2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team

2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball
NCAA National Champions
NCAA West Regional Champions
Big East Tournament Champions
Maui Invitational Tournament Champions
NCAA Tournament, W, 53–41 vs. Butler in NCAA National Championship Game
Conference Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches #1
2010–11 record 32–9 (9–9 Big East)
Head coach Jim Calhoun
Assistant coach George Blaney
Assistant coach Andre LaFleur
Assistant coach Kevin Ollie
Home arena Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, XL Center
Seasons
« 2009–10 2011–12 »
2010–11 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#4 Pittsburgh 15   3   .833     28   6   .824
#5 Notre Dame 14   4   .778     27   7   .794
#12 Syracuse 12   6   .667     27   8   .771
#14 Louisville 12   6   .667     25   10   .714
#18 St. John's 12   6   .667     21   12   .636
Cincinnati 11   7   .611     26   9   .743
#22 West Virginia 11   7   .611     21   12   .636
Georgetown 10   8   .556     21   11   .656
#9 Connecticut † 9   9   .500     32   9   .780
Villanova 9   9   .500     21   12   .636
Marquette 9   9   .500     22   15   .595
Seton Hall 7   11   .389     13   18   .419
Rutgers 5   13   .278     15   17   .469
Providence 4   14   .222     15   17   .469
South Florida 3   15   .167     10   23   .303
DePaul 1   17   .056     7   24   .226
† 2011 Big East Tournament winner
As of April 4, 2011[1] • Rankings from AP Poll

The 2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2010–2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies were coached by Jim Calhoun and played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. The Huskies are a member of the Big East Conference.
The Huskies entered the year unranked and picked to finish tenth in the Big East. In November, they won the Maui Invitational Tournament for the second time. They finished the Big East regular season in a tie for ninth place at 9–9. Led by Kemba Walker who scored a tournament record 130 points, they became the first school to win five conference tournament games in as many days in claiming their seventh Big East Tournament title. By winning the tournament, they were awarded an automatic berth into the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. They advanced to their fourth Final Four with a 65–63 victory over Arizona and advanced to their third National Championship game with a 56–55 victory over Kentucky and beat Butler 53–41 for their first championship since 2004 and third since 1999.

Contents

Before the season

The Huskies were coming off of a tumultuous 2009–10 season in which they failed to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament for the second time in four years, and amidst an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations involving Nate Miles. As a result of the investigation, assistant coaches Patrick Sellers and Beau Archibald resigned from their positions.[2] Later that summer, Kevin Ollie was hired to take Sellers' role as assistant coach,[3] and Glen Miller was brought on as Director of Basketball Operations, replacing Archibald.[4] Both men have previous links with Jim Calhoun. Ollie played for the Huskies under Calhoun from 1991–95, while Miller was an assistant coach under Calhoun from 1986 until 1992.
In addition to the coaching changes, the Huskies also needed to replace three graduating starters: Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards. Reserve forward Ater Majok also left the school before the season began.[5]
Prior to the start of the season, the Huskies were picked by both the Big East coaches and writers to finish tenth in the conference.[6][7] The team was not ranked in the top 25 in any major national poll, although they did receive votes in the Preseason AP Poll.[8]
With regards to individual honors, Kemba Walker was selected to the Preseason All Big East first team,[9] and was named to both the Wooden and Naismith award preseason watchlists.[10][11]

Recruiting class

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Michael Bradley
C		 Chattanooga, TN Tyner Academy 6 ft 10 in (208 cm) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 13,
09 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 88
Niels Giffey
SF		 Berlin, Germany Alba Berlin 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) 210 lb (95 kg)  
Scout:N/A   Rivals:N/A   ESPN grade: 40
Jeremy Lamb
SG		 Norcross, GA Norcross H.S. 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) 175 lb (79 kg) Sep 15,
09 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 92
Shabazz Napier
PG		 Randolph, MA Lawrence Academy 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) 165 lb (75 kg) Apr 29,
10 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 94
Tyler Olander
PF		 Storrs, CT E.O. Smith H.S. 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) 215 lb (98 kg) Mar 25,
10 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 90
Roscoe Smith
SF		 Baltimore, MD Oak Hill Academy (VA) 6 ft 8 in (203 cm) 190 lb (86 kg) Jan 8,
10 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 95
Enosch Wolf
C		 Germany Wilbraham & Monson Academy 7 ft 1 in (216 cm) 250 lb (110 kg)  
Scout:N/A   Rivals:N/A   ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 18   ESPN: 20
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:

Roster

2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Home town
G 21 Bailey, KyleKyle Bailey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Lancaster, NH
G 2 Beverly (C), DonnellDonnell Beverly (C) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Hawthorne, CA
F/C 25 Bradley, MichaelMichael Bradley 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Chattanooga, TN
F 4 Coombs-McDaniel, JamalJamal Coombs-McDaniel 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Dorchester, MA
G/F 5 Giffey, NielsNiels Giffey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Berlin, Germany
G/F 3 Lamb, JeremyJeremy Lamb 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Norcross, GA
G 13 Napier, ShabazzShabazz Napier 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Randolph, MA
F 10 Olander, TylerTyler Olander 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Mansfield, CT
C 35 Okwandu, CharlesCharles Okwandu 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Sr Lagos, Nigeria
F/C 34 Oriakhi, AlexAlex Oriakhi 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Lowell, MA
F 22 Smith, RoscoeRoscoe Smith 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Baltimore, MD
F 23 Stewart, BenjaminBenjamin Stewart 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Denver, CO
G 15 Walker (C), KembaKemba Walker (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Jr Bronx, NY
C 1 Wolf, EnoschEnosch Wolf 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Fr Göttingen, Germany
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: January 23, 2010

Regular season

After a pair of exhibition games, the Huskies began the regular season with non-conference wins over America East teams, Stony Brook and Vermont. In the win against Vermont, Kemba Walker tied a UConn XL Center record by scoring 42 points.[12]
The team next travelled to Hawaii to play in the 2010 Maui Invitational Tournament. They last participated in the tournament in 2005, when they won the championship. To open the current tournament, they played Wichita State. Walker scored 29 of his 31 points in the second in the 83–79 win.[13] The victory meant they would match up with Michigan State, who was ranked #2 in the AP poll at the time. Walker scored 30 points, the third straight game that he eclipsed the 30 point mark, as the Huskies won 70–67.[14] In the championship game, the Huskies outscored Kentucky 21–2 at the end of the first half, and defeated the Wildcats, 84–67.[15] Walker, who scored 29 points in the final, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. His 90 points was just three points short of the Maui Invitational record.[16] Alex Oriakhi was also named to the all-tournament team.

Post-season

The Huskies entered the Big East Tournament as the #9 seed, just missing the cut to earn a First Round bye. UConn went on to win five games in five consecutive days to earn the Tournament Championship, and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. In the Big East Tournament, UConn defeated four teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.[17]

UConn received a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament's West Region. They continued their winning streak all the way to the National Championship, finishing the season with eleven consecutive wins.

The Huskies came close to being banned from post-season play outright. As the NCAA finished their investigation of UConn's prior recruiting violations, banning UConn from post-season play was considered, but ultimately not adopted.[18]

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
November 12* 7:00 PM Stony Brook Harry A. Gampel Pavilion • Storrs, CT ESPN3/SNY W 79–52  8,319[19] 1–0
November 17* 7:00 PM Vermont XL Center • Hartford, CT ESPN3/SNY W 89–73  10,216[19] 2–0
November 22* 3:00 PM vs. Wichita State Lahaina Civic Center • Lahaina, HI
(Maui Invitational Quarterfinal)		 ESPN2 W 83–79  2,400[19] 3–0
November 23* 7:00 PM vs. #2 Michigan State Lahaina Civic Center • Lahaina, HI
(Maui Invitational Semifinal)		 ESPN W 70–67  2,400[19] 4–0
November 24* 10:00 PM vs. #9 Kentucky Lahaina Civic Center • Lahaina, HI
(Maui Invitational Final)		 ESPN W 84–67  2,400[19] 5–0
November 30* 7:30 PM New Hampshire #9 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion • Storrs, CT ESPN3/SNY W 62–55  8,558[19] 6–0
December 3* 7:00 PM UM-Baltimore County #9 XL Center • Hartford, CT ESPN3/SNY W 94–61  10,591[19] 7–0
December 8* 7:30 PM Fairleigh Dickinson #6 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion • Storrs, CT ESPN3/SNY W 78–54  8,241[19] 8–0
December 20* 7:00 PM Coppin State #4 XL Center • Hartford, CT SNY W 76–64  10,193[19] 9–0
December 22* 7:00 PM Harvard #4 XL Center • Hartford, CT SNY W 81–52  11,255[19] 10–0
December 27 8:30 PM at #6 Pittsburgh #4 Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA ESPN2 L 63–78  12,725[19] 10–1 (0–1)
December 31 6:00 PM South Florida #4 XL Center • Hartford, CT ESPNU W 66–61 OT 12,599[19] 11–1 (1–1)
January 4 7:00 PM at #14 Notre Dame #8 Joyce Center • South Bend, IN ESPN3 L 70–73  7,291[19] 11–2 (1–2)
January 8* 3:30 PM at #12 Texas #8 Frank Erwin Center • Austin, TX ESPN W 82–81 OT 16,734[19] 12–2
January 11 7:00 PM Rutgers #10 XL Center • Hartford, CT ESPN3 W 67–53  12,527[19] 13–2 (2–2)
January 15 2:00 PM at DePaul #10 Allstate Arena • Rosemont, IL ESPN3 W 82–62  9,581[19] 14–2 (3–2)
January 17 3:30 PM #7 Villanova #8 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion • Storrs, CT ESPN W 61–59  10,167[19] 15–2 (4–2)
January 22* 2:00 PM Tennessee #8 XL Center • Hartford, CT CBS W 72–61  16,294[19] 16–2
January 25 9:00 PM at Marquette #5 Bradley Center • Milwaukee, WI ESPN3/SNY W 76–68  15,476[19] 17–2 (5–2)
January 29 12:00 PM #23 Louisville #5 Harry A. Gampel Pavillion • Storrs, CT ESPN3/SNY L 78–79 2OT 10,167[19] 17–3 (5–3)
February 2 7:00 PM #17 Syracuse #6 XL Center • Hartford, CT ESPN L 58–66  16,294[19] 17–4 (5–4)
February 5 7:00 PM at Seton Hall #6 Prudential Center • Newark, NJ ESPNU W 61–59  10,001[19] 18–4 (6–4)
February 10 7:00 PM at St. John's #10 Madison Square Garden • New York, NY ESPN L 72–89  13,652[19] 18–5 (6–5)
February 13 7:00 PM Providence #10 Harry A. Gampel Pavillion • Storrs, CT ESPN3/SNY W 75–57  10,167[19] 19–5 (7–5)
February 16 7:00 PM #9 Georgetown #13 XL Center • Hartford, CT ESPN3/SNY W 78–70  16,294[19] 20–5 (8–5)
February 19 9:00 PM at #16 Louisville #13 KFC Yum! Center • Louisville, KY ESPN L 58–71  22,776[19] 20–6 (8–6)
February 24 7:00 PM Marquette #14 XL Center • Hartford, CT ESPN L 67–74 OT 14,622[19] 20–7 (8–7)
February 27 12:00 PM at Cincinnati #14 Fifth Third Arena • Cincinnati, OH ESPNU W 67–59  11,246[19] 21–7 (9–7)
March 2 7:00 PM at West Virginia #16 WVU Coliseum • Morgantown, WV ESPN2 L 56–65  13,241[19] 21–8 (9–8)
March 5 2:00 PM #8 Notre Dame #16 Harry A. Gampel Pavillion • Storrs, CT ESPN L 67–70  10,167[19] 21–9 (9–9)
2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
March 8 12:00 PM vs. DePaul #21 Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(First Round)		 ESPN2 W 97–71  19,375[19] 22–9
March 9 12:00 PM vs. #22 Georgetown #21 Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(Second Round)		 ESPN W 79–62  19,375[19] 23–9
March 10 12:00 PM vs. #3 Pittsburgh #21 Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(Quarterfinals)		 ESPN W 76–74  19,375[19] 24–9
March 11 7:00 PM vs. #11 Syracuse #21 Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(Semifinals)		 ESPN W 76–71 OT 19,375[19] 25–9
March 12 9:00 PM vs. #14 Louisville #21 Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(Championship Game)		 ESPN W 69–66  19,375[19] 26–9
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
March 17* 7:20 PM vs. #14-W Bucknell #9 (3-W) Verizon Center • Washington, DC
(Second Round)		 TNT W 89–52  17,706[19] 27–9
March 19* 9:40 PM vs. #6-W Cincinnati #9 (3-W) Verizon Center • Washington, DC
(Third Round)		 TBS W 69–58  18,684[19] 28–9
March 24* 7:15 PM vs. #6 (2-W) San Diego State #9 (3-W) Honda Center • Anaheim, CA
(Sweet Sixteen)		 CBS W 74–67  17,980[19] 29–9
March 26* 7:05 PM vs. #17 (5-W) Arizona #9 (3-W) Honda Center • Anaheim, CA
(Elite Eight)		 CBS W 65–63  17,856[19] 30–9
April 2* 6:49 PM vs. #11 (4-E) Kentucky #9 (3-W) Reliant Stadium • Houston, TX
(Final Four)		 CBS W 56–55  75,421[19] 31–9
April 4* 9:00 PM vs. #8-SE Butler #9 (3-W) Reliant Stadium • Houston, TX
(National Championship Game)		 CBS W 53–41  70,376[19] 32–9
*Non-Conference Game. #Rankings from AP Poll.

Notes

  1. ^ "Big East Conference Standings - 2010-11." ESPN.com. Retrieved 3-9-11.
  2. ^ Anthony, Mike (28 May 2010). "UConn Assistants Sellers, Archibald Out In Light Of NCAA Violations". Hartford Courant. http://articles.courant.com/2010-05-28/sports/hc-uconn-sellers-archibald-0528-20100527_1_josh-nochimson-basketball-operations-beau-archibald-ncaa-review. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
  3. ^ Katz, Andy (02 July 2010). "Ollie says he's joining UConn's staff". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5348090. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
  4. ^ Divver, Mark (02 July 2011). "UConn adds former Brown coach Glen Miller to staff". The Providence Journal. http://hoopsblog.projo.com/2010/07/uconn-adds-form.html. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
  5. ^ O'Neil, Dana (01 September 2010). "Majok gives UConn more bad news". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/14819/majoks-departure-more-bad-news-for-uconn. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
  6. ^ "Pittsburgh Chosen As BIG EAST Hoops Favorite". Bigeast.org. Published 10-20-2010. Retrieved 05-28-2011
  7. ^ "Pitt picked to win Big East, Syracuse picked to finish 3rd in Post-Standard's annual preseason writers poll". Syracuse.com. Published 10-19-2010. Retrieved 2011-05-28
  8. ^ "NCAA Division I: AP Top 25 (Oct. 28)". ESPN.com. 2010-10-28. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings?poll=1&year=2011&week=1. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  9. ^ "Freeman Selected BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year". Bigeast.org. Published 10-20-2010. Retrieved 05-28-2011
  10. ^ "Wooden Award Preseason 2010–11 Watch List". FanHouse. 2010-10-04. http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/04/wooden-award-preseason-2010-11-watch-list/. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  11. ^ "DUKE UNIVERSITY LEADS A DIVERSE PACK ON THE NAISMITH PRESEASON WATCH LIST". Naismith Award. 2010-12-16. https://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf8/723219.pdf?ATCLID=205032095&SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  12. ^ Borges, David (2011-11-17). "UCONN MEN’S BASKETBALL: They’ll Rememba Kemba; Walker matches record with 42 in win over Vermont". New Haven Register. http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/11/17/sports/doc4ce48a9883057536908867.txt. Retrieved 2011-05-29. 
  13. ^ "UConn's Kemba Walker scores 29 of his 31 points in second half". ESPN.com. 2010-11-22. http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=303260041. Retrieved 2011-05-29. 
  14. ^ "Kemba Walker's 30 points power Huskies past second-ranked Spartans". ESPN.com. 2010-11-23. http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=303270127. Retrieved 2011-05-29. 
  15. ^ Marshall, John (2010-11-25). "Walker leads UConn to Maui title over Kentucky". Associated Press. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201011240129. Retrieved 2011-05-29. 
  16. ^ "Kemba Walker scores 29 points as UConn upsets Kentucky, wins Maui Invitational". ESPN.com. 2010-11-25. http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=303280096. Retrieved 2011-05-29. 
  17. ^ "2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings - AP Top 25 Week 18 (Mar. 7)". ESPN. 7 March 2011. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings/_/year/2011/poll/1/week/18/seasontype/2. Retrieved 21 October 2011. 
  18. ^ Ostrout, Neil (22 February 2011). "NCAA suspends Jim Calhoun for 3 games; no postseason ban for UConn men". Danbury News-Times. http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/In-final-report-NCAA-cites-Jim-Calhoun-for-1024742.php. Retrieved 21 October 2011. 
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao "Season Schedule/Results & Leaders". University of Connecticut. http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2010-2011/teamcume.html. 
Connecticut Huskies Men's Basketball 2010–11 NCAA Champions
3 Jeremy Lamb | 10 Tyler Olander | 13 Shabazz Napier | 15 Kemba Walker (MOP) | 22 Roscoe Smith | 34 Alex Oriakhi
Head coach Jim Calhoun
Assistant coaches Kevin Ollie | George Blaney
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Final Four teams (2010–2019)
2010
2011
Butler • Connecticut • Kentucky • VCU
Italic connotes national championship, * means results were vacated