University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Men Prepare for BIG EAST Tournament
3/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
- Game Notes [.pdf]
ABOUT UCONN: Connecticut will carry a 19-10 overall record into the opening round of the 2001 BIG EAST Conference Championship. 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 Tournament play with a Wednesday, March 7 contest at 9:00 p.m. against the West No. 3 seed Syracuse (22-7, 10-6).
UCONN'S TOURNEY QUICK FACTS: The Huskies have a 20- 17 all-time mark in the BIG EAST Tournament... UConn has won nine of its last ten in the tourney, 12 of 14 and 14 of its last 17 BIG EAST Tournament games... The Huskies have won four BIG EAST Tournament titles (1990, 1996, 1998 and 1999)... UConn has been runner-up two times (1995, 2000)... UConn is the only school in league history to play four games in one tourney (2000)... The Huskies are the only school in league history to win both the Regular Season and Tournament titles in consecutive seasons (1997-98 & 1998-99).
HUSKIES AND ORANGE SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 68th all-time meeting between UConn and Syracuse, with the Orangemen holding a 42-25 advantage in the series. The teams met once in 2000-2001 with Syracuse taking a 65-60 decision at the Carrier Dome on February 19. UConn coach Jim Calhoun is 16-15 lifetime against Syracuse, while Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has a 28-21 mark against UConn.
HUSKIES AND ORANGE IN THE TOURNEY: The 2001 First Round game between UConn and Syracuse will be the seventh meeting between the schools in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Huskies hold a 4-2 advantage, winning the last four BET meetings. The 2001 match-up will be only the second of the seven not to be either a semifinal or championship game contest. The teams met in the quarterfinals in 1984. A complete listing of the meetings are listed below.
1999 Semifinals UConn 71, Syracuse 501998 Championship Game UConn 69, Syracuse 641996 Semifinals UConn 85, Syracuse 671990 Championship Game UConn 78, Syracuse 751984 Quarterfinals Syracuse 73, UConn 581980 Semifinals Syracuse 92, UConn 61
2000-2001 MEETING: Preston Shumpert knocked down a Syracuse record eight three-pointers en route to 34 points, and the Orange held off a second half UConn rally to post a 65-60 win at the Carrier Dome on February 19. The Orange led by as many as 16 points in the first half and held a 53-39 lead with 12:42 left in the game before the Huskies stormed back. Two times in the final seven minutes UConn was able to get within two points, but each time the Orangemen responded to hold off the charge. UConn was led on the night by senior Albert Mouring's 17 points and freshman Caron Butler's 15 points and 13 rebounds.
AN UNFAMILIAR POSITION: UConn will compete in the 2001 BIG EAST Tournament in a unfamiliar position, that of a higher seeded team. The First Round game will be only the fifth time since the 1990 Tournament that UConn has been the higher seeded team, a span covering 25 games. UConn has lost its last three games in this position and the last win as a higher seeded team came over No. 1 Syracuse in the 1990 Championship game. UConn was the No. 2 seed.
UCONN ON ESPN/espn2: The first round game in the BIG EAST Tournament will be Connecticut's 96th game to be televised nationally by ESPN/espn2 during the past 12 seasons (since the start of the 1989-90 season). UConn is 66-29 overall on ESPN/espn2 during the past 12 seasons. UConn played six games in 2000-2001 televised nationally by ESPN/espn2, going 2-4 in those contests.
TWO AWAY FROM 600: UConn head coach Jim Calhoun enters the BIG EAST Tournament with a career record of 598-277 (68.2%) and needs only two wins to become the 24th coach in NCAA Division I history to reach the 600- win plateau in his career. Calhoun is No. 9 among active NCAA Division I coaches in wins. Two wins would also put Calhoun at the 350 win mark at UConn. He has a current record of 348-140 (71.3%) with the Huskies.
NCAA Division I Winningest Active CoachesThrough Games of March 4, 2001 1. Jim Phelan, Mt. St. Mary's 816-484 2. Lefty Driesell, Georgia St. 761-376 3. Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno St. 757-185 4. Lou Henson, New Mexico St. 740-377 5. Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma St. 678-267 5. Denny Crum, Louisville 675-294 7. John Chaney, Temple 650-237 8. Lute Olson, Arizona 635-226 9. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 598-27710. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 597-22310. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 597-206
UCONN & JIM CALHOUN AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: Jim Calhoun will be coaching his 46th game at Madison Square Garden as Connecticut's head basketball coach when the Huskies open play in the First Round of the 2001 BIG EAST Conference Championship Tournament. In 15 years as head coach at UConn, Jim Calhoun and his Huskies have recorded an overall record of 27-18 in games played at MSG. UConn and Jim Calhoun have won five championships at MSG--the 1988 NIT Championship, the 1990 BIG EAST Tournament Championship, the 1996 BIG EAST Tournament Championship, the 1998 BIG EAST Tournament Championship, and the 1999 BIG EAST Tournament Championship. Under coach Calhoun, UConn is 4-2 in NIT play in MSG (preseason and postseason NIT), 19-10 in BIG EAST Tournament games, and 4-6 in ten regular season games against St. John's University.
FINISHING STRONG: UConn is 6-3 since the beginning of February, including decisive wins over each of the 2000- 2001 BIG EAST Division Champions. The Huskies beat East Division Champion Boston College by a score of 82-71 on February 13 and is coming off a 75-59 win over West Division Champ Notre Dame. The Huskies were 2-5 in the BIG EAST at the beginning of February and finished at 8- 8.
BUTLER AND MOURING HONORED: 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 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% (208-248) 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 88.4% clip, making 99-112 from the line. The UConn single season record is 91.5% (43-47), set by Bobby Dulin in 1980-81.
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.
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 4.9 is No. 2 in Husky history, behind Tate George's 6.0 assists per game in 1986-87. Brown's total of 141 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 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 BIG EAST Tournament ranked No. 25 in career scoring with 1,187 points in 111 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 Donny Marshall, who scored 1,197 points from 1992-1995.
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.
ALBIE HOT FROM THREE: Albert Mouring has heated up from three-point range over the past seven Husky contests. He has hit on 16-of-31 three's in the last seven games, a 51.6% clip. Mouring leads the team in three- point shooting in 2000-2001, making 56-of-145 (38.6%). He is No. 2 all-time at UConn in three-point shooting at 41.8% (174-411). Ray Allen is No. 1 at 44.8%.
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 114 free throws in 2000-2001. Butler is shooting 75.5% from the line and has made at least one free throw in all 26 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 25 of his first 26 college games and his current scoring average of 15.4/game ranks No. 1 under Jim Calhoun among freshmen in their first 26 college contests. Following are the scoring statistics in their first 26 collegiate games for other heralded UConn freshman players under Jim Calhoun.
Caron Butler 401 points=15.4/gameKhalid El-Amin 370 points=14.2/gameRichard Hamilton 369 points=14.2/gameRay Allen 335 points=12.9/gameDoron Sheffer 310 points=11.9/gameNadav Henefeld 309 points=11.9/gameDonyell Marshall 276 points=10.6/gameTate George 261 points=10.0/gameChris Smith 254 points=9.8/gameScott Burrell 233 points=9.0/game
BUTLER AND FROSH DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Caron Butler has recorded seven double-doubles in the 2000-2001 season, including a 14-point, 11-rebound effort against Notre Dame on Monday night. 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 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 18 games since, Brown has made 38-of-54 from the charity stripe, or 70.4% of his attempts. Brown is 51-of-97 overall (52.6%). More impressively, Brown is shooting 66.7% from the line in the final five minutes of games, hitting on 20-of- 30 chances.
MOURING SETS STEALS BEST: In the win over Miami, Albert Mouring set a new career-best with six steals. His total tied the highest mark by a Husky in 2000-2001, matching the six steals that Caron Butler had against Houston on November 30. The six steals was the most for a Husky in a BIG EAST game since Khalid El-Amin had six vs. Miami on January 6, 1998.
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.
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 301-94 (76.2% 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 (215-54), 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 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 -- --
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 178-108 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, 19-10 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.
