Spring Break
Huskies to return to No. 1 for first time since '06
Men's Basketball Notebook
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 2/2/09 Section: Sports
Its been 1,033 days since UConn men's basketball was ranked No. 1 in the country.
After a dominating 94-61 victory over Providence and losses by No. 1 Duke, No. 3 Pitt and No. 4 Wake Forest, that drought is almost certain to end.
UConn, which started off as the preseason No. 2 and has dipped no lower than No. 6 in the polls this year, will likely ascend to the top spot in the country when the rankings come out later today despite not even being in first place in the Big East.
"It's great when a team that's third place in the Big East is No. 1 in the country," said Providence coach Keno Davis. "It shows you how deep this league is."
UConn guard A.J. Price, who led the Huskies with 19 points in Saturday's victory, said that the team's new ranking doesn't "mean much at all."
"We have a tough game coming down in Louisville and they're not going to play any harder because we're No. 1," Price said.
"They're No. 1 in the Big East right now (7-0 conference record) and we're right on their tail. If they win the game, they get some separation, if we win the game, we put ourselves in great position coming down the stretch. That's what it boils down to, not No. 1."
While Price has never been an active participant on a No. 1 team, senior forward Jeff Adrien has. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound double-double machine was a key reserve on the Huskies' 2005-2006 squad that finished the season 30-4 and was rated at the top of the polls on numerous occassions.
"I've been there before," Adrien said. "It's about being No. 1 at the end of the year, that's what you want. Until then, you just go out and play every game like its your last."
UConn coach Jim Calhoun, though flattered that the voters would consider his team tops in the nation 21 games into the season, certainly wasn't satisfied with the ranking either.
"It's nice," Calhoun said. "But it was only a few years ago that we were No. 1 and upset by George Mason. [No. 1] is just a number that goes by quickly."
After a dominating 94-61 victory over Providence and losses by No. 1 Duke, No. 3 Pitt and No. 4 Wake Forest, that drought is almost certain to end.
UConn, which started off as the preseason No. 2 and has dipped no lower than No. 6 in the polls this year, will likely ascend to the top spot in the country when the rankings come out later today despite not even being in first place in the Big East.
"It's great when a team that's third place in the Big East is No. 1 in the country," said Providence coach Keno Davis. "It shows you how deep this league is."
UConn guard A.J. Price, who led the Huskies with 19 points in Saturday's victory, said that the team's new ranking doesn't "mean much at all."
"We have a tough game coming down in Louisville and they're not going to play any harder because we're No. 1," Price said.
"They're No. 1 in the Big East right now (7-0 conference record) and we're right on their tail. If they win the game, they get some separation, if we win the game, we put ourselves in great position coming down the stretch. That's what it boils down to, not No. 1."
While Price has never been an active participant on a No. 1 team, senior forward Jeff Adrien has. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound double-double machine was a key reserve on the Huskies' 2005-2006 squad that finished the season 30-4 and was rated at the top of the polls on numerous occassions.
"I've been there before," Adrien said. "It's about being No. 1 at the end of the year, that's what you want. Until then, you just go out and play every game like its your last."
UConn coach Jim Calhoun, though flattered that the voters would consider his team tops in the nation 21 games into the season, certainly wasn't satisfied with the ranking either.
"It's nice," Calhoun said. "But it was only a few years ago that we were No. 1 and upset by George Mason. [No. 1] is just a number that goes by quickly."
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