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All-America center
Emeka Okafor has had a full week to get healthy, and Ben Gordon is playing the
best basketball of his career for top-ranked Connecticut.
Those two key factors, coupled with the fact that the Huskies (8-1) have won
five in a row, spell bad news for visiting Ball State when the teams meet at
the Hartford Civic Center on Sunday.
The Huskies have rebounded nicely from a stunning 77-61 loss to No. 4 Georgia Tech in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 26. UConn has responded with five easy victories -- all coming by at least 10 points -- including a 104-54 thumping of Iona on Dec. 20.
Okafor, the Huskies' top rebounder with 11.0 per game, appeared to finally shake off the chronic back pain that has slowed him during the early part of the season. The 6-foot-10 junior, who missed an 88-55 win over Quinnipiac on Dec. 13, finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks, displaying the form that made him a strong preseason candidate for player of the year honors.
Gordon, known primarily
as the Huskies' most dangerous outside threat, showed off his versatility with
his first career triple-double. The 6-foot-5 junior scored 17 points, grabbed
a career-high 16 rebounds and handed out 11 assists. Gordon leads the Huskies
with 19.1 points per game.
``Ben was just possessed today,'' Okafor said. ``At times I didn't feel like
I was even needed. I kind of just wanted to watch him do his thing.''
Senior guard Taliek Brown, slowed by hip and toe injuries for most of the early season, ran the UConn offense efficiently, scoring six points to go with seven assists and just one turnover in 24 solid minutes.
``We were out there running,'' Brown said. ``The big guys finished, Ben was amazing. So everything was just going great for us.''
UConn coach Jim Calhoun was pleased with his team's effort, and even happier that the Huskies would get some much-needed time off.
``Hopefully, the bangs and bruises we have will be better when we come back,'' he said. ``I think were getting better. I really believe were getting better.''
The Cardinals (3-4) have lost four of five since opening the season with consecutive victories.
Dennis Trammell scored 24 points and Robert Owens added 14, but it was not enough to prevent Ball State from dropping its third straight, 78-69 to Western Kentucky on Tuesday.
Trammell is averaging a team-high 13.2 points per game, while senior forward Peyton Echols is grabbing a team-best 7.0 rebounds per contest.
This is the first meeting between the teams.