University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Host BIG EAST Rival Providence
2/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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ABOUT UCONN: Connecticut will carry a 14-7 overall record and a 3-5 BIG EAST Conference mark into the home game against Providence College. UConn is coming off an 85-72 league win at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs over Virginia Tech (Feb. 3).
ABOUT PROVIDENCE COLLEGE: Providence College has an overall record of 16-5 and the Friars are 7-2 in BIG EAST Conference play. Providence is coming off a 75-63 BIG EAST win at home over St. Johns (Feb. 3). PC is riding a five-game winning streak in the BIG EAST.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the 56th meeting in the sport of mens basketball between Connecticut and Provicence College, dating back to the 1927-28 season. UConn leads in the overall series, 34-21, and the Huskies hold a 27-16 edge in the series between the two schools as BIG EAST rivals.
EAST DIVISION GAME: The matchup between Connecticut and Providence College will be the eighth BIG EAST Conference "East Division" game of the season for the Huskies. UConn and Providence 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. Johns, 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 3-5 in BIG EAST play and 2-5 vs. East Division teams. Providence College is 7-2 in BIG EAST play and 6-1 vs. East Division teams.
EVERYTHING IN THE BIG EAST: Connecticut has eight regular season games remaining on its 2000-2001 schedule and all eight 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 3-5 in the BIG EAST.
UCONN IN HARTFORD: Since January of 1976, the Hartford Civic Center has hosted games involving the University of Connecticut mens basketball program. UConn has played 211 times in the Hartford Civic Center. The Huskies are 134-65 against collegiate opposition in Hartford and 145-66 overall (including exhibitions). The 211 games in Hartford have attracted 2,980,154 fans, an average of 14,124.
JIM CALHOUN HAS 111 WINS IN HARTFORD: UConn head coach Jim Calhoun will enter the Providence College game carrying a 15-year record of 111-32 (77.6%) against collegiate opponents in Husky games played in the Hartford Civic Center (including three neutral court wins over Massachusetts). In Jim Calhouns 15 years at Connecticut, the Huskies have recorded a 65-4 mark against non-conference opponents in Hartford and a 46-28 record against BIG EAST Conference foes. During the past eight seasons (since 1993- 94), the Huskies have posted a superb 66-8 record in Hartford. UConn is 5-1 in Hartford this season and the Providence College game is the third of five BIG EAST Conference regular season home games to be played in Hartford this season.
CARON SETS STANDARD AMONG HUSKY ROOKIES: UConn freshman Caron Butler has set a new standard among freshmen playing at Connecticut during coach Jim Calhouns 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 followed that with scoring efforts of 21, 15, 18, 16, 14, 16, 14, 10, 29, 15, 11, and 12 points. Butler has scored in double figures in 17 of his first 18 college games and his current scoring average of 15.8/game ranks No. 1 under Jim Calhoun among freshmen in their first 18 college contests. Following are the scoring statistics in their first 18 collegiate games for other heralded UConn freshman players under Jim Calhoun.
Caron Butler 285 points=15.8/gameKhalid El-Amin 283 points=15.7/gameRay Allen 253 points=14.1/gameRichard Hamilton 219 points=12.2/gameDoron Sheffer 207 points=11.5/gameDonyell Marshall 198 points=11.0/gameNadav Henefeld 196 points=10.9/gameScott Burrell 157 points=8.7/gameTate George 156 points=8.7/gameChris Smith 147 points=8.2/game
UCONN TOUGH AT HOME: Since the start of the 1989-90 season, Connecticut has posted an overall "home courts" record of 165-27 against collegiate opposition. During the past 12-year span, UConn has been 90-16 at home in the Hartford Civic Center, 70-11 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 77-23 at home in BIG EAST Conference play (40-8 in Gampel Pavilion, 37-15 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 110-14 AT HOME IN LAST EIGHT YEARS: Since the start of the 1993-94 season, Connecticut has posted an impressive 110-14 "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 63-8 in Hartford and 47-6 in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. NOTE: The record does not include three "neutral court" wins over Massachusetts in the Hartford Civic Center.
RIP-ONLY FRESHMAN LEADING SCORER: In Jim Calhouns 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. 2 on the 2000-2001 UConn team in scoring with a 15.8/game average. Butler also leads the team in rebounding (7.4/game).
FOUR HUSKIES HAVE "DOUBLE DOUBLE" EFFORTS: UConn senior center Souleymane Wane recorded an 11-point, 14- rebound effort vs. Villanova (Jan. 24). He became the fourth 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 (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. Freshman points guard Taliek Brown had a "double-double" with 10 points and 10 assists vs. Pittsburgh (Jan. 10).
CONNECTICUT HAS 210 WINS IN LAST EIGHT SEASONS: During the past eight basketball seasons (beginning with the 1993- 94 season), Connecticut has won 210 games (210-51), 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 IN AP POLL SNAPPED: The University of Connecticut mens basketball program had its school record run of 67 consecutive polling periods ranked in the Associated Press National Top 25 poll halted when the Huskies dropped out of the AP poll (Jan. 29, 2001). UConn began its run in the National Top 25 at the start of the 1997- 98 season (18 polls in 1997-98, 18 polls in 1998-99, 19 polls in 1999-00, 12 polls in 2000-01). Included in those national rankings were 10 consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 in the nation during UConns national championship season in 1998- 99, and the No. 1 ranking in the 1999-2000 preseason poll.
ALBERT MOURING JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB: Connecticut senior guard Albert Mouring became the 32nd member of the Connecticut mens basketball 1,000-point scoring club during the Texas game (Jan. 15). Mouring will enter the Providence College game ranked No. 30 in career scoring with 1,076 points in 103 college contests (10.5/game). He is the 14th UConn player to perform under head coach Jim Calhoun who has reached the 1,000-point scoring plateau.
CAREER HIGH FOR ALBERT: UConn senior Albert Mouring is coming off a career-high 31-point performance against Virginia Tech. In putting forth an outstanding total game effort, Mouring connected on 9-of-17 from the field while adding a perfect 10-of-10 at the foul line. He also had seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and no turnovers. Alberts previous career-high scoring total was 24 points, recorded earlier this season vs. New Hampshire.
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 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 Connecticuts career field goal percentage shooting list. In 89 games during his Connecticut career, Saunders has converted 275 of 498 field goal attempts for a 55.2% 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%.
FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES: Connecticut will enter the game against Providence College with four players scoring in double figures. Senior guard Albert Mouring leads the way for the Huskies with a 16.4/game average. Freshman forward Caron Butler is No. 2 with a 15.8/game scoring average. Junior forward Johnnie Selvie is third at 11.5/game and senior forward Edmund Saunders is fourth at 10.9/game.
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 296-91 (76.5% winning effort), the sixth best overall record (total wins) among the 318 NCAA Division I teams in the nation. Prior to Jim Calhouns 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 programs history (1900-1986). Since the 1989-90 season, UConn has "averaged" 25.6 wins per season.
UCONN - BIG EAST TEAM OF THE 1990S: During the decade of the 1990s, the Connecticut mens 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, UConns 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.
HUSKIES WIN ON THE ROAD IN THE BIG EAST: The Connecticut basketball program is the leader in BIG EAST Conference regular season road wins during the past 12 years. Since the start of the 1989-90 season, Connecticut has posted a BIG EAST "best" 63-37 road record in league regular season games. Syracuse (59-41) is the only other BIG EAST school sporting a winning percentage in BIG EAST road games during the past 12-year span.
ALSO WINNING AT HOME IN THE BIG EAST: In addition to its highly-successful road record 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 77-23 record at home in BIG EAST games during the past 12 years. Syracuse is No. 2 in victories at home during the past 12 years (72-28).
UCONN 173-105 AGAINST BIG EAST TEAMS UNDER JIM CALHOUN: The Connecticut mens basketball program has posted an overall record of 173-105 (62.2%) against BIG EAST Conference teams during Jim Calhouns first 15 years in charge of the UConn program (153-95 in regular season play, 19-10 in BIG EAST Tournament games, 1-0 in NIT play).
UCONN 170-32 AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE FOES UNDER JIM CALHOUN: The Connecticut mens basketball program has posted an overall record of 170-32 (84.2%) against non- conference teams in Jim Calhouns 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 UConns 100-year basketball history and an average of 30.3 wins per season.
SIX ALL-CENTURY TEAM CENTERS NAMED: A total of six centers, spanning six decades of University of Connecticut mens basketball competition, have been named as members of the elite 25-member UConn All-Century Team. The six Husky centers named to the All-Century squad include: Walt Dropo (1942-47), Art Quimby (1951-55), Toby Kimball (1962-65), Bill Corley (1965-68), Travis Knight (1992-96), Jake Voskuhl (1996-00). The six centers will be joined on the All-Century Team by forwards (announced on February 8) and guards (announced on February 15). UConn two-time All- American Ray Allen was the top vote-getter in balloting by Connecticut fans and will serve as the Honorary Captain of the UConn Basketball All-Century Team.
100 YEARS OF UCONN BASKETBALL: Connecticut Basketball is celebrating a "Century of Husky Hoops" during the 2000-2001 college basketball season. The first varsity season for Connecticut Basketball was the 1901-1902 season and the 2000-2001 season completes 100 Years of UConn Basketball.
SWAIN JOINS UCONN: Robert Swain, a 6-4 freshman from College Park, Georgia, joined the UConn mens basketball program beginning with the Rhode Island game (Dec. 26) - wearing uniform No. 2. Swain began classes at UConn on January 23 (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. Hes a terrific shooter who can put it down, score, and do a lot of things on the court."
UP NEXT-ON THE ROAD AT VILLANOVA: Following the game against Providence College, UConn hits the road within the BIG EAST Conference for a game against Villanova on Saturday, February 10, at 12 noon at the First Union Center in Philadelphia.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR UCONN HOME GAMES IN HARTFORD: Reserved tickets, priced at $25 each, are on sale for the three remaining Connecticut home games in the Hartford Civic Center (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).
