNC allegedly kept players eligible by cheating. But the Huskies aren't paying much attention to see if UNC gets a similar punishment.

“We don’t want to say bad things about other teams," said Omar. "You’re kind of upset because we weren’t really to blame for it, but we’re just focused on the season we have now.”

Said Jim Calhoun: "Ours is almost the exact opposite situation ... it's obviously something that got away from the institution ... I think coaches, someone on their staff, has pretty good idea of what every kid was doing."

Summed up Ryan Boatright: “I heard about it. I’ve got my own academics to worry about.”

Boatright said he's been keeping tabs on Shabazz Napier from afar.

“I caught that one (game) and saw the highlights. We’ve been keeping in touch. He’s being Shabazz.”

Daniel Hamilton and Rakim Lubin are on campus, joining Sam Cassell, Jr. as all three of UConn's newcomers are enrolled in (or about to enroll in) summer courses.

Here's a story I did on Cassell, Jr. and his father, shortly after he committed to UConn.

And here's a piece on Daniel Hamilton, after while he was in Springfield, Mass. at the Hoop Hall Classic in January.

*** Had a chance to sit down with Kevin Ollie and two other reporters in Ollie's office at Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday afternoon to take a look ahead to the upcoming season. Here's some of what Ollie had to day:

(on Ryan Boatright taking over leadership role from Shabazz Napier)

“It’s a must. He has to do that. Not only for UConn, but for his basketball future. He has to take over that leadership role … I think Boat is going to do that. I see a lot of great qualities in Ryan. A lot of attention was given to Shabazz, but Ryan wants it. He has a great competitiveness about him. He competes at everything, and he wants to be great. He’s not going to settle for good. That’s the one thing I love about Boat. He’s never missed a practice. The guy just wants it. If a guy has a vision and he wants it that bad, yeah, we have to mold and change his approach sometimes, and he has to change his approach sometimes. But I think he’s going to get it. I think he’s already got it already. It’s for me to bring that out a little bit more, but it’s for him to give that gift away everyday – that leadership gift he’s got.”

(on how tough a decision it was for Boatright to return, rather than go pro)

“I know he reached out to a lot of people to get different advice for his decision. I know he and DeAndre are very, very close. It’s been well-documented, ‘We came in together, we’re leaving together.’ But I’m glad he thought about it and (realized), ‘What’s good for DeAndre, might not be good for me.’ DeAndre’s a different person. I’m glad he came back. I think he saw the model in Shabazz, who could have gone out last year and who knows if he would have been drafted, maybe in the second round. You just never know. Then he came in and won a national championship, now getting invited to the Green Room, got his degree, had a phenomenal year, Bob Cousy Award.”

(on some of the differences next year's team will have from this year's team)

“We’re not going to have DeAndre, Niels – that stretch forward we had last year. I think Amida’s going to be a tremendous asset for us. I think Kentan’s going to give us a different dynamic, where he can shoot the ball. Probably not off the 3 like Niels and DeAndre did – I know he’s working toward it, but those guys were exceptional shooters for us. Kentan brings us a guy running and jumping and getting rebounds. He’s working on his game very, very hard.”

“Phil is up to 230-235 lbs. now. That gives me the opportunity to play two bigs, that I haven’t been able to do the last two years … I’m excited to see Phil and Amida probably play together a little bit more.”

(on Omar Calhoun bouncing back)

“He’s a highly-motivated person before this happened. I think this is not going to destroy him, I think it’s going to open up room for him to get to the next level. I just believe in the kid, believe in the hard work he puts in. Results follow hard work. For him, last year was tough. But he grasped that, he embraced that, he was like a coach on the bench for me. That spoke volumes, because a lot of kids say, ‘I’m not in the spotlight,’ and they go away from team-oriented stuff. But he involved himself even more. I was like, ‘Wow.’ That shows me something, the growth in him. That’s what special people do.”

(on Brimah

’s rehab from shoulder surgery)

“Unbelievable. That kid is just working. This is no exaggeration – he’s in here at midnight, working on his game. He can’t do contact yet, but man, he is doing an unbelievable job, doing some things on the court with Coach (Glen) Miller … He’s just so self-motivated.”

Ollie noted that it will probably be another month or so before Brimah is cleared for contact.

(on Rodney Purvis)

“He’s working. Just having his leadership, too – I have to push him out of his comfort zone with that a little bit, and I’m willing to do that. Once he gets that aspect of being a more vocal leader, with his talents, I think he’s just going to explode. I needed him to be a leader last year, I wanted him to talk more. He started doing that. He resisted a little bit, he’d say, ‘I’m not playing.’ But you are playing. You’ve got to envision yourself in this role, because I knew losing Shabazz, we’re losing a lot. (He) has to step into that leadership role – him, Boat, all the guys that are going to have the ball in their hand.”

(on Purvis's role)

“Versatile player, being able to do multiple things on the basketball court. He can score on a high level. He definitely gives us a little different … he’s more explosive in transition, where he can go up and get over the rim. Power, big body, that we haven’t had. Terrence was kind of close to that, but Rodney has more explosiveness to the rim. He shot very well from the 3-point line at NC State, and I think he’s working towards improving that. I think he’s a good shooter, I think he can get better with his shot, get it off quicker. These are the different things we’re working on this summer to allow him to improve.”

(Is Sam Cassell, Jr. more a shooter, a ballhandler ... or both?)

“Sam can handle the basketball. I was very, very pleased with him. He’s been up here, working. His attitude, his leadership, he’s in phenomenal condition. He’s been around pros his whole life, so he knows how to conduct himself. He’s not afraid of competition. Actually, he relishes it. He can shoot the basketball. You want your two’s to dribble, shoot and pass. He does all that well. He’s going to be a player for us. Terrence (Samuel) is going to be a player for us. We’ve got some talent, we’ve got to pull it together.”

(on Samuel)

“You’ve got to take active steps to make your weaknesses your strengths. And shooting the ball is No. 1. He’s got to come in here and shoot the right way, and don’t be afraid to do it. Sometimes, you’ve got to take one step back and do it badly to get to that next level. I think he’s understanding that.”

(on Daniel Hamilton)

“I know he has great expectations for himself, which is great. I heard something that came out, somebody said he’s the eighth-rated small forward in the country already as a freshman. That don’t matter. You’ve really got to show, each and every day, that you can play on this level, that you compete on this level, and that you can be a separator on this level. We don’t want him to come and blend in. We want him to be an outstanding player on our team and make an impact. We’re going to need it, because we lost a lot.”

“He’s position-less. Even the four. There are situations this year where I’m going to have four guards … we might have five.”

(on Rakim Lubin)

“Just kind of like Amida last year. We found him. He’s definitely going to give us a different look running out the tunnel. He’s a little bit bigger than our guys … He’s not 7 feet, he’s 6-7, but we’ve got a guy walking around on our coaching staff who’s 6-7, 6-8, and he did pretty damn well. It’s all about heart. I think he’s got heart, he’s got a confidence about himself. He’s not shy or timid. He walks around and he knows he’s good. He knows he belongs. We’re going to have to temper that down a little bit, make him humble a little bit on that first day of practice. But I like that. I’d rather have that than have a guy that’s timid and not sure of himself. He has a lot of confidence. He has a chip on his shoulder. He wasn’t ranked in the Top-200, or whatever that stuff is. He’s going to come out here and prove that he belongs, and I think he’s going to give us a different dynamic that we didn’t have. One of those guys that can take a bump and also give a bump, too.”

(Will next year's team rebound better than last year's?)

“I hope so. I hope our point guard doesn’t lead us in rebounding, until the second half of the last game when DeAndre got those last two rebounds to beat him out. I hope that’s not the case. I hope Amida steps up, I hope Phil steps up … I think Daniel’s going to be a great rebounder. He’s had great rebounding games in high school. We’re going to have bigger guards out there – Rodney, Sam, Terrence, Omar. Hopefully, Rakim can come in and give us a life on the backboards.”

(on Shabazz)

“We sat at this table and we said, ‘These things can happen if you come back. This is where you’re putting yourself. You can do something that nobody else was ever able to do in the NCAA.’”

(on Shabazz's coursework this past season)

“He wasn’t taking electives, he was taking real required stories. He had big-time classes: labs, sciences, biology, chemistry. It was big-time stuff. And for him to do that, and lead his team … he is remarkable.”

(on Napier's draft prospects)

“He’s doing great in every one of his workouts. Now, it’s what team needs a point guard. There are a couple of teams outside the lottery that need a point guard. He might slip into the lottery, who knows? I just know it takes one guy to love you. I think he has a lot of people that love him.”

“I was very fortunate, when I got the job, that he stood by my side. I wouldn’t be here without Shabazz.”

Ollie noted that DeAndre Daniels had a workout on Wednesday with Detroit, who supposedly like him a lot. It was one of 14 workouts Daniels had slated over the past two weeks.

(on next year's schedule)

“We’ve got a tough schedule. Which is fine, that’s how I like it. We’re playing some top-notch teams: going down to Florida, playing Duke. Texas is going to be top-10 … It’s going to get us prepared for a nice tournament run, hopefully. We wanted to keep our RPI the same. Losing Louisville hurts our RPI a little bit, but we’re playing a great out-of-conference schedule that’s going to boost our RPI up.”

(on the AAC)

“I like the conference, I like the coaches. Tulsa is going to be great – I know we lost Danny Manning, but Frank Haith has done a great job at Miami and Missouri. Getting Orlando Antigua … the conference as a whole is going to be great. We’ve got some great freshmen coming in, the No. 1 point guard coming into our conference, Emmanuel Mudiay down at SMU, so it’s going to be exciting.”

Ollie said the new basketball practice facility should be completed in another 1 1/2-2 months. Here's how it looks right now:

UConn and Duke will square off at the IZOD Center in New Jersey on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday.

Here's the press release sent out by UConn:

The Duke Blue Devils will face the National Champion UConn Huskies December 18th at IZOD Center (Meadowlands Sports Complex) in East Rutherford, N.J. Game time is 8:00 pm (ET).

UConn and Duke have met just nine times on the basketball court with Duke leading the series 5-4, but the Huskies have won four of the last five. One of their most memorable games took place at the Meadowlands in the 1990 NCAA East Regional Final with Duke winning 79-78 in overtime. UConn defeated Duke, 77-74, to capture the 1999 National Championship and the Huskies nipped the Blue Devils, 79-78, in the 2004 National Semifinals on their way to their second national crown. UConn and Duke last met in the 2009 NIT Tip-Off Championship Game at Madison Square Garden which Duke won, 68-59. The Blue Devils are 20-1 all-time (10-0 in NCAA Tournament games) at the Meadowlands, while UConn is 12-8 at the venue, 1-1 in the 1990 NCAA East Regional and 11-7 vs. former Big East rival Seton Hall.

Tickets will go on sale Friday, June 20 at 10:00 am (ET) through Ticketmaster and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com<http://www.ticketmaster.com> or by phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets will be available at the IZOD Center Box Office beginning Monday, June 23 at 11:00 am. For more information, visit izodcenter.com<http://www.izodcenter.com>.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to play Connecticut at the IZOD Center next season," said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. "We have a strong fan base in the New York / New Jersey area and I am sure Connecticut will have great fan support as well. It is always special to play in front of terrific crowds and it should be an outstanding game between two talented teams. Connecticut is obviously coming off a championship season and has excellent personnel returning. Coach Ollie has done a terrific job running the program and we look forward to the challenge."

Duke, coming off a 26-9 campaign last season, returns three players with extensive starting experience and seven letterwinners overall. Senior Quinn Cook and junior Rasheed Sulaimon provide a veteran presence in the backcourt, while Amile Jefferson is coming off a solid sophomore season in 2013-14. Cook and Sulaimon combined to average 21.5 points and 6.8 assists per game a year ago, while shooting 38.6 percent (108-of-280) from three-point range and 79.1 percent (163-of-206) from the charity stripe. Jefferson shot a team-best 64.4 percent (94-of-146) from the field and averaged 6.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Junior Marshall Plumlee (1.3 points / 2.2 rebounds per game) along with sophomores Matt Jones and Semi Ojeleye are prepared to take on larger roles this season after gaining valuable experience a year ago.

Duke's veteran group will be complimented in 2014-15 by the top ranked recruiting class in the country. Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow were each named to the McDonald's All-America team with all four players ranking among the top 35 recruits in the country by the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. Allen is a talented guard out of Florida that showcased his athleticism by winning the Powerade Jam Fest Dunk Contest. Jones, the top-rated point guard in the class, was a three-time Minnesota State Player of the Year and closed out his career with 2,909 points, 1,131 assists and 369 steals. Okafor, the No. 1 player overall by most recruiting outlets, was named the National High School Player of the Year after averaging 24.1 points and 11.3 rebounds while leading Whitney Young, to a 28-5 record and a 4A state title in Illinois. Winslow is a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year out of Texas and one of the most versatile two-way players in the country. He averaged 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.8 steals per game as a senior at Saint John's [Houston]. Jones, Okafor and Winslow also have extensive USA Basketball experience with each player winning a pair of gold medals as well as participating in the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit.

The UConn men's basketball team won the national championship in 2014 - its fourth since 1999. The Huskies began the tournament as a No. 7 seed and along their NCAA run beat a who's who of programs including Florida and Kentucky in the Final Four. The Huskies became the first no. 7 seed in the history of the NCAA tournament to win the national championship.

The 2014-15 Huskies will be led by senior guard Ryan Boatright, who was named to the NCAA All-Final Four team and averaged 12.1 points per game last year to go along with 3.4 assists. Junior Phil Nolan started 19 games last year - including all six in the NCAA tournament - returns at center. Junior guard Terrence Samuel, a Brooklyn product, scored 11 points in UConn's NCAA third round win vs. Villanova and showed great improvement as the season went on. Sophomore center Amida Brimah led UConn with 92 blocks and was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie team.

The Huskies will be bolstered by the addition of former McDonald's All-American guard and North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year Rodney Purvis, eligible after sitting out last season following his transfer from North Carolina State. Purvis averaged 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Wolfpack in 35 games in 2012-13 and was an ACC Rookie of the Week selection. Also joining the Huskies will be freshman forward Daniel Hamilton, who averaged 20.5 points, 9 rebounds and 5.2 assists as he led St. John Bosco High to the California Division II state championship; Junior College First Team All-American Sam Cassell Jr., who averaged 18.7 points and 3.7 assists for Chipola College (Florida); and Rakim Lubin, the Georgia 3A Player of the Year, who averaged 20.2 points and 12.1 rebounds at Buford High School.

"We are very much looking forward to playing against Duke at the IZOD Center this December," said UConn head coach Kevin Ollie. "Our series against Duke includes some of the most exciting and most meaningful games in UConn basketball history and we have the utmost respect for Coach Krzyzewski and his program. Plus, it will be wonderful to return to the IZOD Center, where UConn has a long history. It not only gives our fans in the New York-New Jersey area a chance to watch us play, but is close enough to allow our great fans from Connecticut to come and support us."

This is really getting pretty amazing. In fact, this UConn run may surpass the 2011 run -- even if the Huskies don't win on Monday night.

I mean, at least in 2011, you had the Big East tourney run as evidence that maybe the Huskies were getting hot at the right time (or, as many thought, maybe they would be burnt out by NCAA tourney time).

Really, how could you have seen this coming? The 34-point loss to Louisville a few weeks ago? The 10-point loss to the Cardinals in the AAC title game that really felt like a 20-point loss? Getting outplayed for most of regulation by St. Joe's in their opener before getting saved by a 3-point play by (of all people) Amida Brimah?

Go ahead and say you saw all this coming. You're lying.

My game column focuses on how UConn's Final Four win over Florida was no fluke -- the exact word used by CBSsports.com's Gregg Doyel in reference to the Huskies' Dec. 2 win over the Gators in Storrs.

Here's a couple of UConn players talking about the whole "fluke thing":





And here are a few notes from tonight's game:

UConn showed flashes of being a very good defensive team at times this season. But this is getting ridiculous.

The Huskies’ team defense was swarming and suffocating once again in their Final Four victory over Florida Saturday night. They held the Gators to 38 percent shooting, 1-for-10 from 3-point land. They forced them into 11 turnovers but, more to the point, made Florida look uncomfortable offensively throughout the contest.

It was similar to UConn’s 60-54 win over Michigan State on Sunday in the Elite Eight in which the Huskies turned the bigger, more physical Spartans into a perimeter team (29 3-point attempts) thanks to their choking defense.

The game plan was a little different this time around, according to associate head coach Glen Miller.

“(Florida’s) offense is really good when it can flow from one side to the other,” Miller said. “We just shut it down and kept it on one side, all their ball-screen actions, we kept it to coffin corner. They couldn’t change sides, they were uncomfortable, couldn’t get into their offensive flow. Even when we were struggling offensively early, we were still defending.”

Ryan Boatright led the charge up top, harrassing Florida point guard Scottie Wilkbekin into an awful (2-for-9, four points) night. Shabazz Napier had four steals, most notably one with just under seven minutes left, when he picked Wilbekin’s pocket and hit Boatright with a pass for a layup that gave the Huskies a 47-40 lead.

And though UConn’s big men were largely plagued by foul trouble, they kept the Gators from penetrating most of the night.

“This is the best we’ve defended all year,” said Miller. “A good defensive team has become a great defensive team in this tournament.”

Rodney Shows Respect

Rodney Purvis, the talented guard who has sat out this entire season due to NCAA transfer rules, arrived in Dallas on Friday and was in the locker room after the game.

“Nobody really had us making it this far,” said Purvis, who transferred from NC State last year. “I’ve been a fan, that’s the reason I came to this school. I knew what we can do. Not being able to play, it’s tough. But I’m enjoying my time sitting on the side, becoming a better student of the game by watching and learning from Shabazz and Boat.”

On Friday, UConn coach Kevin Ollie called Purvis “a Ferrari sitting in the garage that I can’t drive.” Purvis will be eligible to play next season, of course. But for now, he can’t dress with the team or sit on the bench, and his entire trip to the Final Four must be on his own dime. He and his mother came down, though Purvis is still spending time with his teammates.

“I’ve been hanging out with them, though,” he said. “They can’t stop me from that.”

No Pain Stuart

UConn may have dodged a bullet — at least in the minds of its fans — when the officials were announced for Saturday’s game. Or, more aptly, when a certain official wasn’t assigned to the game.

Mike Stuart, who famously ejected Kevin Ollie from the Huskies’ 76-64 loss to Louisville on Jan. 18 at Gampel Pavilion, was one of 10 officials in the pool to work Saturday’s Final Four games. However, he didn’t draw the UConn-Florida bout: John Higgins, Mike Stephens and Doug Sirmons drew the duty (with Mike Roberts as standby).

Stuart ejected Ollie about seven minutes into the second half of that game after Ollie ran up and down the sidelines, incensed that no foul had been called on a Niels Giffey shot attempt. He got hit with a technical by Stuart, then a second one just a few seconds later, ejecting him from the game.

Ollie had to be escorted off the court by director of basketball administration Kevin Freeman, and had some choice words for both Stuart and fellow official Ted Valentine on his way out.

After the game, Ollie was apologetic for his actions, but didn’t back down from his belief a foul should have been called. A couple of days later, he said: “I did (overreact), a little bit, when I ran down the baseline. But, it happens. Hopefully, we can move on. Hopefully, Stuart can move on from the game and we can all be better from it.”

Stuart was on the whistle for Saturday’s other national semifinal bout between Kentucky and Wisconsin. It’s not yet known who will officiate Monday night’s championship game.

Rim Rattlings

• UConn is the third team to be a No. 7 seed or lower and reach the national championship game since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. No. 8 Butler advanced in 2011, and No. 8 Villanova in 1985. The Bulldogs, of course, lost to Kemba Walker and the Huskies.
• Ollie is the first coach to reach the national title game within his first two seasons since interim coach Mike Davis led Indiana to the 2002 title game.
• UConn is now 5-0 in Final Four games played in the state of Texas.

DeAndre Daniels was once heavily recruited by Florida. Now, methinks he may be the key to beating the Gators in the Final Four Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Jim Calhoun had some interesting things to say about how proud he is of Kevin Ollie.

Some video of UConn at AT&T Stadium today:









*** Glen Miller on Amida Brimah's improvement over the season:

“People don’t really know how talented he is offensively. He’s more talented than he appears to be. He’s got a terrific right-hand and left-hand half-hook. As he gains strength and he can get better post position, you’ll see more scoring out of him going forward. Defensively, he’s got a great talent to block shots. But, when he has to come out away from the basket and play pick-and-roll defense, things like that, we’ve had to work with him a lot on that. A guy with his height and ability to block shots, when he gets drawn out from the basket a little bit … so often now, you see four and five guys that can step out and shoot the ball away from the basket, put it on the floor a little bit. So, his ability to guard away from the basket is probably what he’s had to work the most on.”

*** Some of the transcript of UConn's press conference:

Q.  What did you learn from guys like George Karl, Larry Brown, even Coach Calhoun, about trying to get guys to buy into a certain way of going about their business?
COACH OLLIE:  Just every day having the consistency.  We look at it as you can be a pro or you can be a professional.  A pro just does it in convenient times.  A professional does it in inconvenient times and convenient times.  You do it over and over again, and it becomes habit. 
That's what I try to put on my team each and every day, to get better at something.  If we can do that, we'll get better and we'll win games and we'll win together.  I learned that from George Karl.  I learned that from Larry Brown, of course Larry Brown, because he's a perfectionist.  He wants you to do certain things the right way, and especially the things you can control, which is your attitude and the way you show up each and every day.  I learned that from him because without him I wouldn't be here. 
Just the toughness that you got to show each and every day.  Hopefully it feeds over into my coaching staff. 

Q.  In your two years as the head coach, how much has it helped to have such a connection to UConn on your staff as well as the older players who come back and impart wisdom on your current guys?
COACH OLLIE:  Oh, it's invaluable.  I can't put a price tag on it.  I can go through my coaching staff, two of my coaches coached me.  Glen Miller coached me my freshman year, my sophomore year when I didn't know anything.  I'm just walking around as a freshman and trying to find my way, and Coach Calhoun's screaming at me and I didn't understand what he was saying, and I'm very glad Glen was there.  Now he's on my staff. 
Coach Hobbs came in after Glen left and he coached me my junior and senior year.  That's when I really started taking off as a point guard and really establishing myself as a basketball player and a point guard.  I loved those guys to death.  To see them on my staff now, and then couple that with the younger coaches that I got on my staff, two of the guys played on our 1999 National Championship team. 
So my coaching staff, I tell them they're the best in America because they young, but they're all UConn guys.  They all graduated.  They all got their degrees from UConn.  It's a beautiful synergy that we have because we all have that common denominator that we played for UConn.  We know what it takes to put that jersey on and the pride that we are playing for each and every night.

Q.  You joining the UConn program was sort of contingent on there being a position open on Jim's staff.  There's a position open, and so you get it, and then Jim retires and now here we are.  Would you be in college coaching if not for a position being open at that particular time right now?  Do you have any idea what else you might be doing?
COACH OLLIE:  I would have probably been with the Thunder, because I had an opportunity to stay with the Thunder in different capacities.  Me and Sam Presti is great friends and he wanted me to come back and be a coach or be in the front office with him. 
I could have still played because I'm not a free agent that's going to get signed July 1st.  So I usually get signed probably in September right before training camp.  So I didn't have that luxury to see what was the free agent market. 
So I decided to just go back to UConn.  They had a spot open even before the season was over with.  That spot was open, and I decided to many could back.  I wanted to be closer to my family.  The last five years of my NBA career, my family stayed in Glastonbury, Connecticut, while I was at Oklahoma City, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philly 76ers, so I wanted to be close to them.
It's nothing like coming back home and being at University of Connecticut and everybody say, How do you recruit?  It's like recruiting is natural for me because I'm not making nothing up or anything, this is what I believe in.  I said I sat in those same seats, I went to the same classes that you're going to, and it's just a part of me.  I love the university and I want to be here for a long time. 

Q.  Kasey Hill didn't play the last time when you guys beat Florida in December.  What sort of problems does he present in contrast to maybe Scottie Wilbekin when Kasey Hill is in the game?
COACH OLLIE:  Kasey, with his speed, his ability to make plays, Scottie does the same thing, but it gives them an opportunity, kind of like us, where we can play 2‑point guards at the same time.  They didn't have that option when they played us last time. 
I don't think I had the option of Terrence Samuel either, because he wasn't playing a lot.  Now I can put three point guards out there. 
So it's a different game.  That was four months ago.  We're a different team.  I'm a different coach.  Billy Donovan's definitely got better understanding his team and what it takes for his team to win.  So it's going to be a whole different game. 
But Kasey Hill is a wonderful player. 
Now they got Chris Walker back in the rotation, which they didn't have before.  It's going to be a challenge for us.  We have to play our A‑game.  I've been telling the guys we don't have a B‑ or C‑game.  We just got an A‑game and that's what we got to bring each and every night when you step out on the floor and play in the NCAA tournament. 

Q.  What's your relationship like with Billy Donovan?
COACH OLLIE:  Just cordial.  We haven't had an opportunity to spend a lot of time together, but just on a recruiting trail.  Especially when I first got into the business and seeing all the coaches, they were very cordial to he me saying, Welcome.  Saying all the bad things about coaching, but also the good things.  We stay in the gyms for 15 hours and all that stuff.  But it was great just to see all the coaches. 
I admire Billy Donovan from afar even when I was playing.  To do the different things that he's done at the age of 48, he's definitely a Hall of Famer where he's built the program, predominantly football school, and he took it and made it a basketball school also.  I have so much respect for him, and getting his teams to win each and every year is tough.  To build a program that's tough, but to sustain it is even tougher.  He's sustained it over a lot of years there at Florida. 
I respect him so much.  I just look at how hard his teams play each and every play.  It's not each and every game, each and every play, and that's what I respect. 

Q.  Transfers have changed college basketball.  Billy Donovan has four.  I think you have two.  Wisconsin has one.  They're more predominant today.  How does that affect you guys from a recruiting standpoint?  It's almost like a little bit of a free agency situation. 
COACH OLLIE:  Yeah, you definitely got to look at the transferring, transfer market, the five‑year graduate students also.  We have been doing a real good job with that having assigned Kromah here this year from GW, and last we had R.J. Evans from Holy Cross.  They played a great role a leadership role on our team. 
We have Rodney Purvis that's sitting out right now, he's like a Ferrari sitting in the garage that I can't drive.  But he's practicing and getting better.  He's just a wonderful person.  It's tough for guys to sit out like that.  They think that they can be better changing venues and I want to just make sure they understand that they're a part of this team, too, while they sit out. 

Q.  (No microphone.)
COACH OLLIE:  I mean, it is different.  It's a different situations.  I know it's probably good for Rodney because he wanted to change.  He's a good kid.  He had to be penalized by sitting out and he can't be here with us in the Final Four, but he's here in spirit. 
But I think he's going to be a better person for it because he made a decision, and that's what you want young kids to be committed, by making a decision.  He decided to leave NC State and come here.  We want to make this the best situation for him. 
For us, we don't lack for all transfers, but we do look for certain situations that we evaluate basketball players on their character.  We think that's a good fit for our team and transfer fifth year seniors.  If it's a good fit for our team, we're going to look at it and explore that option. 

Q.  You've experienced this world as an athlete.  You've experienced this world as an assistant coach, now as a head coach.  If there was just one common sense change that you would say to the NCAA, I would like to make, what would that be and why?
COACH OLLIE:  Yeah, I mean, that's so hard.  You have to get in the room and you have to sacrifice a little bit.  Everybody got to come to a compromising position.  I think that me playing, we never played in venues like this.  The venues got bigger, the ticket prices got more. 
We have to find out a way that we can involve the student‑athletes a little bit more, give them more benefits and help them out even more.  I would like to see, you know, when they graduate, medical benefits or something like that, a 401K.  Something when they get out of playing that they have something to fall back on. 
I don't know the right way to go.  I don't know the wrong way to go.  But I want to see us getting in a room and start changing a little bit because I've seen all this change.  My last game was in the Oakland Coliseum in 1995.  This is definitely a bigger venue than that. 
So I would like to see things change.  Hopefully we can come to a situation where we can get better as student‑athletes and it's a business.  Hopefully we can get better at that. 

Q.  When you were an athlete, was there ever a moment where you looked at what was going on around you and you saw the contradictions in what was going on?
COACH OLLIE:  Of course you seen it.  We wasn't getting paid and you see our jerseys getting sold.  So you seen it.  But at the end of the day, I was living the dream.  I was at University of Connecticut.  I was playing basketball.  The relationships I have now with my friends back in 1995, through 1991 and 1995, I still have today.  They're here at the Final Four with me and they're celebrating this achievement of our teal. 
So I can never put a price tag on the relationships I have.  I got my degree in communications, so I can never put a price tag on that.  But definitely things got to change.  You're aware of it.  At the end of the day, I'm getting a great education and I embrace that.  I want our kids to embrace that because it's a great time in their lives and they should be celebrating that instead of looking at all the negative things. 

Q.  Could you contrast for me Billy's got a team that's considered one of the more balanced teams in the country.  You've got a great team as well, but you heavily reliant on a star.  I'm just wondering from your own comfort level, do you prefer having a team that's maybe a little bit more dependent on one guy to carry the load or would you prefer the balanced situation?  Could you contrast those two situations?
COACH OLLIE:  I just want to be at the Final Four.  Okay.  I don't care how I get here.  It could be Ryan playing good, Bazz playing good.  I think we have a complete team, too.  I think you can't get here by one player.  If you seen our games, you had DeAndre Daniels stepping up in one game.  If Amida Brimah didn't make the three‑point play against St. Joseph's, we wouldn't be here.  That wasn't Shabazz. 
Shabazz is a great player, don't get me wrong.  But I think we got more balance than a lot of people give us credit for.  Ryan Boatright is playing unselfish basketball and that's really allowing us to flourish on the offensive end.  We have Niels Giffey that's a deadeye three‑point shooter that's playing a bigger role than he played last year. 
So I give a lot of credit to my team.  A lot of people don't talk about our front court because they don't score all the points, but they are tough.  We showed that against Michigan State shutting down Dawson and shutting down Adreian Payne, and Shabazz didn't really have a hand in that.  Our bigs had to do that job and control the paint and limit them to six points and in the paint. 
So we have a more complete team than a lot of people give us credit for. 

Q.  Coach and Ryan, just to follow‑up on the question about Ryan and his defense, when a guy comes into the school offering 31 points a game, what's the process like to get a guy to become a defensive player and a stopper?  For Ryan, coach was talking about you having an evolution as a player and becoming more coachable.  Just wondering how you develop that, how you have become more coachable and how you have evolved since being at UConn. 
COACH OLLIE:  I just think when you come from high school, you are All‑American, but you're not always surrounded by All‑Americans also in your high school team.  So you're going to have to understand it's a part of a team and you're going to have to find your way. 
When I came in the school I had Ray Allen and Donyell Marshall and I scored a lot.  But I found out that them guys can score more.  I had to I understand a way to get in the rotation.  For me it was playing defense. 
Ryan is an explosive scorer.  He does some great things.  But I think for him to get to that next level, he has to make his teammates better.  That's what he's starting to do.  That's what he's starting to embrace, and it's great to see. 
That's how he's going to get to the next level and continue to play, is to embrace his teammates and make everyone better.  That might be scoring, some nights that he scores 20 points.  Some nights he scores 10.  But you can always be a great teammate. 
I think all of our student‑athletes are understanding that it's not all about being great players, but every day, every time we step out on the court, every time you put that UConn jersey on, you can be a great teammate.  I think that's what we're starting to get on a more consistent basis.  I think that's allowing us to get to this venue and play in a Final Four and have 80 minutes from cutting down the nets. 
RYAN BOATRIGHT:  Like he said, when you in high school and you're scoring 50, 60 points, averaging 33, you think you know it all.  When I got to this level I was coachable, but I always had something to say back.  So I learned right away playing for Coach Calhoun that that ain't a good thing to do.  I just started listening more and knowing that I didn't know it all.  I wasn't as good as I thought I was. 
So Coach Ollie said, Open your heart and open your ears so you can get better, and I just started doing that. 

Q.  Coach, when kids were deciding whether to go or not, and can you specifically speak to Roscoe, when they go through that decision, what is your advice, if anything?  How do you take kids through the process of, Will they stay, will they go?  Can you speak about, he would be a senior on this team, so he started as a freshman, what role would he have?  Through that process, we talked to Shabazz about did you re‑recruit him or did they just have to make up their minds on their own?
COACH OLLIE:  You tell them about the value of coming back and what role you expect them to play when they comeback.  But at the end of the day, I can't make anybody want to come back.  I can't make their decision. It wouldn't be right for me to have them come back against their will.  They got to make their own decision. 
At the end of the day, I told Roscoe to think about it, and I want to be your coach, I want you to stay here at this program because I believe it's the greatest program in the nation.  But at the end of the day, he has to make his own decision.  I can give him suggestions, but at the end of the day, he got to make his own decision.  He decided to go to UNLV, and it worked out great for him, you know. 
These guys decided to stay.  It worked out great for them.  So that's how life is.  You ask for wisdom from your family and they thought that was the best choice for him.  He thought in his heart that was the best choice for him.  So I wish him all the luck.  I love Roscoe still to this day, and I think he had a great run this year rebounding the basketball, doing all the different things that we wanted him to do while he was at the University of Connecticut. 
I'm glad I got this team here.  I'm glad these guys believed in the program, believed in me, but most importantly believed in each other to stay, to fight through the tough times, and now they're reaping the benefits. 

Q.  Kevin and DeAndre and Phillip, you were talking about how you don't feel your front court gets enough props because it's so much focused on the back court in shutting down Dawson and Payne that was a great example.  Can you compare the challenges that they have compared to Florida's bigs, specifically, and maybe how your guys are equipped to handle that? 
COACH OLLIE:  First of all, it starts with activity for our bigs.  They did a great job widening, they did a great job boxing out.  We call it, 'commit to hit.'  Every available hit, make sure you take it and that's what they did. 
DeAndre was doing a great job finding his niche in our offense.  He's a dynamic scorer.  He's a hybrid four, hybrid three, whatever you want to call him.  He's just a great player inside out.  I can manipulate the defense with him. 
Phillip is doing all the things that it takes for us to win.  He got a dunk at the end of the game last game.  He didn't pass it to Niels Giffey, but he said Niels don't never pass it to him, so he was going to dunk that one.  So it was great for him to have that.  Him playing 27 minutes, 29 minutes, it really gave us that point where we can go and have a big be a stopper, and I appreciate that. 
A lot of people don't see it, but I go back and watch tape after tape after tape, and I see what these guys bring to our team each and every day.  We are a complete team.  It's just not our guards, it's our bigs, it's our coaching staff.  It's just not me, it's everybody involved in winning and making this program the best.  It's just a great feeling when we can all get here together and we have been through our ups and downs and we never gave in.  We kept providing that energy each and every day and we taking ownership.
RYAN BOATRIGHT:  Talked about that earlier, these guys taking ownership of the team now.  This is, I'm in the back.  They're taking ownership.  They're driving the bus right now.  That's the only way we are here at the Final Four. 

Q.  (No microphone.)
COACH OLLIE:  They present a big challenge.  We played those guys.  They pick‑and‑roll guys, they dive hard, Young is a great player, Yeguete brings his challenge, Finney‑Smith shooting the three‑ball, going inside.  They present a big challenge for us, and we got to be ready to play. 
We got to play at a level five.  We got to rebound.  We got to limit their touches.  We got to do our work early.  Phil and DeAndre know that because they hear me screaming it each and every day.
PHILLIP NOLAN:  Pretty much everything coach said.  Just I have to do whatever I need to do to help this team win, whether it's running, fronting the post, getting an extra rebound, it's just me.  I have to do what I have to do. 
DeANDRE DANIELS:  It starts with the little things.  Just playing the details and always following the game plan that we have.  We work on it every day in practice, of fronting the post and boxing out.  We have been doing a great job lately of that.  But most important thing is the front court.  We lack size all year, but one thing we don't lack is heart.  And we're just out there having fun and playing hard. 

Some notes, quotes and video from today at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, where UConn will face St. Joesph's in a "second-round" NCAA tournament game on Thursday at 6:55 p.m. (TBS).

DeAndre Daniels has been a lot more assertive lately. That could bode very well for the Huskies moving forward.

Ryan Boatright:



"We're confident. We know how good we can be. We know that we've got veteran leaders, on and off the floor. We've been practicing well, and we're just getting mentally and physically prepared to go to war. We know they're not going to go down easy. But we're prepared to take the challenge."

(lessons from 2012 tourney)

"Just refuse to let it happen again, man. Losing in the first round, then not being able to play last year, it sticks with you. We're going into this tournament hungry, as a collective group. We're looking forward to getting out there."

(more on '12)

"We were probably the most talented team in the country. The chemistry just wasn't there."

(were guys thinking more about the NBA at the end of that season?)

"Maybe. I was a young guy. I was best friends with (Jeremy) Lamb and (Andre) Drummond. They thought about it, but they really wanted to win the national championship. It just wasn't there, man. I think everybody was just worried about individual goals."

*** Talked to Phil Nolan a little bit on the art of taking a charge:

"I wouldn't say I worked hard on it. It just kind of comes naturally, because I know at the beginning of the year, coach was talking about how no one on the team takes charges and stuff. I was getting in foul trouble. Instead of jumping and trying to block everything, I was just going to stand in the way of somebody and let them run into me."

"Earlier, they were definitely calling them way more. But now, in the last couple of games, they were calling blocking fouls. I will continue to do it, though."



*** Shabazz Napier on that 2012 team:

"It was a team trying to find our way. I wouldn't say it was broken. I wasn't as capable a leader as I thought I would be, and that was one of the biggest reasons why. I don't blame anything on anybody besides myself. That team was talented as any other team you had in America. With me not being a great leader, with Coach Calhoun being out so many weeks, it was too tough for me to handle. But at the end of the day, I'm thankful for that. I learned from it a lot."

Some quotes and video from UConn' 72-53 demolition of Memphis Thursday night. Best quote of the night, actually, may have come from a Memphis fan late in the game, after Niels Giffey had already scored most of his career-high 24 points and hit all of his career-best six 3-pointers:

"Guard the white boy!" the fan shouted.

If only Memphis had listened.

Kevin Ollie:



(on shaking up the lineup a bit and starting Giffey and Phil Nolan over Lasan Kromah and Amida Brimah):

“I just wanted to do something different. Guys are still gonna play – Lasan came in and gave us a great effort, Amida gave us a great effort. We wanted to get Niels out there so we could spread the floor and give more space to our guards. Louisville really tried to wear Shabazz and Ryan Boatright down. We wanted to get a little better spacing. Niels made me look like I was a good coach. Thank you, Niels.”

“Now we’ve got to fuel back up and get ready for Cincinnati, because you know what kind of game that’s going to be. It’s going to be a war. We’ve got to have that heart and we’ve got to have that hustle, the same things we had tonight, to beat a team like Cincinnati.”

Giffey:

“I was definitely feeling it in the first half, just the way they played Ryan (Boatright) and Shabazz, it was a perfect set-up for me. They double-teamed them, which gave me the chance to be wide-open.”

(was he surprised to be so open, so often?)



“As a shooter, you’ve got to mix it up. People are going to close out on you so hard, you can use a little jab-step, a little shot-fake, little hesitation to go by people. They were so attached to Ryan and Shabazz, because a lot of our game goes through them. I can find open lanes, too.”

Napier:

(on UConn's success in FedExForum this season)

“I don’t really think it’s the building, I think it’s the way Memphis plays defense. They double a lot of pick-and-rolls, which leaves Niels and guys like DeAndre (Daniels) and Lasan open. We have some great shooters on our squad. If you give them time to shoot the ball, you see what happens.”

“He’s been the best shooter we’ve had this whole year. If you leave him open, which is kind of astonishing coming into it. A lot of people around the country know Niels Giffey is a great shooter.”

(on Cincinnati)

“It’s definitely going to be a war. Cincinnati’s definitely a great defensive team. They’ve got a great coach, great players. We’ve got to fight, that’s the biggest things. We can’t allow ourselves to be upset if we’re not getting shots, not making anything on offense. We’ve got to continue to play good defense. It’s definitely going to be a tough team to play against.”

(then there was this little zinger he said to reporters, directed at Sean Kilpatrick)

"He cares so much about that MVP. I don’t care about that. Those guys believe he won it? He can have it."

This is gonna be fun.

Great game. Looks like these two teams could form a nice rivalry for years to come, though as Memphis Josh Pastner noted: “We need to get a win to make it a little more of a rivalry. They’re 2-0 against us. But it’s a high-level basketball game, two high-level teams. I think it’ll be fun for the future to keep having high-level games like this.”

No doubt, we could get used to this. As for UConn's 86-81 overtime win on Saturday, Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright were clutch and terrific. But the Huskies likely don't win without Phil Nolan.

Here are some postgame quotes:

PASTNER:

(on the fact that Memphis was whistled for 23 fouls to UConn's 12, and UConn shot 36 free throws to the Tigers' nine)

(on the AAC)

“The league is really good. I said it from the beginning that we should have six teams in. Obviously now, there’s no question we should have five in. You look at our top five, I think our five is the best of any out there in the country. I really believe that. But our league from top to bottom is very good. Rutgers, Houston, South Florida, Central Florida, Temple – they’re very good teams. They’re better than their records. This is a great league. Obviously, Mr. Aresco does an unbelievable job and Paul Brazeau, so we’re very grateful and fortunate to be in the league and for the exposure we get with the TV package. That’s been terrific for the program.”

RYAN BOATRIGHT:

(on stepping up and hitting a big 3-pointer in OT, despite recent shooting slump)

(on becoming 48th player in UConn history to score 1,000 career points)

“Just an honor, man. Coach Cal and KO gave me the opportunity to come in here and play for this great university. Every time I put that jersey on, I just try to give it my all every time. It’s a blessing to be able to score 1,000 points at this wonderful university.”

SHABAZZ NAPIER:

(on the scrum on the floor at the end of regulation in which things got chippy, no fouls were called and Memphis lost possession on a shot-clock violation)

(David) Pellom was on the floor, I felt like he was kicking. Myself, I wouldn’t want one of my teammates getting kicked, on accident or on purpose. I was doing my best to get him up, and he kind of got a hand in. Their teammates came in … it was really nothing big, but they kind of made it big. I wasn’t too worried about it. I wasn’t going to throw any (punches) at anybody. I was just trying to get him off my big man so he wouldn’t get hurt.”

“It was definitely good that we got in a little scrum. Coach got a minute to draw up a good play. The refs had to figure out what the time was, and coach took a little time out and figured out what we were going to do.”

(on his missed 3-pointer that went in and out at the end of regulation)

“I thought it was going in. I thought I came off the pick, Phil (Nolan) set a second one. I got an open space, it just was one of those shots that’s called toilet flush. It didn’t go in, it just clogged up and came back out. It happens.”

(Napier wasn't injured when he sat out for a long span late in the first half. He did, however, grab at his back at one point early in the latter half)

“I shot the ball and I kind of got a stinger in my back. I came down awkward. But it went away.”

(on future rivalry with Memphis)

“Definitely. Memphis is definitely a great talent. They have been since the (John) Calipari days. They’ve got a great program, a great group of players that are going to go there. And Connecticut is one of the top-five programs in the country. It’s going to be a tough rivalry for years to come.”

“I think Cincinnati’s a rivalry, they’ve been there in the Big East, it always comes down to the crunch. Memphis is a godo team. It’s a new league, of course there’s (few) rivalries. But this league has a lot of new rivalries that are gonna happen. Just like the ACC – Syracuse is at the top of the chain right now, somebody has to be a rivalry with them. We’re getting to know each other, and hopefully we’ll find some rivalries.”

(on his relationship with Boatright)

“When we first got here, it was tough. We weren’t working hand-in-hand. But as last season went on, this season went on, we became much closer. The chemistry got much better. Nothing’s perfect, we continue to work on it. We have a brotherhood here. We believe we’re brothers. We don’t have the same blood, but we’re close enough.”

(on Phil Nolan's big offensive rebound to set up his game-tying 3-point play)

“Phillip definitely came in and took care of his minutes. He definitely played Shaq the best (he could), and was getting me open on a lot of picks. He’s definitely one of our best pick-and-roll defenders. He high-hedges really well, and he likes to talk all the time. Today, he definitely did a good job. We continue to need that from him, no matter if he’s not there offensively. When we gave him the ball, he did his best, and he had a couple of layups that he got fouled on and just continued to work.”

KEVIN OLLIE:

(on Boatright)

"He might not be shooting well, but I can never question his heart and his effort and his enthusiasm to win ... We’re not going to agree on everything, him and Bazz – we go at it sometimes. That’s what you’re supposed to do as a team. But at the end of the day, you want to win as brothers. Ryan has one of the biggest hearts I've ever been around."

He added that UConn cancelled practice the other day due to the snowstorm, but every player came to Gampel to get up shots.

(on the scrum, and Nolan's big offensive rebound)

“I don’t even know what scramble you’re talking about. I liked the offensive rebound. Shabazz shot a shot, Phil went to go get the basketball. We got outrebounded, but that was the biggest rebound of all."

(on Napier's shot at end of regulation)

“Phil set a great screen for Bazz to get open. The ball went in and out. That’s all Phil, getting him open. Shabazz will be the first one to say that. It’s not all about Shabazz, it’s not all about Ryan. It’s a team effort. Whoever played in the game came in and did their part.”