Calhoun’s Comeback Sparks Connecticut
Connecticut got off to its fastest start of the season Saturday and the main man being back on the bench had a lot to do with it.
Coach Jim Calhoun returned to the sideline 16 days after prostate cancer surgery, nearly a week ahead of schedule, and the Huskies scored the game’s first nine points in a 77-69 victory over St. John’s at Storrs, Conn.
“It just gave us that spark, that jump,” center Emeka Okafor said. “And we fed off of it the whole game. The crowd got into it and we got into it.”
The sellout crowd of more than 10,000 at Gampel Pavilion welcomed Calhoun with a loud standing ovation as he made his way to the bench before the game.
Signs in the stands heralded his return, and in the student section, seven shirtless men had “Calhoun” spelled out on their torsos.
“It was an incredible feeling,” Calhoun said. “I missed the game, I missed the kids, I missed the camaraderie.”
Ben Gordon led Connecticut (17-6, 8-4 Big East) with 18 points and Okafor dominated inside with 12 rebounds and nine blocks.
“We saw Coach was there -- the general’s back -- and it got us fired up and ready to go,” Gordon said.
The 60-year-old Calhoun was expected to take three to four weeks off but felt strong enough to come back early. A bit fatigued after the game, Calhoun said he still needs to make some adjustments as he recovers. He said he’ll cut back on practice time and lean even more on assistant coach George Blaney, who guided the team to a 3-2 record in Calhoun’s absence.
St. John’s Coach Mike Jarvis was among the many greeting Calhoun with handshakes and hugs as he walked onto the court. A few of the St. John’s players also walked over to shake his hand.
Still vocal, but somewhat subdued, Calhoun watched and winced as his team’s 18-point second half lead evaporated. Kyle Cuffe scored six points in a 10-0 run that pulled the Red Storm (12-11, 5-8) to within 60-53.
“I’m sure I’ll be tired later, but I did not feel any fatigue at all during the game,” Calhoun said. “I’m going home to rest right away.”
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TOP 25 GAMES
No. 16 Oklahoma State 82, No. 3 Texas 77 -- Victor Williams scored 20 points, including four key free throws in the closing seconds to help the Cowboys hang on to win at Stillwater, Okla.
Oklahoma State (20-5, 9-3 Big 12) had three players foul out and survived a career-high 32 points by T.J. Ford to end a two-game losing streak. James Thomas had 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Longhorns (18-5, 9-3), who nearly erased a 15-point first-half deficit.
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Cincinnati 101, No. 4 Louisville 80 -- Leonard Stokes scored 31 points for the Bearcats (15-8, 7-5 Conference USA), who made 42 of a school-record 58 free throws at Cincinnati. Since winning 17 in a row, Louisville (19-4, 9-3) has lost three of four. Cardinal Coach Rick Pitino was ejected after receiving two technical fouls with 11:02 left and Cincinnati ahead by 31 points.
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No. 7 Florida 77, Vanderbilt 74 -- Matt Walsh scored 19 points, including the last four of overtime, to lift Florida at Nashville. Florida (22-4, 10-2 Southeastern Conference) also got 18 points from Anthony Roberson, whose driving one-hander with 4.7 seconds left in regulation sent it to overtime. Matt Freije scored 24 points to lead the Commodores (10-13, 3-9), who lost their fifth straight.
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No. 8 Duke 79, North Carolina State 68 -- Dahntay Jones scored 19 points and Daniel Ewing had 18 for the Blue Devils at Durham, N.C. Chris Duhon had 12 points for the Blue Devils (19-4, 9-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their 27th straight game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. N.C. State (14-9, 7-5) is fourth in the ACC.
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No. 9 Pittsburgh 86, Rutgers 65 -- The Panthers held Rutgers to 14 points in the first half and cruised to a win at Pittsburgh. The Panthers (19-4, 9-3 Big East) won their 20th consecutive home game.
Rutgers is 11-13, 3-9.
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No. 11 Marquette 79, Texas Christian 68 -- Dwyane Wade had 22 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks to lead the Golden Eagles (20-4, 11-2 Conference USA) at Fort Worth. TCU is 8-17, 2-11.
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No. 12 Notre Dame 98, Virginia Tech 76 -- The Irish had a 12-point lead cut to one before scoring 64 points in the second half to roll to victory at South Bend, Ind. Dan Miller had 22 points to lead Notre Dame (21-5, 9-3 Big East). Virginia Tech is 10-15, 3-9.
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No. 13 Maryland 96, North Carolina 56 -- Steve Blake scored 18 points and Drew Nicholas had 17 at College Park, Md., as Maryland (17-7, 9-4) posted the most lopsided ACC victory in school history. North Carolina is 14-12, 4-8.
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No. 14 Xavier 73, No. 25 Dayton 72 -- David West had 27 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots to lead Xavier (20-4, 11-1 Atlantic 10) at Dayton, Ohio. In two games against the Flyers this season, West has 74 points. Dayton is 19-5, 11-2.
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No. 17 Creighton 67, Fresno State 66 -- Creighton’s Kyle Korver made seven three-point baskets and finished with 27 points to help Creighton (24-3) win at Omaha, Neb. After Fresno State’s Damon Jackson missed a three-point attempt, teammate Renaldo Major scored on the rebound at the buzzer, leaving the Bulldogs (19-6) a point short.
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No. 20 Illinois 73, Northwestern 61 -- Roger Powell scored a career-high 20 points at Chicago to help the Illini (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) defeat Northwestern for the seventh consecutive time.
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No. 22 Georgia 79, South Carolina 66 -- Jarvis Hays scored 26 points for the Bulldogs at Athens, Ga. Georgia (16-7, 8-4 SEC) won its third straight and improved to 11-0 at home this season.
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Ohio State 52, No. 24 Purdue 44 -- Ohio State (13-11, 6-7 Big Ten) made only five free throws, but they were all by Brent Darby over the final 44 seconds at Columbus, Ohio. Purdue is 16-8, 8-5.
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OTHER GAMES
Erwin Dudley scored 18 points to help Alabama defeat Tennessee, 76-71, at Knoxville, Tenn. Alabama is 15-8, 5-7 in the SEC. Tennessee is 15-8, 7-5 .... Mike Wilkinson scored a career-high 20 points to lead Wisconsin past Iowa, 61-53, at Iowa City, Iowa, helping the Badgers (19-6, 9-4 Big Ten) pull to within a half game of first place in the Big Ten. Iowa is 13-10, 5-7.... Antawn Dobie set a Northeast Conference record by scoring 53 points, but Long Island still lost to St. Francis (N.Y.), 142-140, in double overtime at New York.