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 (1979–2013)
Ranking
Coaches	#1
AP	#21
2010–11 record	32–9 (9–9 Big East)
Head coach	Jim Calhoun (25th year)
Assistant coach	George Blaney
Assistant coach	Andre LaFleur
Assistant coach	Kevin Ollie
Home arena	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, XL Center

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
#10 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.

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	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Michael Bradley C	Chattanooga, TN	Tyner Academy	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Oct 13, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 88
Niels Giffey SF	Berlin, Germany	Alba Berlin	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Jeremy Lamb SG	Norcross, GA	Norcross H.S.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sep 15, 2009
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 92
Shabazz Napier PG	Roxbury, MA	Lawrence Academy	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Apr 29, 2010
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 94
Tyler Olander PF	Storrs, CT	E.O. Smith H.S.	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Mar 25, 2010
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 90
Roscoe Smith SF	Baltimore, MD	Oak Hill Academy (VA)	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jan 8, 2010
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Enosch Wolf C	Germany	Wilbraham & Monson Academy	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	250 lb (110 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 18   ESPN: 20
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "ESPN – Connecticut Basketball Recruiting 2010". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 26, 2010. "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 26, 2010.

Roster

2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown 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 Roxbury, 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 Jim Calhoun Assistant coach(es) George Blaney Andre LaFleur Kevin Ollie Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on 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 No. 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.

Postseason

The Huskies entered the Big East Tournament as the No. 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 No. 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. As a result of having to play 5 games to win their conference tournament, they became the first team in Division I history to play 41 games in a season.

Schedule

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

Players drafted into the NBA

Year	Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
2011[19]	1	9	Kemba Walker	Charlotte Bobcats
2012[20]	1	12	Jeremy Lamb	Oklahoma City Thunder (acquired via trade from the Houston Rockets)
2013[21]	2	57	Alex Oriakhi	Phoenix Suns
2014[22]	1	24	Shabazz Napier	Miami Heat (acquired via trade from the Charlotte Hornets)

Notes

1. "Big East Conference Standings - 2010-11." ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
2. Anthony, Mike (May 28, 2010). "UConn Assistants Sellers, Archibald Out In Light Of NCAA Violations". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
3. Katz, Andy (July 2, 2010). "Ollie says he's joining UConn's staff". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
4. Divver, Mark (July 2, 2011). "UConn adds former Brown coach Glen Miller to staff". The Providence Journal. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
5. O'Neil, Dana (September 1, 2010). "Majok gives UConn more bad news". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 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 May 28, 2011
8. "NCAA Division I: AP Top 25 (Oct. 28)". ESPN. October 28, 2010. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
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. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
11. "DUKE UNIVERSITY LEADS A DIVERSE PACK ON THE NAISMITH PRESEASON WATCH LIST" (PDF). Naismith Award. December 16, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
12. Borges, David (November 17, 2011). "UCONN MEN’S BASKETBALL: They’ll Rememba Kemba; Walker matches record with 42 in win over Vermont". New Haven Register. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
13. "UConn's Kemba Walker scores 29 of his 31 points in second half". ESPN. November 22, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
14. "Kemba Walker's 30 points power Huskies past second-ranked Spartans". ESPN. November 23, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
15. Marshall, John (November 25, 2010). "Walker leads UConn to Maui title over Kentucky". Associated Press. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
16. "Kemba Walker scores 29 points as UConn upsets Kentucky, wins Maui Invitational". ESPN. November 25, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
17. "2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – AP Top 25 Week 18 (Mar. 7)". ESPN. March 7, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
18. "Season Schedule/Results & Leaders". University of Connecticut.
19. http://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?lg=N&yr=2011
20. http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2012.html
21. http://www.mutigers.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062813aaa.html
22. http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2014.html