DYSON UPDATE

Jerome Dyson checked back in after going to the bench for nearly four minutes with his injury. The missing tooth was just confirmed as a fake that was knocked out, but his other front tooth — this one is real — was broken in half.

OUCH

There isn’t a tougher UConn player than Jerome Dyson, who again showed that a few moments ago.
Diving for a loose ball, he landed face first and appeared to catch his upper lip. Instead, it was his mouth that connected with the court and Dyson lost one of his front teeth.
He’s a few feet away from us on the bench and looks to be in plenty of pain. Dyson’s holding a small Gatorade cup that he’s periodically spitting into and if I had to guess, the contents are probably blood.

NEW STARTERS

Jim Calhoun told us yesterday he’d probably shake up the lineup. Well, he did, and I’m probably not the only one surprised by the picks.
The frontcourt of Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien and Stanley Robinson remains the same, but Marcus Johnson and Craig Austrie will share the backcourt to begin. Calhoun did say A.J. Price has been hampered by a sore groin of late. Price who regained his starting job last game after coming off the bench twice, looked OK in shootaround and we’ll see how much time he gets.

THIS SHOULD BE FUN

Normally, I’d prefer to be seated on the sideline whenever I’m covering a game. This is the exception.
The UConn media contingent is baseline tonight and we’re right to the Huskies’ bench. That means we’ll be privy to Jim Calhoun’s sideline antics.
No coach likes to have the media so close by. That could lead to Calhoun being a little hesitant early on, but once the game takes over, I’m sure he’ll forget all about us.

The game is at the Allstate Arena, which also houses the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, who have a devoted fan base and many times draw better than the Blackhawks of the NHL. DePaul isn’t likely to fill the place — capacity 18,500 — but I’m curious to see what kind of atmosphere there is.

THOUGHTS ON HOWIE

Howie Dickenman was very upset last season’s Central Connecticut team didn’t reach the NCAA tournament. Of course, like any coach, his goal is to qualify every year.
But falling short last March signaled the first time any four-year player in the Dickenman Era graduated without at least one experience in the Big Dance.
Although that can’t be undone, it looks like the current seniors have a good chance to go out differently. Central’s 65-54 win last night at Quinnipiac was its seventh straight and allowed the Blue Devils to maintain a first-place cushion with their 9-1 NEC record. It followed a come-from-behind win in overtime against second-place Sacred Heart.
So after knocking off one state rival was backed up by stopping the Bobcats’ six-game winning streak — and being the first road team to win in the new TD Banknorth Sports Center, to boot — Dickenman, a Norwich native, was asked if he can breath a little sigh of relief.
“A friend of mine said to me after the game, which was a real thrilling game Saturday, as we were walking off the court, ‘Hey, how come you don’t smile?’ ” said Dickenman, whose team has eight league games left before the conference tournament. “You just think about the next game.”
Even if he can’t relax, at least he can be humorous about the approach.
“Unfortunately you don’t have enough time to enjoy it,” Dickenman continued. “I remember when I was at the University of Connecticut when we had that ‘Dream Season’ team. It was ’89-90; we were 31-6. And we never enjoyed it.
Dave Leitao (now the head coach at Virginia) and I said, ‘We need to enjoy this.’ … I said, ‘If it happens again, I’m going to enjoy it.’ The next year we won 32 and I didn’t enjoy it one bit.”
Dickenman, who came to Central in 1996, was a little off on his history. The Huskies only won 20 games the following season, but did follow their Elite Eight appearance by reaching the Sweet 16.
But one thing’s for sure, he didn’t relish in any of that success either.

Worth noting …
Tristan Blackwood, who had 13 of Central’s 16 overtime points to finish with a career-high 32 against Sacred Heart, had 15 last night. Obie Nwadike led everyone with 19 points and 16 rebounds and Javier Mojica added a double-double with 14 and 12 for the Blue Devils.
DeMario Anderson, who transferred from Central, led Quinnipiac with 16 points off the bench.

THOUGHTS FROM THE AIR

The following entry was started just short of 8:40 a.m. Eastern time and roughly 15 minutes into my flight from Providence to Chicago …

Well, Providence gets the nod for easiest airport to navigate through out of the ones I’ve flown from this season. Previous trips have started at Bradley and JFK, but this was the smoothest so far.
I still have a flight two weeks from now out of LaGuardia, an airport I’m very comfortable with, but it doesn’t share some of the same conveniences because of traffic in the area.
I was a little disappointed to hear that there’s already light snow in Chicago and temperatures are in the mid-to-low teens. Hopefully I packed appropriately, heeding the warnings of cold weather from a high school friend who went to Northwestern. Adding insult to injury, during our captain’s pre-flight address he mentioned this plane is continuing through to Maui, where it’s about 85.
Lastly, here’s a random thought on travel. Every time I fly I can’t help but think about one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes when Jerry and Elaine travel together. Jerry gets bumped up to first class and ends up being seated next to a model. I’m still waiting for the same experience, and I’ll even settle for it to come minus the first-class part.

As for the trip’s significance, UConn needs a win. Can it get much simpler than that?
Suddenly the Big East tournament is not a guarantee and another loss, especially to a team in a similar position, makes reaching New York even more uncertain.
It’s hard to imagine the Huskies won’t beat lowly Rutgers this Saturday, but the possibility increases if this losing streak continues.
Also, I’ll be curious to see what type of turnout DePaul gets. Chicago is a tough market for college sports and oftentimes the media and fans overlook the Blue Demons.

In terms of tourism, this will be my first trip to Chicago and it’s a city I’ve wanted to see for some time. My plans include hitting the home of original deep dish pizza and at least walking by Wrigley Field.
A few of us may also take in a matinee show Wednesday, but we’re not sure what we can get tickets for. Although it’s not Broadway, Chicago theatre is about the next-best thing.
And of course, a trip to Rush Street and Michigan Avenue is in order.

That’s all I can think of for now. I do have some extra tidbits from Howie Dickenman after Central’s win last night at Quinnipiac and I’ll throw those up later. We’re also scheduled to see Jim Calhoun at around 6 tonight, so I’ll post again if anything of note comes of that.
Until then …

THIS ISN’T BU

Don’t be fooled by the cheers from Quinnipiac’s student section. Chants of “Safety school” just rang out with Central holding a 14-point, second-half lead.
That chant is a Boston University favorite when it plays crosstown rival Northeastern.
The students also chimed in with “We’ll get jobs.” I guess it’s in their nature to get ugly with the team prepping for its first loss in the new building.

THOUGHTS ON QU-CCSU

How’s that for an alphabet soup header? Anyways …
I’m here in Hamden for the Quinnipiac-Central Connecticut game, which is also my first chance to see the Bobcats’ new TD Banknorth Sports Center. The venue is very nice, but I’m disappointed to say it’s barely at 50 percent capacity.
I would have expected more. Still, this place has the potential to get loud based on its low roof, so even with empty chairs there’s plenty of atmosphere and noise.
This brings back memories of my senior year at Binghamton when we opened a new building. There was so much excitement surrounding that moment and I’m sure it’s been a similar feeling here at Quinnipiac.

As for the game, Central is up 17-6 midway through the first half. Can’t say I’m too surprised by the score.
Even though both schools entered on six-game winning streaks, the NEC-leading Blue Devils are the more talented team.
That being said, in the process of me writing this post Quinnipiac has cut the deficit to 17-12 at the under-eight minute timeout.

Lastly, glad to see the student section is embracing the new place by acting like so many other campuses. The first of what figures to many chants of “Bull S…” just rang out.
I wish students, in general, could show a little more creativity.

STARTING TO VANISH

Out of sight, out of mind. That’s the way voters seem to be viewing UConn.
The Huskies didn’t receive a single vote in either national poll as they slip further out of contention for the NCAA tournament.
In a repeating trend, I’m again calling the next game a must win. Losing to DePaul would cost UConn a tie-breaker and make the climb for the top 12 that much steeper.

IS THIS THE END?

Could this be rock bottom for UConn? Or even worse, is the lowest moment still to come?
After giving up 50 points after halftime in a shocking home loss to Providence, it’s hard to imagine things getting more difficult.
A season that started with an unknown future and the potential for legitimate success has turned into a nightmare unlike many seasons Jim Calhoun has had in Storrs. It’s hard to tell when the losing will stop, but it better come quickly or even the Big East tournament will become a far-fetched dream.

HUSKIES LOOKING GOOD

UConn is putting itself in good position to end its three-game losing streak, leading Providence 45-34 at the half.
The Huskies shot 56.7 percent in the first 20 minutes, restoring some confidence that’s been struggling of late. The team made seven 3-pointers and also has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.
It’ll be interesting to see if Providence abandons the zone or if the Huskies start to run cold in the second half.
This is obviously a must win and UConn seems to be treating it as such for now.

ONE BIG DAY

In the basketball-crazed state of Connecticut, hopefully fans will take note of some of the other great action taking place tomorrow aside from UConn hosting Providence.
The Huskies kick things off with a virtual must-win to keep NCAA tournament hopes alive. But that’s not the only game with March implications.
First place in the NEC is one the line when Sacred Heart visits Central Connecticut. The conference also celebrates a big moment when Quinnipiac opens its new TD Banknorth Sports Center with a visit from LIU.
Hartford plays in the nightcap, trying to snap a four-game losing streak against Maine in a TV game on NESN. Yale, which improved to 2-1 in the Ivy with a win tonight at Harvard, is the only state team on the road today against Dartmouth before a key homestand next weekend against Princeton and Penn.
Fairfield, suddenly winners of four straight, is off until Sunday when it hosts Niagara.
If you like hoops, the Nutmeg State is as good as any tomorrow.

A PLEASANT SURPRISE

If you frequent this blog then this isn’t the first time you’ve seen a posting involving how much I enjoy the mid-major game.
So there I was again tonight, taking in an America East tilt featuring Vermont at Hartford. Much to my surprise, the game also received a visit from Tom Brennan, ESPN college basketball studio analyst and erstwhile Catamounts coach.
I had the luxury of sitting next to the ex-coach, who I know from my college days at Binghamton when he was still at Vermont. We talked a bit about the America East’s recent past and then discussed some UConn hoops along with a little running commentary on the game.
It’s always a pleasure to catch up with Brennan, who is among the most personable people I’ve ever met. Among my best memories are him giving opposing coaches an early wake-up call during his radio show when they visited Burlington.
He wasn’t the only member of ESPN’s team in the house. Andy Katz, a friend of Hartford coach Dan Leibovitz, also took in the game, prompting the school’s SID to joke it was All-Star night.
Vermont won what proved to be a very exciting game, 76-63, to remain atop the league standings.

THE POWER OF A NAME

I’m not one for name-dropping. But at the same time, it’s an unfortunate part of this business that sometimes becomes necessary to get results faster.
With that said, I do find it kind of amazing how much power is attached to letting people know you cover high-level college basketball and UConn to boot. I make calls to various parts of the country every week in hopes of not only getting people on the phone, but reaching them quick enough to turn something around later in the week.
The latest example was a call to the Missouri Valley Conference trying to reach to its commissioner. When I was a college student, I also called the MVC for a story and was granted a phone interview with the associate commissioner. This time, when I introduced myself as a UConn writer, the commissioner called me back about an hour later.
Like I said before, sometimes you’ve got to take advantage of what you have and UConn is certainly an asset in a lot of people’s minds. I can’t say I love using a longwinded title for myself every time I make a call, but if it works why question it.

On the UConn front, because of us having a sister paper down there, I didn’t make the trip to Louisville, so I haven’t seen the players in a few days. But from what I’ve read and been told, frustration seems to be really setting in.
If there is a bonus for the Huskies, they play three of the next four at home and the game at DePaul is one of their more winnable dates left on the road. If ever there was a time for extreme focus, UConn is about to embark on that path.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON INDIANA

This was a game UConn should have won. Jim Calhoun praised the fans afterward, as he should have since the Civic Center's atmosphere was electric once the Huskies got back from a 14-point deficit.
Needing a victory, being at home should have made the difference.
The big stat to jump out at me is free throw shooting. UConn continued to struggle, while Indiana made every one after halftime and only missed on in the game.
Calhoun talked about little things after losing at Pitt and free throws are a prime example.

A TOUGH ENDING

UConn had it's chances and the Huskies should again look to missed free throws as a reason for their latest loss. Jeff Adrien's late miss followed three empty trips in the second half for a team that continues to kill its own momentum with misses.
More to come.

GOTTA LOVE STANLEY

It’s hard not be a fan of how Stanley Robinson plays. He’s got so much energy, occasionally too much but you live with that for everything else he does.
Aside from one of the most ridiculous blocks I’ve ever seen, Robinson had 11 points and five rebounds in the first half and is a big reason — along with Doug Wiggins’ ability to share the ball — UConn is tied heading into the second 20 minutes.

Also, I was glad to see the Civic Crowd really show up. The atmosphere certainly helped the turnaround and was the best I’ve seen in Connecticut this season.

QUICK WHISTLE

I just turned on the Seton Hall-Georgetown game and Pirates coach Bobby Gonzalez got a technical foul with 14:08 left in the first half. He was whistled after arguing a charge he felt should have been called as the Hoyas broke up court for a layup.
I don't mind the call, although Gonzalez didn't seem to do anything too bad. It makes me think of all the times Jim Calhoun goes after the referees and gets away with plenty.
There's certainly a respect factor when it comes to guys like Calhoun, but you'd think the refs would try to avoid doing things so differently with different coaches.

CHANGE IN ORDER?

We're about 15 minutes away from being let in to watch the end of practice, which could be featuring Doug Wiggins as the new first-team point guard.
Jim Calhoun said yesterday that he'd be giving Wiggins a look after recent offensive struggles have come under A.J. Price's watch. Price also saw time off the ball when he and Wiggins were on the floor together against Pitt.
Whatever it is, change is probably necessary to help the Huskies overcome these recent struggles. Losses in four of six games have UConn stuck in the middle of the Big East race and needing wins to make the NCAA tournament once again look like a sure thing.

THOUGHTS ON PITTSBURGH

First observation on my second experience here, but first in the real city part of town, is how talkative the cab drivers are. A couple of the ones we had get us around were really funny and filled with stories.
Unlike New York, which is what I’m used to, the cabbies here seem to mostly be local and take a lot of pride in their city. We were talking sports with a few and one pointed out some of the local buildings, etc. worth mentioning.

Secondly, I have to say I was disappointed by the most famous sandwich in the Burgh. Primanti Brothers, a well-known chain, offers a unique eating experience. The sandwiches have your choice of meats and cheeses, but are then topped with French fries, cole slaw and tomatoes — I opted against the latter since I’ve never been a fan. It all comes together on two big pieces of bread and the Web site (premanitbros.com) makes them out to be monstrous.
Well, between myself and the other writers that went for the experience, we all walked away still a little hungry. That brings us to the next highlight.

Fatheads, a bar located in the nightlife part of the city that is the South Side, was a place we visited our first time around two weeks ago for the West Virginia game. We enjoyed the list of 40 beers on tap and thought the food was pretty good last time.
Then we had the wings. Monday night was wing night and we were all very happy to have stumbled on this opportunity.
Still hungry, we all partook in a variety of choices — 40 cents each and they don’t mind you ordering just one of any that you’d like. They were good enough to keep us from the beers for a little while, at least until the burn started to settle in.

Lastly, the other memory I’ll take from this Pittsburgh experience was the reporting I did for a story set to run this Sunday on the Duquesne men’s basketball team.
I’ve known its coach Ron Everhart since my college days and we’ve always had a good relationship. We spent a little time catching up as I did some interviewing and then he let me sit in on Tuesday’s practice. After the shootings this team endured and all the aftermath, Duquesne is a school everyone should be rooting for.

SOME MORE QUESTIONS

Again the Huskies are left wondering, a team without answers to the same problems.
No one seemed in the mood for talking after the loss here in Pittsburgh. It's hard not to blame them.
We in the media keep wanting to know why every loss comes with an out-of-nowhere run that puts things away. They still don't have any answers.

Calhoun was quite brief in his time with reporters, making an opening statement that lasted a few seconds. Lately he'd been a great talker after losses, but this one seemed to anger him most.

QUIET PLEASE

It's overly loud press room about 25 minutes before tip here in Pittsburgh. Most of the noise is coming from Dick Vitale, whose stories are being proclaimed for all to hear.
My second trip to Pittsburgh has been quite an interesting one, with plenty of stories to come in tomorrow's blog, when I can recap the events. For now, I'm running a little behind schedule after spending the afternoon at Duquesne practice. I'll try to check in again during the game.

BACK IN PITTSBURGH

It was a little more than two weeks ago that I was here in the Pittsburgh airport waiting for a few of the others writers to arrive on different flights.
We were in town for UConn’s first road game, a test they failed miserably at West Virginia. The Huskies will have another big test tomorrow against Pitt, the Big East’s last unbeaten team in league play.
I’m looking forward to seeing the Petersen Events Center, which is supposed to be one of the nicer venues around. I’m also curious to see how Hasheem Thabeet holds up against Pitt 7-footer Aaron Gray, the conference preseason Player of the Year.
Lastly, tomorrow should be interesting because it’s probably the first time I think UConn will be a prohibitive underdog. The Huskies will likely drop from the Top 25 when the polls come out later today; Pitt could be one of the highest-ranked teams. It’s a great chance for UConn’s young team to play with a little less pressure, which might make for a dangerous group.

THEY CALL HIM A TRAITOR

Not surprisingly, Doug Wiggins was greeted with boos when he entered 2:56 into the game.
Wiggins was originally going to St. John’s, but pulled out of his verbal agreement to sign with UConn. He was again booed at the free throw line, where he made one of two shots.

Also, the Huskies raced out to a quick start here courtesy of the Red Storm’s inability to make a shot. St. John’s didn’t score until 5:21 in when Avery Patterson hit a 3-pointer from NBA range to make the score 12-3.
It’s 17-8 coming out of the second media/TV timeout.

IT'S STANLEY

Stanley Robinson is making his first career start tonight in place of the injured Marcus Johnson, who is in uniform and expected to play.
Also, this game won't tip until after 9:35 p.m. It should be fun on deadline.

OVERRATED

The crowd is still filtering in and they’re better be a big walk up if this place is going to be packed. That being said, the Madison Square Garden fans, joined by the St. John’s band, did get pretty loud as the Red Storm just took the court for layups.
UConn came out a few minutes earlier and was greeted by faint chants of “Overrated” from the student section behind the basket. A few Huskies flashed some smiles as they walked onto the floor and looked around at the Garden atmosphere.

THE GARDEN

Having spent the last few days talking to the local players about how it feels to come home and play at Madison Square Garden, I have to admit that it's always a special trip here as a writer.
It's hard to explain — and maybe it's because I'm from New York — but there's a different feel to the Garden. I'm not one to get swept up in who's sitting courtside or things like that. But at the same time, you know it's something special when you're at MSG.
That being said, UConn can ill-afford to get too swept up tonight. The Huskies really need a win considering what their upcoming schedule looks like. And that whole inability to perform on the road thing is still over the players' heads, but as Jeff Adrien put it: "We’ve just got to get a win. It doesn’t matter if we’re on the road or not. It’s just about getting a win."

A MUST WIN

I can't decide if St. John's losing Thursday night at Seton Hall is good or bad for UConn. It obviously proves the Red Storm are vulnerable, but perhaps being an angry team won't be to UConn's advantage.
Either way, this is certainly a game the Huskies have to win. Road game or not, going to Pittsburgh on a three-game losing streak isn't something any team would like to encounter.
I'm not of the belief tomorrow night is what's needed to save the season, but another loss could break the Huskies.

THIS IS UGLY

We're at a media timeout here with 7:54 left in the first half and the score is 18-12 Marquette. I wish I could chalk up all this scoring to good defense, but it's more like bad offense.
The recent sequence was just capped by a double dribble by Curtis Kelly, who is one of three UConn forwards to already have a pass go off their hands under the basket. Considering, the Huskies should be happy to be this close.

IT'S ALWAYS BIG

It's part of the beauty, or beast, that makes the Big East special. There are no easy games, making every win so important.
Those stakes cause ever early-season games to become very important, which will be the case tomorrow night when Marquette visits UConn.
The Huskies need a win to get back above .500 to 2-1. The Golden Eagles will be trying to avoid an 0-3 that would be tough to climb out of.
It should make for a good game — one filled with tension, even if we're only two weeks into January.

LET'S SEE

We're about to start the second half here at LSU. Let's see how UConn responds early.
The Huskies opened 7-0 to start the first half, leading the entire way before Tack Minor's 3-pointer from nearly halfcourt dropped to put the hosts ahead 30-28.
UConn can't let too much momentum be carried over or things could get ungly fast like at West Virginia.

IT'S LOUD

The Pete Maravich Assembly Center crowd is rocking in here and it's really loud as we're minutes away from tip. The crowd is split into sections of white, yellow and purple thanks to free T-shirts that were left on every seat in the building.
The atmosphere is much more intimidating than a week ago at West Virginia, so it'll be interesting to see how the Huskies handle things early on — where I believe the game will be won or lost.

TRAVEL WOES

Let me begin by saying that while I respect everything that’s been done to improve the safety of air travel, some of these rules are downright ridiculous.
Already a bit out of it because I had a flight leaving at 6 a.m., I became frustrated in the early hours because half my toiletries were removed from my bag and could not travel because they were larger than a minimum standard. Remarkably, those same odds-and-ends made it on the plane just fine last week in my journey from New York to Pittsburgh and back.
Like I said, I get that rules are rules, but come on, what’s a little soap going to do?
Things got even more interesting as I was waiting in the Baton Rouge airport. I was supposed to catch a ride with another writer who had a different connecting flight that was due to arrive about 90 minutes after I got in. But roughly halfway through my wait, I got a call saying something went wrong with their plane out of Atlanta, so the flight had to be rerouted and the new timetable is unknown.
In light of those events, I guess I don’t have too much to complain about.

Anyway, it’s approximately 1:15 p.m. local time, about four hours until the media — at least the part that makes it here in time — is set to meet UConn players and coaches at their hotel for interviews. I’m killing time by trying to get my other work done, but when coaches don’t immediately return calls the process becomes slowed.
I’m hoping to get down to New Orleans before returning home Sunday — it’s about 90 minutes south of here by car — to see how the city looks in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I’ve never seen New Orleans before so I don’t have anything to base my impressions on, but I’m sure certain aspects will stand out even to a first-timer.

KEEPING AN EYE OUT
Flipping back and forth here between Providence-Marquette and Syracuse-Pittsburgh, and these games are making the Big East even more difficult to figure out.
After St. John’s knocked off DePaul on Wednesday — granted it was at home — the unexpected could be happening again since Providence is up nine at the half. Meanwhile in Upstate New York, Pitt’s having a hard time shaking the Orange, which, at least to me, demonstrates the misleading power of the Panthers more than how difficult road wins can be.

On the UConn front, Tom Moore spoke on today’s Big East teleconference and talked a little about the problems Glen Davis of LSU will pose this weekend. It’s going to take more than just Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien to slow “Big Baby,” who likes to roam and has more versatility than the typical big man.
It should be a real test down in Baton Rouge.

IT’S A BIG ONE

About 90 minutes from tip here at the Civic Center in what should be an important game. That sounds kind of crazy considering the opponent is South Florida, but it’s the case.
Although I don’t doubt UConn will win tonight and even its Big East record at 1-1, a convincing result is necessary in my opinion. The Huskies need to show Saturday’s loss at West Virginia was not a sign of things to come and winning in impressive fashion is the first step toward that.
Since the upcoming schedule doesn’t provide any relief, more signs of vulnerability is something UConn can ill afford.