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| INSIDE THE NUMBERS |
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2000-01 record: 27-7;
13-3 in Big East (1st/East)
Postseason: Lost to Maryland 90-82 in NCAA East Region final.
RETURNING LEADERS
Points: Gordon 12.6
Rebs: Okafor 9.0
Assists: Brown 5.2
FG: Okafor 59.0%
3pt: Robertson/a> 43.6%
FT: Hazelton 78.9%
01-02 Stats:
Connecticut | Big East
KEY LOSSES
Caron Butler | 20.3 ppg
Johnnie Selvie | 11.4 ppg
PROJECTED STARTERS
G | Taliek Brown | Junior
G | T. Robertson | Senior
G | Ben Gordon | Soph
C | Emeka Okafor | Soph
F | Scott Hazelton | Sopp
Player to Watch
Emeka Okafor
Sophomore Center
Conference is in trouble if he adds consistent shot to all his swats.
DATE TO REMEMBER
Connecticut visits Oklahoma for a reprisal of last season's Storrs shootout, a 69-67 UConn loss -- and a potential NCAA Tournament matchup.
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CONNECTICUT HUSKIES
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Normally a Big East team, and certainly one of Connecticut's stature, would feel comfortable about a season in which only two key players must be replaced. But when one of them is All-American forward Caron Butler and the other is your other starting forward, Johnnie Selvie, how good can the Huskies feel? They know they've got a great backcourt in Taliek Brown (9.2 ppg, 5.1 apg), Tony Robertson (11.3 ppg) and Ben Gordon (12.6 ppg), and they know they have a premier interior defender in 6-9 Emeka Okafor (9 rpg, 4.1 blocks). But a handful of players who haven't done much, if anything, in college will be required to make heavy contributions for the Huskies to come anywhere near last season's 27-7 mark and region final finish. By the end of the season, the best bets to do just that are a pair of freshman wings, 6-5 Denham Brown and 6-4 Rashad Anderson. Brown is the athlete, Anderson the shooter. Either could bump Scott Hazelton from the lineup by February.
TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
The Huskies will have two new starters at forward, but Okafor will erase a lot of their defensive mistakes by erasing a lot of opposing teams' shots. He was third in the country last season in blocked shots, and nearly contributed a double-double in points and rebounds, too. Think Alonzo Mourning, minus the jumper -- which could come in time..
TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
Okafor can't grab every rebound, but who's going to help him? Hazelton, a 6-8 sophomore, is a former McDonald's All-American who has battled injuries and hasn't met expectations to date. Brown and Anderson are basically big guards. The Huskies might have to lean on a pair of seldom-used reserves last season, 7-0 senior Justin Brown and 6-8 senior Mike Hayes, for interior defense and rebounding.
BOTTOM LINE..............................
The Huskies have enough talent at guard and center to get into the NCAA Tournament again, and if Gordon emerges as the program's next great scorer -- already some are comparing him to Ray Allen -- Connecticut could compete again for a Big East title. Jim Calhoun's job would be made a lot easier, though, by the development of Hazelton and emergence of either Brown or Anderson.
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