University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies to Host Rhode Island
12/23/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UConn vs. Rhode Island -- Tuesday, Dec. 26 -- 7:30 p.m. -- Hartford Civic Center
ABOUT UCONN: Connecticut is ranked No. 11 in the nation in the AP National Top 25 poll and No. 12 in the nation in the USA Today/ESPN poll (as of polls of Dec. 18). The Huskies will carry a 9-1 overall record into the Rhode Island game. UConn is riding an eight-game winning streak and the Huskies are coming off a 100-66 victory over Fairfield (Dec. 22) in the Hartford Civic Center.
100 POINTS & 100 WINS: In hitting the 100-point plateau in its December 22 victory over Fairfield (100-66), the Connecticut's men's basketball team matched the number of wins the program has achieved in the past three-plus seasons. Since the start of the 1997-98 collegiate season, UConn has compiled a 100-18 overall record, the second best four-year mark among all 318 NCAA Division I college basketball programs. Duke, the team UConn beat in the 1999 NCAA National Championship game, has compiled a nation- leading 108-12 record during the past four years.
SCHOOL MARK FOR ASSISTS: Connecticut set a school record for assists in a single game with 31 against Fairfield (Dec. 22, 2000). The Huskies chalked up assists on 31 of 42 field goals (73.8%), scoring 43 fast break points and totaling 37 points off 28 Fairfield turnovers. The previous single-game record for assist in a game was 30--established twice. UConn had 30 assists on January 2, 1994 vs. Winthrop (113-59) and the Huskies had 30 assists on November 27, 1998 vs. Wagner (111- 46).
ABOUT RHODE ISLAND: The University of Rhode Island will carry a 3-7 overall record into the game against Connecticut. Two of URI's three victories this season have come at the hands of Connecticut-based teams (Fairfield and Yale). The Rams are riding a two-game winning streak with victories over Yale (68-63) and Northeastern (80-67). URI has been idle since posting its win over Northeastern (Dec. 16).
SERIES HISTORY: This is the 145th meeting in the sport of men's basketball between Connecticut and Rhode Island. UConn holds a 76-68 advantage in the series, which dates back to the 1906-07 season. The Huskies have won the last five meetings between the two clubs. The two schools have played just twice since 1990 and UConn posted an 80-67 victory over the Rams in the last meeting between the two programs--a preseason NIT Second Round game on November 19, 1997 in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs. UConn is 2-3 vs. URI in games played in the Hartford Civic Center. The last contest in Hartford took place on December 29, 1990, a 90-69 UConn win in the championship game of the Connecticut Mutual Classic.
THREE GAMES IN SEVEN DAYS IN HARTFORD: The game against Rhode Island is the second game of a busy three- games-in-seven-days home stand in the Hartford Civic Center for the University of Connecticut men's basketball program. Connecticut began the quick home stand against Fairfield (Dec. 22) and the Huskies follow the URI game with a non-league contest in Hartford on Thursday, December 28, at 7:30 p.m. against Stony Brook.
100 YEARS OF UCONN BASKETBALL: The University of Connecticut men's basketball program is celebrating a "Century of Husky Hoops" during the 2000-2001 season. The first varsity season for Connecticut Basketball was the 1901- 1902 season and the 2000-2001 season will complete 100 Years of UConn Basketball.
CONNECTICUT HAS 205 WINS IN LAST EIGHT SEASONS: During the past eight basketball seasons (beginning with the 1993- 94 season), Connecticut has won 205 games (205-45), ranking the Huskies No. 3 in the nation among 318 NCAA Division I schools for total victories during that span. UConn has averaged 28 wins per year during the past seven full seasons. The only Division I schools with more wins than UConn during the past eight years are Kentucky and Kansas.
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.
NATIONAL RANKING FOR 63 CONSECUTIVE POLLS: The University of Connecticut men's basketball program has been ranked in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 National Poll for a school-record 63 consecutive polling periods (including the AP poll of Dec. 25), dating back to the 1997-98 season.
UCONN IN HARTFORD: Since January of 1976, the Hartford Civic Center has hosted games involving the University of Connecticut men's basketball program. UConn has played 207 times in the Hartford Civic Center. The Huskies are 131-64 against collegiate opposition in Hartford and 142-65 overall (including exhibitions). The 207 games in Hartford have attracted 2,915.396 fans, an average of 14,084.
UCONN 63-4 VS. NON-CONFERENCE TEAMS IN HCC UNDER JIM CALHOUN: In his 15 years as head coach of the Connecticut Basketball program, Jim Calhoun has compiled an outstanding overall record of 63-4 in the Hartford Civic Center against non-BIG EAST Conference teams. The only losses in Hartford to non-BIG EAST clubs were against Purdue and Hartford (1986), Virginia (1987), Kansas (1997). Since the loss to Virginia (December 6, 1987), the UConn basketball program has compiled a superb record of 62-1 against non- BIG EAST Conference opponents in games played in the Hartford Civic Center.
UCONN HAS 16-GAME WINNING STREAK VS. NON-CONFERENCE TEAMS IN HCC: Connecticut will enter the contest with Rhode Island riding a 16-game winning streak against non- BIG EAST opponents in games played in the Hartford Civic Center. The last loss to a non-BIG EAST rival in Hartford took place on Jan. 19, 1997 (a 73-65 loss to Kansas).
UCONN HAS 73-GAME WINNING STREAK VS. NON-BIG EAST NE FOES: Connecticut will enter the Rhode Island game riding a stunning 73-game winning streak against non-BIG EAST Conference New England college rivals. 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 UConn is 77-3 (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 to Hartford in the Connecticut Mutual Classic).
UCONN TOUGH AT HOME: Since the start of the 1989-90 season, Connecticut has posted an overall "home courts" record of 160-26 against collegiate opposition. During the past 12-year span, UConn has been 87-15 at home in the Hartford Civic Center, 68-11 at home in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, and 5-0 at home 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 86-4 at home against non-BIG EAST opponents (51-1 in the Hartford Civic Center, 30-3 in Gampel Pavilion, 5-0 in the Hugh S. Greer Field House).
UCONN 105-13 AT HOME IN LAST EIGHT YEARS: Since the start of the 1993-94 season, Connecticut has posted an impressive 105-13 "home courts" record against collegiate opponents in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs and the Hartford Civic Center. During the past eight seasons, UConn is 60-7 in Hartford and 45-6 in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. NOTE: The record does not include three "neutral court" wins over Massachusetts in the Hartford Civic Center.
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 588-268 (68.7%), having spent 14 seasons as the head coach at Northeastern University before taking over at Connecticut in 1986-87. Calhoun sports a 338-131 (72.1%) 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 HAS 108 WINS IN HARTFORD: UConn head coach Jim Calhoun will enter the Rhode Island game carrying a 15-year record of 108-31 (77.7%) against collegiate opponents in Husky games played in the Hartford Civic Center (including three neutral court wins over Massachusetts). In Jim Calhoun's 15 years at Connecticut, the Huskies have recorded a 63-4 mark against non-conference opponents in Hartford and a 45-27 record against BIG EAST Conference foes. During the past eight seasons (since 1993- 94), the Huskies have posted a superb 63-7 record in Hartford.
JIM CALHOUN-WINNINGEST DIVISION I COACH IN NEW ENGLAND HISTORY: Jim Calhoun's 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 Rhode Island game with 588 career wins. He posted 250 wins in 14 years at Northeastern (MA) University and has added 338 wins at UConn in his 15 years at Connecticut.
JIM CALHOUN NO. 9 IN WINS AMONG ACTIVE NCAA DIVISION I COACHES: Jim Calhoun's 29-year overall collegiate head coaching record of 588-268 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.
JIM CALHOUN NO. 15 ALL-TIME IN NCAA WINS: UConn head coach Jim Calhoun, who directed Connecticut to the 1999 NCAA Division I National Championship, currently ranks No. 15 all-time in NCAA career victories. Calhoun is 24-12 overall in NCAA play (21-7 at UConn, 3-5 at Northeastern).
1. Dean Smith 65-27 (.707) 2. Mike Krzyzewski 50-14 (.781) 3. John Wooden 47-10 (.825) 4. Bob Knight 42-21 (.667) 5. Denny Crum 42-23 (.646) 6. John Thompson 34-19 (.642) 7. Lute Olson 32-21 (.604) 8. Jerry Tarkanian 31-14 (.689) 8. Jim Boeheim 31-20 (.608)10. Adolph Rupp 30-18 (.625)11. Eddie Sutton 30-20 (.600)12. Rick Pitino 26-7 (.788)12. Nolan Richardson 26-14 (.650)12. Guy Lewis 26-18 (.591)15. JIM CALHOUN 24-12 (.667)16. Roy Williams 23-11 (.677)17. Steve Fisher 20-6 (.769)17. Al McGuire 20-9 (.690)17. Joe Hall 20-9 (.690)17. Rollie Massimino 20-10 (.667)
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 Calhoun's overall winning percentage at Connecticut (338-131=72.1%).
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 291-85 (77.4% 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 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 15 years in charge of the UConn program (150-90 in regular season play, 20-10 in BIG EAST Tournament games).
UCONN 168-31 AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE FOES UNDER JIM CALHOUN: The Connecticut men's basketball program has posted an overall record of 168-31 (84.4%) against non- conference teams in Jim Calhoun's 15 years in charge of the UConn program. The game against Rhode Island will be the 200th non-conference game for Jim Calhoun as head coach at Connecticut.
UCONN--BIG EAST TEAM OF THE 1990'S: During the decade of the 1990's, the Connecticut men's 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, UConn's 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.
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.
ALBERT APPROACHING 1,000-POINT PLATEAU: Connecticut senior guard Albert Mouring is closing in on the coveted 1,000-point scoring plateau as a UConn player. Mouring will enter the Rhode Island game having scored 916 points in 92 college contests (9.9/game). Currently, a total of 31 Connecticut men's basketball stars are members of the elite 1,000-point scoring club.
FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES: Connecticut will enter the game against Rhode Island with four players scoring in double figures. Senior guard Albert Mouring leads the way with an 18.4/game average. Freshman forward Caron Butler is next at 17.1/game. Junior forward Johnnie Selvie is third at 13.6/game and senior forward Edmund Saunders is fourth at 11.5/game.
EDMUND NO. 2 IN CAREER FIELD GOAL SHOOTING: UConn senior Edmund Saunders stands in the No. 2 spot on Connecticut's career field goal percentage shooting list. In 78 games during his Connecticut career, Saunders has converted 232 of 420 field goal attempts in 78 games for a 55.2% field goal shooting performance. Chuck Aleksinas (1980- 82) is No. 1 in career field goal shooting at 56.6%.
BUTLER IMPRESSIVE VS. STAGS: UConn freshman forward Caron Butler filled the stats sheet in Connecticut's 100-66 non-league win over Fairfield (Dec. 22). The 6-7 Butler contributed a "double-double" with 16 points and 10 assists in just 28 minutes of playing time. He had team-high totals of seven rebounds and four steals while also finding time to block two shots.
CARON SHINES AMONG HUSKY ROOKIES: UConn freshman Caron Butler is the first freshman in Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun's 15 years as Husky head coach to score in double figures in each of his first seven collegiate games. Butler, who sat out the first three UConn games of the 2000-2001 season, started his Husky career with 20 points vs. Louisville (Nov. 22) and has followed that with scoring efforts of 21, 15, 18, 16, 14, and 16 points. Butler's scoring average of 17.1/game ranks No. 2 under Jim Calhoun among freshmen in their first seven college contests (Khalid El-Amin scored 132 points-18.9/game-in his first seven college outings).
SWAIN TO JOIN UCONN: Robert Swain, a 6-4 freshman from College Park, Georgia, has enrolled at the University of Connecticut and will join the UConn men's basketball program beginning with the Rhode Island game (Dec. 26). Swain will begin classes at UConn in January (spring semester). Swain averaged 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists a game during the 1999-2000 scholastic season in leading Tri-Cities High School (East Point, Georgia) to a 25-4 record and a regional championship.
GORDON SIGNS WITH UCONN: Ben Gordon, a 6-2 combination guard at Mount Vernon (NY) HS, 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."
STONY BROOK UP NEXT: Following the game against Rhode Island, the UConn men's basketball program quickly returns to the Hartford Civic Center for a non-league matchup on Thursday, December 28, at 7:30 p.m. against Stony Brook.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR UCONN HOME GAMES IN HARTFORD: Reserved tickets, priced at $25 each, are on sale for the remaining Connecticut home games (Rhode Island-Dec. 26, Stony Brook-Dec. 28, Pittsburgh-Jan. 10, Villanova-Jan. 24, Providence-Feb. 6, Boston College-Feb. 13, Notre Dame-Feb. 26)) in the Hartford Civic Center. Tickets are available at TicketMaster outlets throughout the state, by calling TicketMaster at (860) 525-4500 or (203) 624-0033, by ordering on-line at www.ticketmaster.com, at the Hartford Civic Center Box Office, or in person at the UConn Athletic Ticket Office in Storrs (cash or check only).
