Huskies riding high heading into Saturday’s game

Just three weeks ago, the Pitt men’s basketball team was 9-0 and ranked No. 7 in the ESPN/USA… Just three weeks ago, the Pitt men’s basketball team was 9-0 and ranked No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. At that same time, the defending national champion UConn Huskies were ranked 11th.

What a difference a few weeks can make.

After four Big East conference games, the Panthers are 2-2 and currently ranked sixth in the Big East. They have fallen out of the top ten and almost out of the top 25 in the national polls, as they now sit at the 17th spot and are ranked 21st by the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, in Storrs, Conn., the Huskies have lost only to one Big East opponent — ninth-ranked and undefeated Boston College — in their conference opener two weeks ago. Since that loss, the Huskies haven’t lost in conference play and have won three games by a combined 30 points. The two teams will meet as the hot Huskies (11-3 overall, 3-1 Big East) play host to the chilled Panthers (12-3, 2-2) tomorrow at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.

UConn’s recent success can be largely attributed to the strong inside play of a pair of sophomore big men. During his press conference yesterday, Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said that his team might play some zone defense like they did against St. John’s to slow down UConn’s frontcourt.

Center Josh Boone is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double (16.1 points, 10.0 rebounds.) and he is coming off a 20-point effort against Seton Hall, a 77-68 UConn victory, where he was 8-of-8 from the field.

Dixon is not surprised with the impressive numbers Boone has put up.

“We knew what he did in limited minutes last year, and the numbers he put up then were very impressive,” Dixon said. “He was a big part of their drive late in the year into the tournament.”

Boone is partnered in the Huskies frontcourt with forward Charlie Villanueva. After a sluggish start to the season, Villanueva is averaging 12.3 points per contest, as well as 8.3 rebounds.

Boone and Villanueva have combined for 13 double-doubles this season, with Villanueva reaching the feat in five of his last six games.

Boone’s dominance can be seen atop several of the conference’s statistical categories. He currently leads the Big East in rebounding, blocked shots and field-goal percentage, while he is seventh in points per game.

Not only do the Huskies’ young big men greatly contribute, but the emergence of two young guards has balanced the No. 1 offense in the conference.

Sophomore point guard Marcus Williams leads the Big East with seven assists per game. Freshman forward Rudy Gay has started nine games in his first collegiate season and is shooting 61.1 percent from 3-point range on the year. In his first four conference games, Gay is averaging 12 points per contest.

Despite the Huskies’ gaudy offensive numbers — a conference-best 81.4 points per game and an average margin of victory of 16.6 points per game — their defense has been equally impressive.

The Huskies lead the Big East in defensive field goal percentage, allowing their opponents to shoot only 37.2 percent from the field while also averaging a conference-high advantage of 15.6 rebounds per game.

Coach Dixon knows that getting to the glass against the Huskies will be critical tomorrow.

“Rebounding was one of the first things we talked about when preparing for them,” he said. “Winning the battle of the boards is always a big key, and this will be the best rebounding team we faced.”

Along with impressive rebounding numbers, the Huskies also block many shots. Despite losing the school’s all-time blocked-shots leader in Emeka Okafor, the Huskies are still averaging 10.4 blocks per game and are looking to lead the nation in that category for an unprecedented fourth straight season.

Pitt will be looking to avoid another roadblock on the journey to repeating as Big East regular season champs. The Panthers will also attempt to steer clear of their first back-to-back conference losses with Dixon at the helm.

Tip-off for tomorrow’s game is set for 9 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN as Brad Nessler and Dick Vitale call the action.