HOOKING THE HORNS
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MONDAY AM- Ok ,there is was...You know what I mean...The signature win that all of Husky Nation was waiting for. The 88-74 win over Texas was the big win that the UConn Huskies needed to establish themselves as contenders and not pretenders in the BigEast.
Just think, if UConn didn't turn the ball over 16 times in the first half, they could have beaten the Longhorns by 25!. Texas had 22 points off turnover in the first half alone. When UConn wasn't turning the ball over, they were shooting the lights out, And in the second half, where they never turned it over in the final 16:25, they outscored Texas 47-28.
The star of stars was of course Jerome Dyson. It wasn't just the career high 32, it was the way he got to 32, drives,dunks, mid range J's and of course the 4 three pointers. When 'Rome shoots the three, the opposition has to play him for it and that opens up so much more for him and his teammates.
There were other stars, Kemba Walker, who settled down after his 8 turnovers in 23:35 to run the offense as well as anyone has in the last couple years. Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards worked their tales off at both ends of the floor.
But, to me,the man who provided the energy was Ater Majok. Yup, that Ater Majok, diving on the floor, showing more emotion that he had in the rest of his brief career, showing his mates who much this game meant to him. Majok doesn't have to be a double double guy if he brings the energy and enthusiasm every game.
And a big tip of the cap to the fans, particularly the students who again showed that an electric Gampel is as good as venue as any other in the BigEast.
But now, the Huskies can't afford a letdown this week against Providence or Marquette. To validate their effort, UConn must go into the Dunk on Wednesday and beat a Providence team that has beaten them in three of the last four games. The Friars will come in off a horrific collapse in their overtime loss to South Florida so you would think they'd be a tad miffed.
Congrats to "The Donald". Donald Brown will be the third UConn Husky to play in a Super Bowl.
George Blaney and hopefully a surprise on SportsTalk beginning at 610 on WTIC!
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