Connecticut Huskies News

SN's All-Big East team: POY Luke Harangody, Da'Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks, Scottie Reynolds and Greg Monroe. Sporting News college basketball expert Mike DeCourcy makes his predictions on how everything will unfold in the six major conferences. Today we preview the Big East and Pac-10. On Friday, we'll look at the SEC and Big 12. Bold predictions 1. Villanova will miss Dante Cunningham's strength and experience inside, but the Wildcats' excellent perimeter game will keep them in the title... chase. 2. Pitt will figure out a way to remain relevant despite a roster full of role players, redshirts and freshmen. 3. West Virginia will win the Big East. The Mountaineers have backcourt depth, fantastic forwards and an overwhelming homecourt advantage. They'll have to score more frequently than last season—but that shouldn't be hard. The Best of the Big East Freshman: Mouphtaou Yarou, Villanova Rebounder: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame Passer: Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall NBA prospect: Devin Ebanks, West Virginia Defender: Jerome Dyson, Connecticut Shooter: Andy Rautins, Syracuse Leader: Harangody Under pressure: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova Non-conference game: Georgetown vs. Washington (December 12 in Anaheim) SN All-Conference Team G Scottie Reynolds, Sr., Villanova F Da'Sean Butler, Sr., West Virginia F Devin Ebanks, Soph., West Virginia F Luke Harangody*, Sr., Notre Dame C Greg Monroe, Soph., Georgetown * - -Player of the Year Coach of the Year Mick Cronin, Cincinnati Projected finish (NCAA Tournament teams in bold) Related Links Forecasting the ACC Forecasting the Big Ten Forecasting the Pac-10 SN's NCAA Tournament predictions SN's preseason All-Americans Story lines to watch this season 1. West Virginia 2. Villanova 3. Georgetown 4. Connecticut 5. Cinicinnati 6. Louisville 7. Pitt 8. Syracuse 9. Notre Dame 10. Seton Hall 11. Marquette 12. St. John's 13. Rutgers 14. South Florida 15. DePaul 16. Providence Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com. This story first appeared in the Nov. 9 edition of Sporting News magazine. If you are not receiving the magazine, subscribe today, or pick up a copy, available at most Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets.more>>

Last season's first projections just rimmed out. But a new season is about to tip off and Gary Parrish launches his first tournament field projections, following the talent trail to Kentucky and Kansas.

As the season is about to tip off, Jerry Palm projects the field for the NCAA Tournament, sprinkled with some fliers.

STORRS, Conn.-Jerome Dyson scored 32 points in his season debut, and No. 12 Connecticut breezed to an 88-50 exhibition victory over UMass Lowell on Sunday.

STORRS, Conn.-Guards Jerome Dyson and Donnell Beverly have been cleared to play this season for No. 12 Connecticut.

EDS: No. 12 Connecticut 106, American International 67; UPDATES with Calhoun quotes.

Don't expect three No. 1 seeds from the Big East again. The league lost a lot of quality players, but with 16 teams and a few bright stars remaining, it will still be fun, Gary Parrish says.

STORRS, Conn.-Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun doesn't know if he has a better team than the one he took to the Final Four last season, but he's confident it will be more athletic.

Coach: Jim Calhoun (24th year) Last season's record: 31-5 Spotlight player When Sporting News compiled its rankings of the best players at each position, UConn's Stanley Robinson was not listed among the top small forwards or the top power forwards. Because however talented he may be – and he's pretty doggone talented – we're still dealing with a player who averaged 8.5 points last season and only played a little more than half the year. Do we expect that he'll be the guy who managed 15 points... and 13 rebounds in the Final Four loss to Michigan State, or the guy who went 1-for-6 in a late-season victory over Notre Dame. Robinson is not enormously skilled, but he is such a tremendous athlete that need not matter. If his effort and concentration are more consistent he could become one of the nation's top forwards. Reason to hope: The knee injury that ended guard Jerome Dyson's season last February cost us all the chance to see North Carolina be seriously challenged in the NCAA Tournament. At full strength, the Huskies were the one team good enough to take a shot at the Tar Heels. The only "good" thing to come of that injury is that if it had not occurred it's quite possible Dyson would have entered the 2009 draft and been unavailable to this Huskies team. It also could be better for Dyson, who might develop into this team's primary scoring option. He averaged a little more than 10 shots and 13 points per game last season. His percentages (.408 from the field, .348 from 3-point) need to improve for him to become a coveted pro prospect and for the Huskies to enjoy a typical UConn season. Reason to mope: The Huskies pretty much lost the top half of their rotation from last season, including their essential inside players. Even with Robinson still around, Calhoun is having to rebuild the frontcourt. UConn's annual appearance at or near the top of the NCAA shot-block standings is even more reliable than seeing the Huskies near the front of the Big East. But they're pretty much starting fresh at center with Hasheem Thabeet gone to the NBA. Freshman Alex Oriahki is a powerful, physical low-post presence but he may not be the same sort of defensive stalwart as predecessors Thabeet and Emeka Okafor. Although Robinson is certainly capable of blocking shots, the Huskies may need to rely less on that aspect of their game. Bottom line: This is a team whose starters are mostly unproven in the roles they've inherited and whose reserves are mostly unproven, period. What places the Huskies this high in the rankings, though, is the high level of assembled talent – we haven't even mentioned point guard Kemba Walker, who has the skills to rank among the nation's best at that position – and the enormous ability of Calhoun. UConn will have to fight hard to hold off ambitious Big East opponents such as Cincinnati and Seton Hall, which have the capacity to break into the league's first division. That'll be interesting to watch, because the players who have to do most of the fighting – in particular Robinson and Dyson – need to play with a greater degree of hunger. Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.more>>

STORRS, Conn.-Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun didn't participate in this year's Husky Run, but he sure looked like he could have.

Sporting News college basketball columnist Mike DeCourcy answers five questions of the week in his sport. 1. Another Kansas player makes headlines for the wrong reasons—Brady Morningstar's DWI arrest. How much will this tumultuous offseason affect the Jayhawks? DeCourcy: Morningstar's arrest became the defining moment in a sloppy period for KU basketball, but it did allow Self the opportunity to put his foot down without it landing on a star. Morningstar is a role player. He is a very fine... role player who gave KU 30 minutes a game last season, but he won't need to play that much now that freshman wing Xavier Henry is a Jayhawk. When Morningstar was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated so soon after several more gifted team members were involved in scuffles with KU football players, Self was able to use that occasion to impose discipline that could send a message both to his players and his public. With Morningstar suspended from first semester games, the KU players were able to see any further misbehavior will not be tolerated, and those following the program could assure themselves their Jayhawks are not "out of control." It's been pointed out Memphis still made it to the 2008 NCAA championship game after some of its players were involved in an offseason altercation at a Beale Street nightclub. But the Tigers didn't win that game. Discipline does matter. 2. Do you agree the NCAA phone call rule should go away? DeCourcy: The phone call rules always have been a bit ridiculous, but they're totally obsolete now. One former Division I head coach pointed out recently that nearly every American phone now has the capacity for caller ID, and the choice to answer any call can rest with the receiving party. If State Tech is calling and a recruit or parent doesn't want to talk, they don't have to answer. It's that simple. To pay people with college educations—and sometimes law degrees—to pore over cell phone bills in order to ascertain that coaches call their top point guard prospect only once in a week rather than twice is a simultaneous waste of time, money, energy and common sense. 3. Several coaches have been signing extensions lately. Any seem like a strange decision by the school to ink the coach longer? DeCourcy: What struck me as odd was not that Connecticut was working on a contract extension for Jim Calhoun, but that it needed to work on one. How does Jim Calhoun get down to one year remaining on his deal? Calhoun wants an extension, which means he plans to continue coaching awhile even though he is 67. He's worth every dime of his $1.6 million annual salary—just ask him, right?—and has continued to perform at such a high level there never has been reason to put in place a succession plan. 4. As you look at the preseason Top 25 you compiled for the preview magazine months ago, do you have second thoughts on any teams? DeCourcy: The picture rarely looks the same in October as in July, because the players aren't sealed up in their school libraries awaiting the start of fall practice. Guys get in trouble, as we've noted. Guys get injured. Our college basketball yearbook placed Notre Dame as the No. 22 team in the country and the fifth-place team in the Big East, but right about the time the yearbook hit newsstands Irish forward Scott Martin hit the floor with a torn ACL. Notre Dame still might be able to scrape out an NCAA bid but would no longer be considered a likely Top 25 finisher. Related Links Panel says call rule must go Jim Calhoun not going anywhere Sidney's lawyers think race is a factor Hansbrough is SN's player of the decade SN Top 50: Find your team here Mississippi State was placed No. 10, but that's entirely conditional. If freshman forward Renardo Sidney is not cleared to play, the Bulldogs will be much more vulnerable to an SEC West challenge from in-state rival Ole Miss. If you ask me which teams make me worry most about making us look most wrong—those that haven't had any personnel changes since we made our picks—I'd say Xavier (No. 30), Oklahoma (No. 43) and Missouri (unranked). They all had significant departures but retained several key players. They could win bigger than we've suggested. 5. Any backlash to SN's selection of Tyler Hansbrough as athlete of the decade? DeCourcy: Goodness, no. Hey, apparently Tyler is now out there saving lost puppies, so how can anybody have a problem with him? Some wondered if Duke's Jay Williams was punished for not playing a fourth year, and maybe that's true. Williams won as many national titles (one) and earned as many of our player of the year awards (one), but Hansbrough made our first All-American team four times. It doesn't make sense to argue against that degree of consistent excellence. Hansbrough was a star for four years. Williams was a star for three. Given all else that was so close between them, that ought to settle things. Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.more>>

First there were the fights with the football team. Then Brady Morningstar was suspended. But Kansas is still loaded with elite talent, meaning they are No. 1 in Gary Parrish's Top 25 (and one).