Greetings from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America. We are gathered here today to pick which dog is best, as the UConn Huskies take on the opulent Bulldogs of Yale.
The matchup is the first between the two schools since a 2003 bout in the preseason NIT. UConn prevailed in that game, despite a generally terrible performance. The clear highlight was the boisterous Yale continent in the Gampel Pavilion crowd chanting “Pump Our Gas!” to their public school rivals — who countered with the always popular “Daddy’s Money!”
UConn was the number one ranked team in the nation in that 2003 game, today they are ranked 18th (AP). Yale is shockingly unranked.
Sophomore forward Justin Sears was Yale’s best player in their season-opening win vs. Central. He scored 26 points and 13 rebounds in a 93-57 victory. Unsurprisingly, the Bulldogs do not feature an especially big roster. No one over 6’8” has seen playing time. Once again, UConn won’t have an excuse for poor rebounding.
The Huskies are coming off a win of their own against Maryland last week. Shabazz Napier was the star, but was aided by strong efforts in the front court by the troika of Phil Nolan, Amida Brimah and Tyler Olander.
Look for DeAndre Daniels to get involved early today after being a bit too passive against Maryland. Coach Kevin Ollie will also look to limit the foul trouble that plagued the Huskies — and to maintain consistent effort throughout the game.
Tip is at 3:30pm and the game will be televised on SNY.
