The Daily Campus

Issue date: 2/10/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Dan Gindraux Jonathan Mandellove is one of the players UConn should consider trading.

Aside from Selection Sunday, Wednesday, Feb. 11 may be the most important day of the college basketball season.

For those ill-informed fans unaware of tomorrow's significance, I have two words for you: trade deadline.

When the clock strikes 3 p.m. tomorrow, teams will no longer be able to exchange players until the conclusion of the 2009 Final Four. Given the inactivity thus far - for the first time in years, no trades have been made this season - Wednesday is sure to be full of last-second deals. Athletic directors all over the country are working the phone-lines and scrambling to pull the trigger on trades that will provide their teams with immediate upgrades or building blocks for the future.

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past two weeks, you're probably well-aware that the media attention surrounding the NCAA trade deadline has gotten a bit carried away. ESPN just won't stop talking about how the disgruntled Chase Budinger wants out of Arizona or how Duke can't find any takers for Greg Paulus.

After speaking with numerous athletic directors and coaches, it doesn't sound like Paulus will be in a Duke uniform much longer. The emergence of Gerald Henderson and Nolan Smith - coupled with Jon Scheyer's ability to stretch the defense - have made Paulus expendable. Everyone knows that Duke is in the market for a big man, but sources close to the program have indicated that the Blue Devils haven't received many viable offers as of last night.

One potential deal would send Paulus to Louisville in exchange for freshman center Terrence Jennings. The move would improve Louisville's already stellar chance to win the National Championship this season, but Jennings has the makings of a star and it will be difficult for Rick Pitino to part with him.

Here are five other possible trades to keep an eye on:

UConn trades Craig Austrie, Scottie Haralson and Ater Majok to Michigan for DeShawn Sims and Stu Douglass

This move works well for both teams. Adding another capable big man in Sims - who averages 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game - gives UConn far and away the best frontcourt in the nation. The real key to the deal, however, is Douglass. If the No. 1 Huskies are missing anything, it's a lights-out 3-point shooter. Douglass, a freshman, is exactly that. After he torched UConn for 20 points on Saturday, rumor has it that UConn coach Jim Calhoun is willing to part with Majok's sky-high potential to bring Douglass to Storrs.

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