University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Hoops Game Notes: UConn in NIT
3/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
- Game Notes [.pdf]
ABOUT UCONN: Connecticut will carry a 19-11 overall record into the opening round of the 2001 National Invitation Tournament. The Huskies finished the BIG EAST Regular Season with an 8-8 league mark, in a four-way tie for third place in the East Division. The Huskies will open 2001 NIT play at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT with a 7:30 p.m. First Round contest on Wednesday, March 14 against the Gamecocks of South Carolina.
UCONN IN THE NIT: This will be UConn's 11th appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. The Huskies have played in a total of 22 NIT games, winning 13 and losing nine. A total of 11 of the 13 wins have come under current head coach Jim Calhoun. Under Jim Calhoun, this is UConn's fifth appearance in the NIT and the Huskies have a record of 11-3 in those previous four appearances (1988, 1989, 1993, 1997). UConn captured the NIT title in 1988 and finished third in 1997. Prior to Jim Calhoun's tenure at Connecticut, UConn appeared in the NIT six times (1955, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982) and compiled an overall record of 2-6 in those six appearances.
SERIES HISTORY WITH SOUTH CAROLINA: UConn and South Carolina will meet in the sport of men's basketball for only the second time in their history. South Carolina took the only other meeting between the schools, also in the National Invitation Tournament, on March 16, 1975 by a score of 71-61 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
COMMON OPPONENTS: UConn and South Carolina have only one common opponent on the 2000-2001 season. Both squads faced Providence this year, with South Carolina dropping a 60-55 decision at the Friars on December 30. UConn split a pair of meetings with PC, losing on the road on January 13 by a score of 81-68 and beating the Friars at the Hartford Civic Center on February 6 by a count of 83-68.
UCONN VS. THE 2001 NIT FIELD: UConn has faced five teams in the 2001 NIT field, posting a 2-5 mark against those schools. UConn faced Dayton (0-1), Miami (1-1), Pittsburgh (1-0), Seton Hall (0-1) and Villanova (0-2) during the 2000-2001 season.
JIM CALHOUN IMPRESSIVE IN POST-SEASON: UConn head coach Jim Calhoun currently sports an impressive 76.2% winning percentage (32-10 overall) in national post- season tournament play in his first 14 years as Husky head coach. Jim Calhoun is 21-7 in NCAA play at UConn and is 11-3 in NIT competition. That post-season winning percentage is higher than Coach Calhoun's overall winning percentage at Connecticut (348-141=71.2%).
JIM CALHOUN IN MARCH: Head coach Jim Calhoun will carry a 14-year record at Connecticut of 61-27 (69.3%) in the month of March as he takes his Huskies into the 2001 National Invitation Tournament. In his years in charge of the UConn program, Jim Calhoun's record in the month of March is as follows: 10-6 in regular season play, 19-11 in BIG EAST Tournament play, 21-7 in NCAA play, 11-3 in NIT play.
14 STRAIGHT POST-SEASON BIDS: The Connecticut basketball program is one of only EIGHT schools (among 318 NCAA Division I institutions) to have advanced to national post-season tournament competition (NCAA or NIT) in each of the past 14 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 five NIT bids (1988, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2000). The eight institutions who have advanced to national tournament play for the past 14 consecutive seasons include: Arizona, Arkansas, CONNECTICUT, Georgetown, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Temple.
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.
UCONN ON ESPN/espn2: The first round game in the National Invitation Tournament will be Connecticut's 97th game to be televised nationally by ESPN/espn2 during the past 12 seasons (since the start of the 1989-90 season). UConn is 66-30 overall on ESPN/espn2 during the past 12 seasons. UConn has played seven games in 2000- 2001 televised nationally by ESPN/espn2, going 2-5 in those contests.
BUTLER AND MOURING HONORED: UConn freshman Caron Butler and senior Albert Mouring each earned recognition from the BIG EAST Conference for their efforts during the 2000-2001 season. Butler was an All- BIG EAST Third Team selection, as well as a unanimous choice to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team. Mouring was recognized as an All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention choice by the league coaches.
BUTLER AND MOURING HONORED AGAIN: UConn freshman Caron Butler and senior Albert Mouring each earned a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District I All-Star First Team. Joining Butler and Mouring on the First Team were Troy Bell of Boston College, Monty Mack of Massachusetts and Josh Sankes of Holy Cross. The District I Second Team was made up of John Linehan and Erron Maxey of Providence, Dan Clemente of Harvard, Tony Orciari of Vermont and Julian Dunkley of Maine.
BUTLER EARNS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS: UConn freshman Caron Butler earned BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week honors on three occasions in 2000- 2001. He shared rookie honors on January 2 and earned distinction on his own on January 8 and February 26.
ALBIE THE BEST AT THE LINE: UConn senior Albert Mouring has distinguished himself among the best free throw shooters in UConn history. His current career percentage of 83.9% (209-249) is tied for No. 1 on the all- time Husky list with Wes Bialosuknia (1965-67), who is at 83.9% (343-409). During the 2000-2001 season, Mouring is currently shooting at an 88.5% clip, making 100-113 from the line. The UConn single season record is 91.5% (43-47), set by Bobby Dulin in 1980-81.
BUTLER AT THE LINE: UConn freshman Caron Butler is among the top freshman free throw shooters in UConn history. Only one player at UConn has made more free throws as a frosh, Corny Thompson in 1978-79 (158). Butler has made 121 free throws in 2000-2001. Butler is shooting 75.6% from the line and has made at least one free throw in all 27 games he has played this season.
CARON 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 has scored in double figures in 26 of his first 27 college games and his current scoring average of 15.5/game ranks No. 1 under Jim Calhoun among freshmen in their first 27 college contests. Following are the scoring statistics in their first 27 collegiate games for other heralded UConn freshman players under Jim Calhoun.
Caron Butler 419 points=15.5/gameKhalid El-Amin 400 points=14.8/gameRichard Hamilton 384 points=14.2/gameRay Allen 348 points=12.9/gameNadav Henefeld 319 points=11.9/gameDoron Sheffer 318 points=11.8/gameDonyell Marshall 295 points=10.9/game
BUTLER AND FROSH DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Caron Butler has recorded seven double-doubles in the 2000-2001 season. His seven double-doubles is No. 2 on the Husky list for freshman, trailing only the 19 recorded by Corny Thompson in the 1978-79 season. Butler is only the third player in Husky history to record a triple-double, notching one against Rhode Island with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Doron Sheffer and Donyell Marshall are the only other Huskies to notch a triple- double in a Husky uniform.
TALIEK AMONG TOP FROSH PASSERS AT UCONN: UConn guard Taliek Brown is among the assist leaders when it comes to all-time UConn freshmen. His per game average of 5.0 is No. 2 in Husky history, behind Tate George's 6.0 assists per game in 1986-87. Brown's total of 149 assists is currently No. 4 among UConn freshmen. Doron Sheffer had 164 in 1993-94, George had 156 and Khalid El-Amin had 156 in 1997-98.
ALBERT MOURING HEADS FOR 1,200: 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 National Invitation Tournament play ranked No. 25 in career scoring with 1,199 points in 112 college contests (10.7/game). He is the 14th UConn player to perform under head coach Jim Calhoun who has reached the 1,000-point scoring plateau. Next on the list of top Husky scorers is Bill Corley, who scored 1,219 points from 1965- 1968.
MOURING AMONG UNIQUE TRIO: In reaching the 1,000- point plateau, Albert Mouring joins a unique group of three Husky performers. Mouring, Donny Marshall (1992- 95) and Art Quimby (1952-55) are the only members of UConn's 1,000-point club to have done so despite scoring less than 100 points in a season during their career. Marshall scored 51 points as a freshman, Quimby scored 44 points as a frosh and Mouring only scored 16 points during his freshman season of 1997-98.
TALIEK IMPROVES FROM THE LINE: Freshman point guard Taliek Brown has made a stunning improvement from the free throw line during the course of his first season. Brown made only 13-of-43 free throw attempts in his first 11 games, a 30.2% clip. In the 19 games since, Brown has made 40-of-56 from the charity stripe, or 71.4% of his attempts. Brown is 53-of-99 overall (53.5%). More impressively, Brown is shooting 66.7% from the line in the final five minutes of games, hitting on 20-of- 30 chances.
SOUL HEADS UP BLOCKS LIST: UConn senior center Souleymane Wane is currently No. 7 on the all-time UConn list for blocked shots with 111. Wane has 26 blocks in 2000-2001 and is within sight of next two players in his climb up the block chart. The No. 6 position is held by Kirk King (113, 1994-97) and No. 5 is Cliff Robinson (116, 1986-89). UConn's career leader in blocked shots is Donyell Marshall, who blocked 245 shots from 1992-94.
SOUL DOUBLES UP AGAINST THE BEST: UConn senior center Souleymane Wane recorded one of his best efforts as a Husky in the win over Notre Dame on February 26. The 6-11 center registered his second career double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Wane's two best games in 2000-2001 have come against the two best big men in the BIG EAST, Troy Murphy of Notre Dame and Michael Bradley of Villanova. Wane recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds vs. Villanova on January 24.
SOUL SETS CAREER BEST FOR DISHES: Senior center Souleymane Wane totaled a career-best five assists in the loss at Syracuse. The total of five assists was the most by a Husky center since Jake Voskuhl recorded five assists vs. Arkansas in the NIT Third Place game on March 27, 1997.
ALL-CENTURY GUARDS NAMED; 25-MEMBER TEAM COMPLETE: Ten players, led by Honorary Captain Ray Allen, have been named as the guards on the University of Connecticut Men's Basketball All-Century Team.
The 10 guards named to the 25-member UConn Basketball All-Century Team include: Ray Allen (1993-96), Wes Bialosuknia (1964-67), Khalid El-Amin (1997-00), Tate George (1986-90), Richard Hamilton (1996-99), Earl Kelley (1982-86), Ricky Moore (1995-99), Kevin Ollie (1991-95), Doron Sheffer (1993-96), Chris Smith (1988-92).
The UConn Basketball All-Century Team centers 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 nine forwards named to the UConn Basketball All- Century Team include: Vin Yokabaskas (1949-52), Tony Hanson (1973-77), Corny Thompson (1978-82), Clifford Robinson (1985-89), Nadav Henefeld (1989-90), Scott Burrell (1989-93), Donyell Marshall (1991-94), Donny Marshall (1991-95), Kevin Freeman (1996-00).
A Connecticut Basketball All-Century Team Celebration and Awards Dinner will be held during the summer at a date and place to be announced.
The UConn men's basketball program is celebrating a century of varsity competition during the current 2000- 2001 college basketball season. The first varsity year for men's basketball at Connecticut was the 1901-1902 season.
NATIONAL RANKING IN AP POLL SNAPPED: The University of Connecticut men's 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 UConn's national championship season in 1998-99, and the No. 1 ranking in the 1999-2000 preseason poll.
HUSKIES IN THE POLLS WEEK-BY-WEEK
AP USA/ESPNPre-Season 14 13November 12 13 --November 19 12 12November 26 16 16December 3 15 13December 10 11 11December 17 11 12December 24 10 11December 31 10 10January 7 13 12January 14 t15 15January 21 24 20January 28 arv 23February 4 arv arvFebruary 11 -- arvFebruary 18 arv arvFebruary 25 -- --March 4 -- --
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 301-95 (76.0% winning effort), the sixth 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.
CONNECTICUT HAS 215 WINS IN LAST EIGHT SEASONS: During the past eight basketball seasons (beginning with the 1993-94 season), Connecticut has won 215 games (215-55), 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.
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" 64-40 road record in league regular season games. Syracuse (60-44) 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 81-23 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 (74-29).
UCONN 178-109 AGAINST BIG EAST TEAMS UNDER JIM CALHOUN: The Connecticut men's basketball program has posted an overall record of 178-108 (62.2%) against BIG EAST Conference teams during Jim Calhoun's 15 years in charge of the UConn program (159-97 in regular season play, 19-11 in BIG EAST Tournament games, 1-0 in NIT play).
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.
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.
