University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Host Houston at Gampel Pavilion
11/29/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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ABOUT UCONN:
The University of Connecticut enters the Houston game game with a 4-1 overall record and UConn is riding a three-game winning streak. The Huskies opened the season with a victory in Hartford over Quinnipiac (86-72) and UConn then posted a 2-1 mark at the Maui Invitational in Maui, Hawaii, losing to Dayton (80-66) and then defeating both Chaminade (77-61) and Louisville (83-71). The Huskies beat Brown University in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday (Nov. 28) by an 88-78 score.
ABOUT HOUSTON:
Houston comes to Storrs with a 2-3 overall record. The Cougars are coming off a 61-59 loss at home on Tuesday (Nov. 28) to LSU. Houston has posted wins over Mount St. Mary's College (77-52) and Southwest Texas State (73-59) while also losing to Air Force (59-53) and Rice (65-45).
UCONN VS. HOUSTON:
This is the second meeting in the sport of men's basketball between Connecticut and Houston. The two clubs met for the first time on December 30, 1999 in Houston with UConn posting an 82-76 victory. Connecticut led by as many as 28 points in that contest but Houston closed with a 26-4 offensive spurt to get within six at the end.
PART OF FOUR-GAME STRETCH IN GAMPEL PAVILION:
The University of Connecticut men's basketball program will play seven regular season home games in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs during the 2000-2001 season and four of those games are being played during the next two weeks. UConn beat Brown University (88-78) on November 28 in Gampel Pavilion and following the home game against Houston (Nov. 30), Connecticut hosts New Hampshire on Saturday, December 2. The Huskies then face nationally-ranked Arizona in Gampel Pavilion on Saturday, December 9. The other three home games in Storrs are BIG EAST Conference clashes - January 6 vs. St. John's, February 3 vs. Virginia Tech, February 24 vs. Miami.
CONNECTICUT HAS 200 WINS IN LAST SEVEN-PLUS SEASONS:
During the past seven-plus basketball seasons (beginning with the 1993- 94 season), Connecticut has won exactly 200 games (200-45), ranking the Huskies No. 3 in the nation among 318 NCAA Division I schools for total victories during that span. The Huskies have averaged 28 wins per season during the past seven years. The only Division I schools with more wins than UConn since the beginning of the 1993-94 season are Kentucky and Kansas.
NATIONAL RANKING FOR 59 CONSECUTIVE POLLS:
The University of Connecticut men's basketball program has been ranked in the Associated Press (AP) National Top 25 poll for a school-record 59 consecutive weeks (including the AP poll of Nov. 27, 2000), dating back to the 1997-98 season.
13 STRAIGHT NATIONAL POST-SEASON BIDS:
The Connecticut basketball program is one of only EIGHT schools (among 318 NCAA Division I institutions) to advance to national post-season tournament competition (NCAA or NIT) in each of the past 13 seasons (dating back to the 1987-88 season). Under the guidance of head coach Jim Calhoun, UConn has earned nine NCAA bids (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000) and four NIT bids (1988, 1989, 1993, 1997). The eight institutions which have advanced to national tournament play for the past 13 consecutive seasons include: Arizona, Arkansas, CONNECTICUT, Georgetown, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Temple.
MOST WINS IN A THREE-YEAR STRETCH:
The last three seasons of Connecticut Basketball have produced an overall record of 91-17 (32-5 in 1997-98, 34-2 in 1998-99, 25-10 in 1999-00), the most wins in any three- season stretch in UConn's 100-year basketball history and an average of 30.3 wins per season. UConn is No. 2 in the nation in total victories during the past three seasons.
Total Wins---(1997-98 through 1999-2000)1. Duke 98-112. CONNECTICUT 91-173. Michigan State 87-204. Kentucky 86-235. Cincinnati 83-165. Stanford 83-167. Kansas 82-248. Utah 81-189. North Carolina 80-2810. Arizona 79-1910. Murray State 79-19
100 YEARS OF UCONN BASKETBALL:
The 2000-2001 season will be a year during which UConn will celebrate a "Century of Husky Hoops". The first varsity season for Connecticut Basketball was the 1901-1902 season and the 2000-2001 season will complete 100 Years of UConn Basketball.
UCONN TOUGH AT HOME:
Since the start of the 1989-90 season, Connecticut has posted an overall "home courts" record of 156-26 against collegiate opposition. During the past 12-year span, UConn has been 86-15 at home in the Hartford Civic Center, 65-11 in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, and 5-0 in the Hugh S. Greer Field House. During the past 12 seasons, UConn is 74-22 at home in BIG EAST Conference play (38-8 in Gampel Pavilion, 36-14 in the Hartford Civic Center) and the Huskies are 82-4 at home against non-BIG EAST opponents (50-1 in the Hartford Civic Center, 27-3 in Gampel Pavilion, 5-0 in the Hugh S. Greer Field House).
UCONN 101-13 AT HOME IN LAST EIGHT SEASONS:
Since the start of the 1993-94 season, Connecticut has posted an impressive 101-13 "home courts" record in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and the Hartford Civic Center against collegiate opposition. During the past eight seasons, UConn is 59-7 in home games in Hartford and 42-6 in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. NOTE: The record does not include two "neutral court" wins over Massachusetts in the Hartford Civic Center.
UCONN 65-11 IN GAMPEL PAVILION:
Connecticut sports a 65-11 record against collegiate opposition in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion since the building opened in January of 1990. The Huskies are 38-8 in BIG EAST play in the building and 27-3 against non-BIG EAST opposition.
UCONN HEAD COACH JIM CALHOUN:
Jim Calhoun (American International 68) is in his 15th season in charge of the Connecticut basketball program. In his 29th season as a collegiate head coach, Jim Calhoun has an overall career record of 583-268 (68.5%), having spent 14 seasons as the head coach at Northeastern University before taking over at Connecticut in 1986-87. Calhoun sports a 333-131 (71.8%) record at UConn and he registered a 250-137 (64.6%) mark at Northeastern. He is the only basketball coach in NCAA Division I history to have recorded at least 250 wins at two different schools. Jim Calhoun is the winningest coach in both UConn and Northeastern basketball history.
JIM CALHOUN-WINNINGEST DIVISION I COACH IN NEW ENGLAND HISTORY:
Jim Calhouns 29-year career as a collegiate head coach ranks him as the winningest NCAA Division I coach in New England history. Jim Calhoun enters the Houston game with 583 career wins. He posted 250 wins in 14 years at Northeastern (MA) University and has added 333 wins at UConn in his 15 years at Connecticut.
JIM CALHOUN IMPRESSIVE IN POST-SEASON:
UConn head coach Jim Calhoun currently sports an impressive 76.2% winning percentage (32-10 overall) in national post-season tournament play in his first 14 years as Husky head coach. Jim Calhoun is 21-7 in NCAA play at UConn and is 11-3 in NIT competition. That post-season winning percentage is higher than Coach Calhouns overall winning percentage at Connecticut (333-131=71.8%).
JIM CALHOUN NO. 9 IN WINS AMONG ACTIVE NCAA DIVISION I COACHES:
Jim Calhouns 29-year overall collegiate head coaching record of 583-268 places him No. 9 in total wins among NCAA Division I active coaches. The active Division I coaches currently ahead of Jim Calhoun in total victories include: Jim Phelan, Lefty Driesell, Jerry Tarkanian, Lou Henson, Denny Crum, Eddie Sutton, John Chaney, Lute Olson.
RECORD-SETTING SPAN:
During the past 12 seasons (beginning with the 1989-90 season), head coach Jim Calhoun has directed the Connecticut basketball program to an overall record of 286-85 (77.1% winning effort), the sixth best overall record (total wins and winning percentage) among the 318 NCAA Division I teams in the nation. Prior to Jim Calhoun's tenure as head coach, Connecticut had only won as many as 23 games in a single season twice in the first 86 years of the program's history (1900-1986). Since the 1989-90 season, UConn has "averaged" 25.6 wins per season.
UCONN - BIG EAST TEAM OF THE 1990S:
During the decade of the 1990s, the Connecticut mens basketball program was the winningest program among all BIG EAST Conference schools. From 1989-90 through the 1998-99 season, UConn sported a 10-year overall record of 257-74 (77.6%). In that same span, UConns conference-best regular season record in BIG EAST games was 127-49.
UCONN HAS DOMINATED THE BIG EAST:
Connecticut has won outright possession of five BIG EAST Conference regular season titles in the past seven years. UConn has also won three of the past five BIG EAST Tournament championships. In 1997-98 & 1998-99, UConn became the first program in BIG EAST history to win the BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles in back-to-back seasons.
UCONN 170-100 AGAINST BIG EAST TEAMS UNDER JIM CALHOUN:
The Connecticut men's basketball program has posted an overall record of 170-100 (63.0%) against BIG EAST Conference teams during Jim Calhoun's first 14 years in charge of the UConn program (150- 90 in regular season play, 20-10 in BIG EAST Tournament games).
UCONN 163-31 AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE FOES UNDER JIM CALHOUN:
The Connecticut men's basketball program has posted an overall record of 163-31 (84.0%) against non-conference teams in Jim Calhoun's 15 years in charge of the UConn program.
UCONN HAS 70-GAME WINNING STREAK VS. NON-BIG EAST NEW ENGLAND FOES:
Connecticut's win over Brown extended UConn's stunning winning streak against non-BIG EAST Conference New England college rivals to 70 consecutive games. The streak dates back 15 seasons to UConn head coach Jim Calhoun's first year at Connecticut, the 1986-87 season. Jim Calhoun's overall record against non-BIG EAST New England schools in his 15 years at Connecticut is 74- 3 (all three losses in his first season in 1986-87). The last Connecticut loss to a non-BIG EAST New England opponent took place on December 29, 1986 (49-48 loss to Hartford in the Connecticut Mutual Classic.).
WINNING AT HOME IN THE BIG EAST:
During the last 11-year span (since the start of the 1989-90 season), Connecticut has paced the entire BIG EAST Conference in regular season league wins at home. During the past 11 seasons, UConn has posted a 74-22 record at home in BIG EAST games. During the same 11-year span, Syracuse is No. 2 to UConn in BIG EAST wins at home with a 68-28 record.
HUSKIES ALSO WIN ON THE ROAD IN BIG EAST:
In addition to leading the BIG EAST Conference in league wins at home during the past 11 seasons, the Connecticut basketball program is also the clear leader in BIG EAST road wins during the past 11 seasons. Since the 1989-90 season, UConn has posted a BIG EAST "best" 63-33 road record in regular season league games. Syracuse (57-39) is the only other BIG EAST school sporting a winning percentage in BIG EAST road games during the past 11 seasons.
FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES:
UConn currently has four players scoring in double figures through the first five games of the 2000-2001 regular season. Freshman Caron Butler has averaged 20.5/game in his first two collegiate games (20 points vs. Louisville, 21 points vs. Brown) while senior Albert Mouring is close behind with a 19.8/game average through five starts. Edmund Saunders is No. 3 with a 13.8 average and junior Johnnie Selvie has averaged 10.0/game in his first five games in a UConn uniform.
AVERAGING A DOUBLE-DOUBLE:
Senior Edmund Saunders is averaging a "double-double" in points and rebounds through the first five games of the 2000-2001 season. The 6-8 Saunders has posted a "double-double" in four of UConn's first five games and enters the Houston game averaging 13.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
EDMUND NO. 2 IN FIELD GOAL SHOOTING:
UConn senior Edmund Saunders stands in the No. 2 spot on Connecticuts career field goal percentage shooting list. In his three collegiate seasons, the 6-8 Saunders has converted 215 of 391 field goal attempts in 73 games for a 55.0% field goal shooting performance.
GORDON SIGNS WITH UCONN:
Ben Gordon, a 6-2 combination guard at Mount Vernon (NY) High School, signed a National Letter of Intent with the Connecticut Basketball program during the November signing period and plans to enroll at UConn for the 2001-2002 academic year. Gordon, rated among the Top 20 scholastic recruits in the nation and the USA Today New York Player of the Year as a junior, averaged 24.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 3.7 steals during his junior season at Mount Vernon in 1999-2000. "Ben is obviously an important recruit for us," said UConn head coach Jim Calhoun. "We believe he is one of the top 20 high school players in the country. He's a terrific shooter who can put it down, score, and do a lot of things on the court."
HUSKIES IN THE NBA:
A total of eight former UConn basketball stars are currently on active rosters with professional teams in the NBA. Clifford Robinson (Phoenix Suns) is in his 12th NBA season. Donyell Marshall (Utah Jazz) is in his seventh NBA season. Ray Allen (Milwaukee Bucks) is in his fifth NBA season. Travis Knight (New York Knicks) is in his fifth NBA season. Kevin Ollie (New Jersey Nets) is in his fourth NBA season. Richard Hamilton (Washington Wizards) is in his second NBA season. Khalid El-Amin and Jake Voskuhl (Chicago Bulls) are both in their first NBA season.
UP NEXT-NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Connecticut is back in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on Saturday, December 2, hosting the University of New Hampshire at 8:00 p.m. That game will be televised live in the Connecticut market on WTXX-TV (Channel 20).
