Connecticut Question

[ravenmaniac]

Was reading last week that Calhoun was so pissed at his team's play against South Fl. that early in the second half he benched Dyson, Robinson and Edwards and never brought them back. He said after the game that those 3 wouldn't be starting against St. Johns. Does anyone know whether he intends to back up that statement or has he changed his mind and plans to start them

[StarDust Bum]

Plenty of coaches get disgusted enough with the performance of their regulars that they pull all five starters at some point during the game and go with the benchwarmers. Made famous by North Carolinas Dean Smith among others, that tactic relies on the energy level of the reserves to carry the team while the big guns sit by themselves and think quietly about what theyve done before going back in the game.

Jim Calhoun pulled that move with 16 minutes to play against South Florida, and Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards never reentered the game. Calhoun said afterwards that the lineup that included the reserves would start in Connecticuts Big East Tournament opener March 9 against St. Johns, as it fueled a near-comeback against the Bulls on the road.

That comeback did fall short, however, and left the Huskies on the outside looking in as far as the NCAA Tournament picture is concerned. With a 17-14 overall record, a 7-11 mark in the Big East and the No. 12 seed in the 16-team conference tournament, it seems highly unlikely that UConn will be considered barring an extended run at Madison Square Garden.

It marks a disappointing finish for what has been a frustrating senior class. Both Dyson and Robinson have had star-crossed UConn careers, with Dyson battling injury and suspension and Robinson leaving school briefly a year ago before returning. Edwards has been the best frontcourt option for much of the season, so his inclusion among the benched is somewhat surprising, but its also logical that Calhoun is looking ahead to develop a rotation for next year.

So the good news is that the youngsters did play well in trying circumstances at USF, and in particular that Ater Majok looked good in the paint. Theres reason to hope that things will again return to form in the future, but it takes a pretty big optimist to see the team playing well enough over a sustained period this week to make a difference in 2009-10.

[StarDust Bum]

--Jerome Dyson had just four points against South Florida, but that was enough to move the senior guard past Earl Kelley to move into 13th place on the UConn career list. He enters the postseason 10 points behind former teammate Jeff Adriens total.

--Stanley Robinson entered last week having scored 10 or more points in 35 consecutive games. Hes now been held to two points twice in a row entering the Big East Tournament.

ON THE SPOT
Its always a bad sign when the coaching staff is making major lineup changes in March, but thats the situation the Huskies are in entering the Big East Tournament. UConn isnt getting the production or the effort out of its seniors at a high enough level to satisfy Jim Calhoun, so all three will come off the bench against St. Johns.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"The team that you saw at the end will be the team that starts Tuesday. That's the team I like, because they worked. They came back and played basketball like Connecticut plays basketball. ... They had plenty of chances to win that game after someone had handed them a (13)-point deficit." -- Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun to the Hartford Courant, indicating that Jerome Dyson, Gavin Edwards and Stanley Robinson would be coming off the bench to start the Big East Tournament.