University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Set To Host Arizona
12/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
- Game Notes (pdf)
ABOUT UCONN:
The University of Connecticut (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP) enters the Arizona game with a 6-1 overall record and UConn is riding a five-game winning streak. The Huskies opened the season with a victory at home (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 won three consecutive home games in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion last week, beating Brown University on Tuesday (Nov. 28) by an 88-78 score, adding a 72-60 win over Houston on Thursday (Nov. 30), and defeating New Hampshire 97-70 on Saturday (Dec. 2).
FOURTH STRAIGHT GAME IN GAMPEL:
The Connecticut- Arizona game will mark the first time in the 12-year history of the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion that UConn has played four consecutive regular season games in the facility.
ABOUT ARIZONA:
The University of Arizona comes to Storrs with a 5-1 overall record and ranked No. 5 in the nation. The Wildcats opened the season with three wins over Chaminade, Dayton and Illinois en route to the tournament title at the Maui Invitational. After a loss on the road at Purdue, Arizona posted a pair of wins at home over Gonzaga and St. Marys (CA).
UCONN VS. ARIZONA:
Connecticut and Arizona will be meeting for the second time in the sport of mens basketball when the Wildcats visit the Huskies on December 9, 2000. UConn posted a 78-69 win over Arizona in the first meeting between the two schools (December 9, 1999 in the Great Eight Basketball Classic at the United Center in Chicago). One year ago, at the time of their first meeting, Arizona was ranked No. 2 in the nation while UConn was ranked No. 6 in the country. Khalid El-Amin led UConn past Arizona with 23 points while Tony Robertson came off the Husky bench to score a then career-high 15 points in just 20 minutes on the floor. Gilbert Arenas led Arizona with 18 points while Loren Woods added 16 and Michael Wright had a double- double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
POINTS/REBOUNDS RETURNING FROM LAST GAME:
Arizonas 2000-2001 roster includes all nine players who totaled the teams 69 points and 40 individual rebounds in the Wildcats 78-69 loss to Connecticut at the Great Eight Classic in Chicago. The current UConn roster includes five of the nine players who saw action vs. Arizona one year ago. The 2000-2001 Husky roster includes players who totaled 39 of the teams 78 points and 24 of the clubs 31 individual rebounds.
CONNECTICUT HAS 202 WINS IN LAST SEVEN-PLUS SEASONS:
During the past seven-plus basketball seasons (beginning with the 1993-94 season), Connecticut has won 202 games (202-45), 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 (212) and Kansas (203).
NATIONAL RANKING FOR 60 CONSECUTIVE POLLS:
The University of Connecticut mens 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 Dec. 4), 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.
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 158-26 against collegiate opposition. During the past 12-year span, UConn has been 86-15 at home in the Hartford Civic Center, 67-11 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 84-4 at home against non-BIG EAST opponents (50-1 in the Hartford Civic Center, 29-3 in Gampel Pavilion, 5-0 in the Hugh S. Greer Field House).
UCONN 103-13 AT HOME IN LAST EIGHT SEASONS:
Since the start of the 1993-94 season, Connecticut has posted an impressive 103-13 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 44-6 in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. NOTE: The record does not include two neutral court wins over Massachusetts in the Hartford Civic Center.
UCONN 67-11 IN GAMPEL PAVILION:
Connecticut sports a 67-11 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 29-3 against non-BIG EAST opposition.
UCONN 29-3 VS. NON-BIG EAST TEAMS IN GAMPEL PAVILION:
The University of Connecticut has posted a 29- 3 overall record vs. non-BIG EAST Conference teams in 12 years of intercollegiate competition in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs (building opened in January of 1990). The Huskies are currently riding a 22-game winning streak in Gampel Pavilion against non-BIG EAST programs. The last loss to a non-BIG EAST squad in Gampel Pavilion took place on March 19, 1993, a 90-88 overtime loss to Jackson State in the First Round of the 1993 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). UConns other two losses to non-BIG EAST squads in Gampel Pavilion were regular season setbacks and took place on February 6, 1993 (86-74 loss to Florida State on CBS) and on February 16, 1991 (60-59 loss to North Carolina State on CBS).
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 585-268 (68.6%), having spent 14 seasons as the head coach at Northeastern University before taking over at Connecticut in 1986-87. Calhoun sports a 335-131 (71.9%) 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 Arizona game with 585 career wins. He posted 250 wins in 14 years at Northeastern (MA) University and has added 334 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 (335-131=71.9%).
JIM CALHOUN NO. 9 IN WINS AMONG ACTIVE NCAA DIVISION I COACHES:
Jim Calhouns 29-year overall collegiate head coaching record of 585-268 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 288-85 (77.2% 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 Calhouns 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 programs history (1900-1986). Since the 1989-90 season, UConn has averaged 25.6 wins per season.
UCONNBIG 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 mens basketball program has posted an overall record of 170-100 (63.0%) against BIG EAST Conference teams during Jim Calhouns first 14 years in charge of the UConn program (150-90 in regular season play, 20-10 in BIG EAST Tournament games).
UCONN 165-31 AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE FOES UNDER JIM CALHOUN:
The Connecticut mens basketball program has posted an overall record of 165-31 (84.2%) against non-conference teams in Jim Calhouns 15 years in charge of the UConn program.
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 will enter the Arizona game with four players scoring in double figures. Senior guard Albert Mouring leads the way with a 19.4/game average. He is followed by freshman Caron Butler (18.5/game), junior Johnnie Selvie (12.7/game), and senior Edmund Saunders (12.4/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 221 of 403 field goal attempts in 75 games for a 54.8% field goal shooting performance.
UCONN ON CBS:
During the past 11 seasons (since the 1989-90 season), the Connecticut Basketball program has been televised nationally by CBS Sports a total of 66 times (31 during the regular season, 30 during the NCAA Championship, 5 in the BIG EAST Tournament). UConn has compiled an overall record of 40-26 in those 66 games on CBS (22-8 in NCAA play, 3-2 in the BIG EAST Tournament, 15-16 in regular season play). During the 2000-2001 regular season, UConn will play three games on CBSDecember 9 vs. Arizona at Gampel Pavilion, January 6 vs. St. Johns at Gampel Pavilion, March 3 vs. Seton Hall at Continental Airlines Arena. UConn has a 4-5 overall record in nine previous regular season games televised nationally by CBS from Gampel Pavilion (wins over Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Michigan State and losses to St. Johns twice, North Carolina State, Florida State, Miami)
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. Hes 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.
MASSMUTUAL U GAME TO FOLLOW ARIZONA:
Following the Arizona game, UConn will play the fifth annual MassMutual U Game against the University of Massachusetts. The UConn-UMass clash will take place on Tuesday, December 12, at 7 p.m. at the Hartford Civic Center. The contest will be televised nationally by ESPN. Tickets for the U Game, priced at $35, are on sale at TicketMaster locations throughout the state, by calling TicketMaster at (860) 525-4500 or (203) 624-0033, on line at www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the UConn Athletic Ticket Office (cash or check only).
