University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Basketball Awaits Villanova
1/22/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
- Game Notes [.pdf]
- Live TotalCast!
ABOUT UCONN: Connecticut is ranked No. 20 in the nation in the USA Today/ESPN poll and No. 24 in the Associated Press (as of polls of Jan. 22). The Huskies will carry a 13-5 overall record and a 2-3 BIG EAST Conference mark into the home game against Villanova. UConn is coming off a 77-74 road loss at Miami on January 20.
ABOUT VILLANOVA: Villanova has an overall record of 11-5 and the Wildcats are 3-2 in BIG EAST Conference play. Villanova is coming offan 82-70 BIG EAST road loss at St. John's.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the 45th meeting in the sport of men's basketball between Connecticut and Villanova. The visiting Wildcats hold a 26-18 edge in the overall series between the two schools, which dates back to the 1940-41 season. Villanova holds a 24-16 advantage in the series between the two schools as BIG EAST Conference rivals. UConn has won the last four games played against Villanova.
EAST DIVISION GAME: The matchup between Connecticut and Villanova will be the fifth BIG EAST Conference East Division game of the season for each squad. UConn and Villanova are two of seven BIG EAST squads competing in the East Division of the league. The 16-game BIG EAST regular season schedule will see UConn play two games each against all six East Division opponents (Boston College, Miami, Providence, St. John's, Villanova, Virginia Tech) and single games against four (Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Syracuse) of the seven teams in the West Division. UConn will not play Georgetown, Rutgers and West Virginia during the 2000-2001 regular season. Connecticut is 2-3 in BIG EAST play and 1-3 vs. East Division teams. Villanova is 3-2 in BIG EAST play and 2-2 vs. East Division teams.
EVERYTHING IN THE BIG EAST: Connecticut's final 11 regular season games will all be contests within the BIG EAST Conference. In its 13 non-conference regular season games, UConn posted an 11-2 record and the Huskies are currently 2- 3 in the BIG EAST.
100 YEARS OF UCONN BASKETBALL: The University of Connecticut men's basketball program is celebrating a Century of Husky Hoops during the 2000-2001 season. The first varsity season for Connecticut Basketball was the 1901- 1902 season and the 2000-2001 season will complete 100 Years of UConn Basketball.
CONNECTICUT HAS 209 WINS IN LAST EIGHT SEASONS: During the past eight basketball seasons (beginning with the 1993- 94 season), Connecticut has won 209 games (209-49), ranking the Huskies No. 3 in the nation among 318 NCAA Division I schools for total victories during that span. UConn has averaged 28 wins per year during the past seven full seasons. The only Division I schools with more wins than UConn during the past eight years are Kentucky and Kansas.
13 STRAIGHT NATIONAL POST-SEASON BIDS: The Connecticut basketball program is one of only EIGHT schools (among 318 NCAA Division I institutions) to advance to national post- season tournament competition (NCAA or NIT) in each of the past 13 seasons (dating back to the 1987-88 season). Under the guidance of head coach Jim Calhoun, UConn has earned nine NCAA bids (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000) and four NIT bids (1988, 1989, 1993, 1997). The eight institutions which have advanced to national tournament play for the past 13 consecutive seasons include: Arizona, Arkansas, CONNECTICUT, Georgetown, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Temple.
NATIONAL RANKING FOR 67 CONSECUTIVE POLLS: The University of Connecticut men's basketball program has been ranked in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 National Poll for a school-record 67 consecutive polling periods (including the AP poll of Jan. 22), dating back to the 1997-98 season.
CARON SETS STANDARD AMONG HUSKY ROOKIES: UConn freshman Caron Butler has set a new standard among freshmen playing at Connecticut during coach Jim Calhoun's 15 years as Husky head coach. The 6-7 Butler scored in double figures in each of his first 13 collegiate games in which he played before being held below double figures against Texas (Jan. 15). Butler, who sat out the first three UConn games of the 2000-2001 season, started his Husky career with 20 points vs. Louisville (Nov. 22) and has followed that with scoring efforts of 21, 15, 18, 16, 14, 16, 14, 10, 29, 15, 11, and 12 points. He is coming off a 25-point performance against Miami. Butler's current scoring average of 16.2/game leads the Husky team in scoring and ranks No. 2 under Jim Calhoun among freshmen in their first 15 college contests. Following are the scoring statistics in their first 15 collegiate games for other heralded UConn freshman players under Jim Calhoun.
Khalid El-Amin 243points=16.2/gameCaron Butler 241 points=16.1/gameRay Allen 193 points=12.9/gameDoron Sheffer 180 points=12.0/gameRichard Hamilton 178 points=11.9/gameDonyell Marshall 165 points=11.0/gameNadav Henefeld 150 points=10.0/gameScott Burrell 136 points=9.1/gameTate George 127 points=8.5/gameChris Smith 113 points=7.5/gameRIP-ONLY FRESHMAN LEADING SCORER: In Jim Calhoun's first 14 years as head coach of the Connecticut basketball program, Richard Rip Hamilton ranks as the only freshman to lead a UConn team in scoring for an entire season. Hamilton averaged 15.9 points per game as a freshman in 1996-97. Freshman Caron Butler currently is No. 1 on the 2000-2001 UConn team in scoring with a 16.1/game average. Butler also leads the team in rebounding (7.9/game).
THREE HUSKIES HAVE DOUBLE DOUBLE EFFORTS: UConn freshman point guard Taliek Brown scored 10 points and added 10 assists in UConn's 73-53 win over Pittsburgh on January 10. He became the third member of the 2000-2001 Husky squad to record a double-double this season. Senior forward Edmund Saunders has had five double-doubles this season, including netting 14 points and 11 rebounds vs. Miami in his last outing (Jan. 20). UConn freshman Caron Butler has registered three double-doubles (21 points, 12 rebounds vs. Brown, 16 points, 10 assists vs. Fairfield, 29 points, 13 rebounds vs. Boston College). Butler also notched a rare triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists vs. Rhode Island.
UCONN TOUGH AT HOME: Since the start of the 1989-90 season, Connecticut has posted an overall home courts record of 164-26 against collegiate opposition. During the past 12-year span, UConn has been 90-15 at home in the Hartford Civic Center, 69-11 at home in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, and 5-0 at home in the Hugh S. Greer Field House. During the past 12 seasons, UConn is 76-22 at home in BIG EAST Conference play (39-8 in Gampel Pavilion, 37-14 in the Hartford Civic Center) and the Huskies are 88-4 at home against non-BIG EAST opponents (53-1 in the Hartford Civic Center, 30-3 in Gampel Pavilion, 5-0 in the Hugh S. Greer Field House).
UCONN 109-13 AT HOME IN LAST EIGHT YEARS: Since the start of the 1993-94 season, Connecticut has posted an impressive 109-13 home courts record against collegiate opponents in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs and the Hartford Civic Center. During the past eight seasons, UConn is 63-7 in Hartford and 46-6 in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. NOTE: The record does not include three neutral court wins over Massachusetts in the Hartford Civic Center.
ALBERT MOURING JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB: Connecticut senior guard Albert Mouring became the 32nd member of the Connecticut men's basketball 1,000-point scoring club during the Texas game (Jan. 15). Mouring will enter the Villanova game having scored 1,019 points in 100 college contests (10.2/game). He is the 14th UConn player to perform under head coach Jim Calhoun who has reached the 1,00-point scoring plateau.
ALBERT MOURING ON WOODEN MID-SEASON TOP 30: Connecticut senior guard Albert Mouring is one of 30 collegiate stars listed on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason candidate list. The 6-3 Mouring, who is No. 1 on the Husky squad in scoring with a 16.1/game scoring average, is one of only four BIG EAST Conference players included in the Top 30 list. The other BIG EAST stars include Troy Murphy of Notre Dame, Preston Shumpert of Syracuse, and Eddie Griffin of Seton Hall.
EDMUND NO. 2 IN CAREER FIELD GOAL SHOOTING: UConn senior Edmund Saunders stands in the No. 2 spot on Connecticut's career field goal percentage shooting list. In 86 games during his Connecticut career, Saunders has converted 268 of 481 field goal attempts for a 55.7% field goal shooting performance. Chuck Aleksinas (1980-82) is No. 1 in career field goal shooting at 56.6% and Rod Sellers is No. 3 at 54.8%.
UCONN IN HARTFORD: Since January of 1976, the Hartford Civic Center has hosted games involving the University of Connecticut men's basketball program. UConn has played 210 times in the Hartford Civic Center. The Huskies are 134-64 against collegiate opposition in Hartford and 145-65 overall (including exhibitions). The 210 games in Hartford have attracted 2,963,860 fans, an average of 14,114.
JIM CALHOUN HAS 111 WINS IN HARTFORD: UConn head coach Jim Calhoun will enter the Villanova game carrying a 15-year record of 111-31 (78.2%) against collegiate opponents in Husky games played in the Hartford Civic Center (including three neutral court wins over Massachusetts). In Jim Calhoun's 15 years at Connecticut, the Huskies have recorded a 65-4 mark against non-conference opponents in Hartford and a 46-27 record against BIG EAST Conference foes. During the past eight seasons (since 1993- 94), the Huskies have posted a superb 66-7 record in Hartford. UConn is 5-0 in Hartford this season and the Villanova game is the second of five BIG EAST Conference regular season home games to be played in Hartford this season.
IMPRESSIVE STRETCH: In Connecticut's last five games, UConn senior Edmund Saunders has averaged 15.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The 6-8 Saunders has a seasonal average of 11.2 points per game (No. 4 on the team) and he is No. 2 on the squad in rebounding at 7.5/game. He is coming off his fifth double-double of the season as he scored 14 points and added 11 rebounds vs. Miami (Jan. 20).
RECORD-SETTING SPAN: During the past 12 seasons (beginning with the 1989-90 season), head coach Jim Calhoun has directed the Connecticut basketball program to an overall record of 295-89 (76.8% winning effort), the fifth best overall record (total wins) among the 318 NCAA Division I teams in the nation. Prior to Jim Calhoun's tenure as head coach, Connecticut had only won as many as 23 games in a single season twice in the first 86 years of the program's history (1900-1986). Since the 1989-90 season, UConn has averaged 25.6 wins per season.
UCONNBIG EAST TEAM OF THE 1990'S: During the decade of the 1990's, the Connecticut men's basketball program was the winningest program among all BIG EAST Conference schools. From 1989-90 through the 1998-99 season, UConn sported a 10-year overall record of 257-74 (77.6%). In that same span, UConn's conference-best regular season record in BIG EAST games was 127-49.
UCONN HAS DOMINATED THE BIG EAST: Connecticut has won outright possession of five BIG EAST Conference regular season titles in the past seven years. UConn has also won three of the past five BIG EAST Tournament championships. In 1997-98 & 1998-99, UConn became the first program in BIG EAST history to win the BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles in back-to-back seasons.
WINNING AT HOME IN THE BIG EAST: The Connecticut basketball program has paced the entire BIG EAST Conference in regular season wins at home during the past 12-year span (beginning with the 1989-90 season). UConn has posted a 76-22 record at home in BIG EAST games during the past 12 years.
UCONN 172-103 AGAINST BIG EAST TEAMS UNDER JIM CALHOUN: The Connecticut men's basketball program has posted an overall record of 172-103 (62.6%) against BIG EAST Conference teams during Jim Calhoun's first 15 years in charge of the UConn program (152-93 in regular season play, 20-10 in BIG EAST Tournament games).
UCONN 170-32 AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE FOES UNDER JIM CALHOUN: The Connecticut men's basketball program has posted an overall record of 170-32 (84.2%) against non- conference teams in Jim Calhoun's 15 years in charge of the UConn program.
MOST WINS IN A THREE-YEAR STRETCH: The last three seasons of Connecticut Basketball have produced an overall record of 91-17 (32-5 in 1997-98, 34-2 in 1998-99, 25-10 in 1999- 00), the most wins in any three-season stretch in UConn's 100-year basketball history and an average of 30.3 wins per season.
FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES: Connecticut will enter the game against Villanova with four players scoring in double figures. Freshman forward Caron Butler leads the way for the Huskies with a 16.1/game average. Senior guard Albert Mouring is No. 2 with a 15.9/game scoring average. Junior forward Johnnie Selvie is third at 12.9/game and senior forward Edmund Saunders is fourth at 11.2/game.
SELVIE SIDELINED: Connecticut junior forward Johnnie Selvie has been sidelined for the past two games (Texas & Miami) with a muscle strain in the upper left back. Selvie started the Texas game (Jan. 15) but was unable to play after two minutes on the court. He did not practice during the week of Jan. 15-20 and did not play against Miami (Jan. 20). He is listed as questionable for the Villanova game (Jan. 24). Selvie is No. 3 on the UConn team in scoring (12.9/game) and rebounding (5.6/game) and is No. 1 on the club in field goal shooting (60.3%).
UCONN N ESPN/espn2: The game against Villanova will be Connecticut's 92nd game to be televised nationally by ESPN/espn2 during the past 12 seasons (since the start of the 1989-90 season). UConn is 65-26 overall on ESPN/espn2 during the past 12 seasons. The UConn-Villanova game is the third of six regular season Connecticut games during the 2000-2001 season which will be televised nationally by ESPN/espn2.
SWAIN JOINS UCONN: Robert Swain, a 6-4 freshman from College Park, Georgia, has enrolled at the University of Connecticut joined the UConn men's basketball program beginning with the Rhode Island game (Dec. 26)wearing uniform No. 2. Swain will begin classes at UConn in January (spring semester). Swain averaged 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists a game during the 1999-2000 scholastic season in leading Tri-Cities High School (East Point, Georgia) to a 25-4 record and a regional championship.
GORDON SIGNS WITH UCONN: Ben Gordon, a 6-2 combination guard at Mount Vernon (NY) HS, signed a National Letter of Intent with the Connecticut Basketball program during the November signing period and plans to enroll at UConn for the 2001-2002 academic year. Gordon, rated among the Top 20 scholastic recruits in the nation and the USA Today New York Player of the Year as a junior, averaged 24.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 3.7 steals during his junior season at Mount Vernon in 1999-2000. Ben is obviously an important recruit for us, said UConn head coach Jim Calhoun. We believe he is one of the top 20 high school players in the country. He's a terrific shooter who can put it down, score, and do a lot of things on the court.
UP NEXT-ST. JOHN'S AT MSG: Following the game against Villanova, UConn will be idle for five days before returning to competition on Tuesday, January 30, when the Huskies travel to Madison Square Garden in New York City for a 7 p.m. clash against St. John's. That contest will be televised nationally by espn2.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR UCONN HOME GAMES IN HARTFORD: Reserved tickets, priced at $25 each, are on sale for the remaining Connecticut home games in the Hartford Civic Center (Villanova-Jan. 24, Providence-Feb. 6, Boston College- Feb. 13, Notre Dame-Feb. 26). Tickets are available at TicketMaster outlets throughout the state, by calling TicketMaster at (860) 525-4500 or (203) 624-0033, by ordering on-line at www.ticketmaster.com, at the Hartford Civic Center Box Office, or in person at the UConn Athletic Ticket Office in Storrs (cash or check only).
