Kemba Walker Leads Scary UConn Team Into Tourny

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

The Connecticut Huskies (26-9, 9-9) came into the season, unranked with nobody giving them much of a chance as a contender.

The Huskies did lose a lot from the season before but returned their potent guard Kemba Walker, forward Alex Oriahki and added many talented freshmen.

Early in the season, the Huskies went from un-ranked to No. 7 in the AP poll after winning the Maui Tournament with wins over Michigan State and Kentucky, who were both top ten teams in the country at the time.

To cap off the regular season, UConn went on a similar run, except this time the Huskies capped off a five game win streak over four straight ranked teams to be crowned Big East tournament champions.

After the game, head coach Jim Calhoun chocked on his words when he talked about this week's focus and handwork showed by his Huskies squad.

With their 69-66 victory over Louisville in the Big East tournament final, UConn pulled off arguably the toughest stretch in college basketball this season, possibly even history.

"This is what I worked for, the whole summer, this is what our whole team worked for and all of our hard work is just paying off," Walker said following their Big East championship win.

Throughout the year, the Big East has been noted as the nations best conference. Projected NCAA Brackets and experts have 11 Big East teams dancing, and amongst them will be UConn, despite the 9-9 record during conference play.

This makes their five-game win streak that impressive. In the past three days, the Huskies pulled off wins against teams that dominated them in the regular season.

Pitt defeated UConn by double-digits, Louisville defeated them twice, and Syracuse pulled away from the Huskies as well.

Not only did the Huskies prove that they can compete against some of the best teams in the country, but showed their ability to win tough games with a NCAA tournament like atmosphere.

At neutral sites this season, UConn has been a perfect (8-0). Six of the eight wins have come against top-25 opponents, and five of the matchups were against top-15 ranked teams.

Credit junior guard Walker for his leadership and perseverance down the stretch for this young Huskies team with just five upperclassmen. At neutral sites Walker averages 27.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assist, and 2.7 steals.

Granted, Walkers stat line is very impressive but other Huskies have certainly put forth effort to pull out wins.

Oriahki, Roscoe Smith, Jeremy Lamb, and Shabazz Napier are all key contributors and chip in just enough to lead UConn to victory.

In mostly all of the losses to UConn this season, a player outside of Walker failed to step up and contribute. But, heading into March Madness, I don't think the Huskies will have to worry about that.

When asked how this will translate to the NCAA tournament coach Calhoun said, "I'm caught up in the emotion of what happened here."

"I think we showed in the past four days, particularly, that we're a good basketball team." Soon after, coach Calhoun stated that he's anxious to lead the Huskies through the tournament.

No team in College Basketball history has won five games in five days at any site to win a conference title, until now that is. Going back to what coach Calhoun said, the Huskies are a really good basketball team.

UConn has proven they can win at neutral sites and junior Walker has great leadership skills that should aid the Huskies well come tournament time.

One thing sticks out to me about this UConn team now, and that's they can win without requiring Walker to get a crazy stat line.

Other players on the team have stepped up and proved that their is more to UConn than their future first-round draft pick, Walker.

The Huskies are well conditioned, balanced, anxious and dangerous headed into March. I'm saying UConn has the best chance at sneaking up on an NCAA title after a performance like this.

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Jim Calhoun Suspended Three Big East Games

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Before the season, Jim Calhoun knew his recruiting violations had surfaced regarding the recruitment of former guard Nate Miles and would land him in serious trouble with the NCAA.

Coach Calhoun reportedly had too much contact with Miles, exceeding the amount of calls and text imposed by the NCAA.

Not to mention, a former student-manager reportedly paid for many expenses regarding the commitment of Miles.

Instead of banning the UConn Huskies (20-6, 8-6) from the NCAA tournament, like you witness the committee do the USC, the NCAA has decided to suspend Calhoun for three Big East conference games next season.

The Huskies also were deducted scholarships for the next three seasons and placed on a three-year probation period.

The committee also placed a two-year show-cause penalty on former assistant Beau Archibald, who wasn't mentioned in the reports earlier.

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Kemba Walker Records Triple-Double on Historic Night

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

If there was any question about Kemba Walker being the best player in the nation, he answered all the questions tonight.

Walker lead the No. 9 Connecticut Huskies (7-0) to their seventh straight victory over the UMBC Retrievers (0-7) 94-61, and recorded his first ever triple-double.

After scoring the game's first points from the free-throw line, the Huskies never gave UMBC the lead and soared to victory.

Walker accumulated 24 points, 13 rebounds, as well as 10 assist, and became the eighth player in UConn history to record a triple double.

Walker also joined good company a few minutes into the game reaching the 1,000 point plateau.

Jim Calhoun also reached 830 wins, which is tied for the sixth most in NCAA history.

Completing the historic night, the Huskies as a team pulled down 41 rebounds, 13 offensive, as well as dishing out a season-high 26 assist on 33 made field goals. UConn also drained 12 three-pointers, as well as blocking 10 shots.

All around, it was a very good night for the Huskies with everyone clicking on offense.

Jeremy Lamb scored 12 points, added six rebounds and two blocks. Roscoe Smith, Alex Oriahki, and Niels Giffey all chipped-in 11 points, while sophomore Jamal Coombs-McDaniel reached double-figures for the first time this season with 10 points.

UMBC had two players in double-figures with Travis King pacing the Retrievers with 14 points. Chris De La Rosa added 13 points, five rebounds, and five assist, as UMBC racks up a 0-7 start for the second straight season.

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Connecticut Huskies a Legit Title Contender?

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

The Connecticut Huskies lost both Jerome Dyson, and Stanley Robinson from last year's squad leaving talented guard Kemba Walker to fend for himself in a tough Big East conference.

The Huskies were tabbed as the No. 10 team in the Big East, and wasn't expected to make such a statement early in the season.

However, that is exactly why they play the game. UConn was not anyone's choice to possibly contend for the National Championship, or even contend with a team like Michigan State, or Kentucky.

If you believe in preseason hype, UConn came from being a team in turmoil transitioning into one of the best teams in all of College Basketball.

UConn has knocked off the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans, and the No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats in two days. Their days out of the top-25 should be over once the new poll is released, but high expectations also follow.

Many point the finger at Walker for scoring 132 points in four games, more impressively 90-points in the previous three outings, three-points shy of a NCAA record.

However, the Huskies success has come from more than Walker's ability to light up the stats sheet. The Huskies were able to pull down a season-high 18 offensive rebounds against Michigan State that resulted in an upset victory.

A day later, the Huskies out-rebounded Kentucky, shot 58 percent from three, and dished out 16 assist.

There is many things that the Huskies are doing good right now. UConn is pulling down 44 rebounds a game, and scoring 81 points per game, while holding their opponents to dismal 67.6 points per outing.

Despite Walker scoring 30-points per game, the Huskies have a lot of balance on offense. Alex Oriakhi has averaged 13.4 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. Shabazz Napier averages 9.6 points, Roscoe Smith jumps in the scoring column with 7.6, with many other player chipping in for UConn.

A so-called transition season for the Huskies has become more significant. Head coach Jim Calhoun has led his Huskies to a (5-0) record, with two top-10 victories under their belt once selection sunday approaches.

With a great start by the Huskies, the stage is set for UConn to prosper this season. The Huskies can only go as far as Walker takes them, and I believe it could be deep in the NCAA tournament.
 
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Jabarie Hinds Leaning Towards UConn

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Jabarie Hinds, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Mount Vernon High School has recently expressed his interest in the University of Connecticut.



Hinds reportedly told Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com that he was leaning towards UConn.


Hinds, could blossom on the scene for the Huskies with the notion that current guard Kemba Walker is NBA-bound.


Hinds has unspoken speed, and very tough to guard in the one-on-one situations. With the Huskies legendary Head Coach Jim Calhoun, I’d expect to see Hinds reach his full potential before making it to the next level.


Nonetheless, Hinds has placed the Huskies on the pedestal and could commit soon.




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Collegiate Hoops: Coaches With Something to Prove

Roy Williams, North Carolina

I get that repeating is hard, especially when you lost someone with arguably the best collegiate career in Tyler Hansbrough.

However, after two straight Final Four appearances, an NIT bid isn't good enough for the fans in North Carolina.

The Tarheels 2009-2010 campaign was definetely one to be forgotten. A 10-6 conference record is the worst since Williams' first year in 2002.

This type of season shouldn't be happening with the amount of talent they have on the roster. The more I look at it, the more confident I become with their ability to bounce back.

Tim Floyd, UTEP

After all of the sanctions coming about at USC with O.J. Mayo, Floyd is getting a new chance at Texas El Paso.

While he was successful at USC, hoisting an 85-50 record, USC vacated all of its 2007-2008 wins because of Mayo's ineligibility.

UTEP took a huge risk in hiring him after that controversy. This season won't be the telling point for the rest of his career, but he does have something to prove the next couple seasons.

Tom Crean, Indiana

After losing every player with collegiate experience on the team except for Kyle Taber, Crean knew he was in for a tough ride back to the top. Former coach, Kelvin Sampson's actions turn the once proud program into a mediocre one. However, Crean took the position, expecting to turn this team around.

And now, two years into his tenure, Crean posts 16-46 record which is the worst over a two year span ever 

at Indiana University.

While IU fans are giving him some leaniency for the situation that he was brought into, he needs to get them at least back to .500 or his job could be in the air.

Jim Calhoun, UCONN

I realize that he wasn't there for part of last season, but an 18-16 record is definetely not good enough for Connecticut.

Also, this offseason he admitted to NCAA recruiting violations.

This upcoming campaign is a big one for the Huskies, as they need to bounce back from last season's mediocre performance.

Originally Written by Collin O'Connor on Bleacher Report

Collegiate Hoops: Top Ten Active College Basketball Coaches

The college game displays some of the best teams in the nation. But there are a lot of people that overlook how much the coaches mean to the success.

Just ask Michigan State right now. They're on the brink of losing Tom Izzo to the Cleveland Cavaliers. That could show just how much the guys on the sideline play a huge part.

These ten coaches are conceived as the most influential, smartest, toughest, and successful people on the sideline.

Ten isn't really enough but here are the top ten
coaches in the NCAA right now. (Hint: heading into next season.)

10. Jim Calhoun

Last year the Huskies' weren't horrible, but they were far from good.

When Calhoun left for health reasons; UConn's season left right with him.

Calhoun has won titles in the past before. He is known to play in the big games and just a few years back his Huskies' were on the brink of National Championship.

You can't tell me that he isn't still a good coach. He develops his players really well, and I can prove that by looking at the NBA talent he produces. Not to mention, his Huskies' always find a way to bounce back after poor seasons.

Calhoun has acquired a decent recruiting class that highlights one ESPNU top 100 recruit and the rest are all solid but graded above 90.

9. Bruce Pearl

I don't believe there is a more optimistic coach on this list than Bruce Pearl. He is a mastermind when you think of basketball.

Dating back to mid-season, the Volunteers lost four-of-five starters and had to play walk-ons against heavily favorite KU. However, with those walk-ons, Pearl was able to lead his team to victory.

Showing you he can out-coach the other coaches in this league.

He also established a new trend at Tennessee. It seems like every year, Pearl has been able to guide his Volunteers to the Elite Eight. Despite the loss to Tom Izzo's Spartans, Pearl is a great coach and no doubt his team will get back after it next season.

8. Roy Williams

After losing so much talent to the NBA, Roy Williams logged one of the worst seasons in his coaching career. Since this list is based on the top ten coaches heading into next season, Williams is here. However, if it was to rank the top coaches from last year, I don't think he would be mentioned.

However, Williams and newly acquired recruit Harrison Barnes are going to do whatever it takes to erase that memory.

Williams is still a great coach and now that he surrounded himself with elite talent, he'll be able to once again show how powerful his coaching skills are.

Something is telling me that Williams is going to have this team at the top of the ACC and competing with the title favorite Duke.

7. Jim Boeheim

Hanging on the theorem, "team-defense," Jim Boeheim has been nabbed as one of the better coaches in all of college basketball. He was able to turn an average roster with one superstar talent, into competitors and the Coach of the Year award was well deserved.

After being placed so far in the top 25 in the pre-season poll last year and still being able to reach the No. 1 ranking in the same season, says a lot about the coach.

He is much respected around the college basketball community and has his Syracuse Orange thinking potential next season.

Throughout his career as a coach, Boeheim has put the pieces together for a legendary resume. As a result, he may be in the basketball Hall of Fame one day. He is one of the coaches with the best winning percentage, out of all the other experienced coaches in the league.

6. Billy Donavan

Billy Donavan has always been a great coach. He has had the ability to cut down the nets twice with the same nucleus of players. He has a substantial say over most of his players, and that is a good thing for Florida fans.

This off-season, Donavan, made some moves to bolster his roster and now Florida is looking like a contender after the returnees, and recruits they landed.

He acquired two ESPNU top 100 players, one in which is a McDonalds All-American. Two other forwards and a point guard.

You can't tell me the Gators aren't restoring their image as a powerhouse in basketball.

With Donavan at the helm, I can envision a much better season on the way for the Gators.


5. John Calipari

I've met a lot of anti-John Calipari fans in my life. Most people hate the fact that he gets away with infractions, but I simply believe that everybody is jealous of his recruiting ability.

I don't care what you have to say, Calipari is the best recruiting coach in the NCAA. He has strung together some impressive freshman classes, and look at last season's team. That is arguably the best freshman class college basketball has ever seen.

Calipari has the ability to get to the tournament consistently and it isn't really a problem considering the talent he acquires in the off-season. One thing that is notable; John Calipari produces some of the finest guards. John Wall, Derrick Rose, and Tyreke Evans are all going to or already have impact the NBA.


4. Bill Self

After a terrible loss to the Northern Iowa Panthers, the Kansas Jayhawks have to come into next season and prove themselves. Bill Self has too as well.

Let's not forget Northern Iowa Head Coach Ben Jacobson, out-coached him in a cake-walk type game.

However, Bill Self is not known to hoist two back-to-back seasons where he let the fans down. The Jayhawks landed the No. 1 overall recruit in Josh Selby to possibly fill the shoes of Sherron Collins and the Morris twins has the job to fill Cole Aldrich's shoes in the post.

Bill Self has no problem with curbing players into aggressive and great players. In the 2008 season, the team that one that was filled with juniors and seniors that all wanted to win a championship. Put another coach at KU and I don't believe those players progress the way they do.

He always has powerful recruiting classes and great basketball players. That's always a plus when you're coaching.


3. Frank Martin

I don't care what many have to say about my Wildcats. Frank Martin was not there to keep Michael Beasley and Bill Walker around. He is not there now for recruiting reasons, but he is there to coach the Kansas State Wildcats.

Frank Martin has done a magnificent job with the Wildcats. Ensuing a season that his team came away with the most wins in school history, has a chance to once again break that record.

Look at the picture; now does that look like a coach to be messed with? Martin is live on the sideline, one of the more vocal coaches in the league, and he gets into his players. I remember he stated, "It's all about scoring one more point then your opponent." That helped and leaded the Cats' on to some milestones that haven't been achieved for decades.

Frank Martin has raised the Cats' from laughing stock to serious contenders. With the roster they have and Frank Martin on the sideline, Kansas State can be major players in this upcoming season.

2. Tom Izzo

Tom Izzo may just as well be a Cleveland Cavalier before this list has even lasted a few days. However, since he has made no commitment to the NBA, he is the second-best coach in college basketball.

Izzo is the best coach on this list when it comes to developing players. A stat you probably already know if you've read my other articles on Tom Izzo is that every player that has stayed all four-years under him has had the chance to compete in the Final Four.

That says a lot. Even considering the fact that, their best player Kalin Lucas went down during their second round game in the tournament, and they were still able to pull off an Elite Eight berth.

If Izzo decides to stay, he solidifies Michigan State as title contenders. Without Izzo? Not so much.


1. Mike Krzyzewski

Coming off a National Championship with a roster that could repeat, has Coach K at No. 1. Coach K has always been conceived as a top coach in the league, considering that he has the highest winning percentage of all active coaches.

He has been a consistent player in the NCAA tournament, not to mention his titles and Final Fours berths; all that he brought to the Duke fans.

With Coach K leading the Blue Devils next season, you have to think about the possibility of a repeat. He acquired superstar caliber player Kyrie Irving, and to play with him in the backcourt is Tyler Thornton. As long as Coach K sticks on the sideline at Duke, which I believe he will, they'll be NCAA ready, every year.

Written by DeAnte Mitchell, edits by Lauren Garrison