UConn 67, Vermont 49, Wrapping Things Up at Gampel

A few notes, quotes and thoughts from UConn’s win over Vermont.

Good, solid win. This could have been a problematic game, coming off such an emotional win, let alone the travel, but UConn played tough from  the start. There was no let-down.

Here is the game story for the Wednesday Courant.

Tyler Olander is really playing well. Vermont had a big front line, but he’s in  there fighting, and he’s such a good passer for a big man. Great on the high post. He’s doing a lot of the things Jim Calhoun saw in him last year, when he played him a lot early. … Got to save something to write tomorrow, and I plan to feature Tyler.

Here is Kevin Ollie’s take on the game.

                                                                   *********

Shabazz Napier, scoreless in the first half, got an earful from Kevin Ollie. “He doesn’t swear like coach Calhoun,” Napier said. “He said something like, ‘play your game, Shabazz. … I already had a fire lit under me. He just put some more wood to  it.”

Here’s my notebook, leading with Shabazz’s response, in The Wednesday Courant.

                                                                 *****************

Last UConn coach to win his first two games? Dee Rowe in 1969. Neither Jim Calhoun nor Dom Perno won his first two.

UConn is now 24-0 in openers at Gampel, and 71-4 against non-conference teams.

                                                            ****************

Here are some great pics from the game by our Rich Messina.

And, of course, your box score.

                                                          *****************

R.J. Evans continues to be a valuable member of the Huskies. He came off the bench when UConn was sagging a bit, and scored to give them the lead for good. Jeff Jacobs writes about R.J. in tomorrow’s Courant.

Rough night for E.O. Smith’s Ethan O’Day, who picked up  his third and fourth fouls early in the second half. He grew up around the corner from Tyler and Ryan Olander here in Storrs.

Minutes watch: Ollie rewarded Phil Nolan and Leon Tolksdorf, who did not play in Germany, but did not pout and practiced hard, with more playing time, seven minutes each. Enosch Wolf got in for only one minute.

Kudos to one of our favorite folks, Wayne Norman, who broadcast his 1,400th UConn event, covering football, men’s and women’s basketball. Wayn-o was in his normal spot, next to Joe D. … Jim Calhoun was watching from the baseline.

UConn commits Kentan Facey and Terrence Samuel can sign their letters of intent beginning Wednesday – if they choose to do so.

I’ll be heading down to the Virgin Islands on Wednesday night. Will be in touch via twitter @AmoreCourant and the website throughout the week there. Live chat is on schedule, Thursday at 10:30 a.m.. I’ll start answering questions about 11 and stay until noon.