UConn Men: Wrapping Things Up From Louisville

LOUISVILLE – Having some tech problems, but will try to get this wrap-up post in.

Jim Calhoun says the Huskies are defending the three better in recent games, though Iowa, with its four three-point threats, will post “the ultimate test.”

The Huskies were burned numerous times by teams hitting 10 or more threes during the season, but in their last four games, opponents are 19-for-73. Syracuse, which made 10 of 16 threes against UConn on Feb. 11, hit 3 of 14 in the Big East Tournament.

What concerns Calhoun is becoming so “polarized” on stopping big man Royce White that they get beat elsewhere, such as from behind the arc.

“Dribble penetration for us means an alley oop for Andre Drummond or Alex Oriakhi or whoever,” he said. “Dribble penetration, for them, means a three.”

Here is my main advance story for the game, for the Thursday Courant.

Royce White, who  has battled anxiety, is a remarkable story off the court, and that great storyteller, Jeff Jacobs, had the details here, and in the Courant.

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John Calipari didn’t wait for speculation to begin when it became known Mike D’Antoni was leaving the Knicks. he tweeted that he was staying at Kentucky.

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Thoughts and prayers for DeAndre Daniels and his family. DeAndre’s sister, Kierstyn Schumpert, who plays basketball at Manchester High, had surgery to remove a tumor from her brain. Daniels said the tumor was not cancerous and the outlook is good. There’s more on this and other topics in the UConn notebook, which will be up on our main website soon.

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Calhoun had some fun when someone suggested the players were having more fun since he returned. “Cantankerous is the word associated with me,” he said. “Kind of a barrel of laughs, most people would refer to me as. Most officials do. They just think I’m a hell of a guy.”

The coach has his 8-year-old grandson, Sam, at practice with him. Bettina Hansen has tons of pictures from Wednesday, that will be going up on our website. Here are some.

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