Huskies’ Calhoun Joins the 700 Club
Moments after Connecticut beat Georgetown, 83-64, on Wednesday night, Husky Coach Jim Calhoun walked the length of the court and gave a thumbs up to the packed student section in Gampel Pavilion at Storrs, Conn.
They roared back. The feeling was definitely mutual.
In Storrs, they’re crazy about the man who turned a decent regional program into a national power over the last 19 years. He has given them two NCAA titles and on Wednesday, they had something else to celebrate -- his 700th victory.
“This is a very special night for Connecticut. It’s a special night for me and it’s a very special night for our players,” Calhoun said. “A coach is only a reflection of so many assistants and great players.”
Charlie Villanueva scored 24 points and freshman Rudy Gay had a career-high 20 to lead the 15th-ranked Huskies over Georgetown.
Calhoun became one of seven active Division I coaches with 700 victories. The win also moved Connecticut, 20-6 overall and 12-3 in the Big East, into a first-place tie with Boston College in the conference.
The Hoyas (16-10, 8-7) lost their fourth in a row.
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No. 3 Kentucky 73, Tennessee 61 -- Senior forward Chuck Hayes, playing his last home game for Kentucky, scored nine of his 13 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes at Lexington, Ky.
Patrick Sparks scored 14 points for the Wildcats (23-3, 14-1), who already had clinched the Southeastern Conference title. Tennessee (12-16, 5-10) lost to Kentucky for the seventh time in a row.
No. 4 Wake Forest 98, Georgia Tech 91 -- Vytas Danelius made sure his senior season was perfect at home, getting 17 points and 11 rebounds at Winston-Salem, N.C. The Demon Deacons (25-4, 12-3 Atlantic Coast) rallied to pull out the victory and finish the season 16-0 at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Georgia Tech is 16-10, 7-8.
No. 7 Kansas 72, Kansas State 65 -- Wayne Simien had 25 points and 20 rebounds, and No. 7 Kansas celebrated the 50th anniversary of Allen Fieldhouse on an emotional senior night at Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks (22-4, 12-3) clinched at least a tie for the Big 12 championship with their 30th consecutive victory over the Wildcats (15-11, 5-10).
No. 8 Oklahoma State 69, Texas A&M; 63 -- John Lucas III scored 27 points, Joey Graham had 16 and Oklahoma State had its closest home victory of the season at Stillwater, Okla. Graham gave the Cowboys (21-5, 11-4 Big 12) the lead for good with a three-point play with 5:24 to play. The Aggies are 18-8, 7-8.
No. 14 Michigan State 69, Northwestern 58 -- Maurice Ager scored 20 points, including a clutch three-point basket that curtailed a Wildcat comeback at Evanston, Ill. Alan Anderson led the Spartans (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) with 22 points. Vedran Vukusic led Northwestern (14-14, 6-9) with 17 points and went over 1,000 for his career.
No. 19 Villanova 79, Seton Hall 58 -- Randy Foye scored a career-high 27 points for the Wildcats at Villanova, Pa. Villanova (20-6, 10-5 Big East) won 20 games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
The Pirates (11-15, 3-12) made only eight baskets in the second half.
No. 21 Alabama 94, Auburn 53 -- Earnest Shelton and Kennedy Winston each scored 24 points at Tuscaloosa, Ala., ending the Crimson Tide’s two-game losing streak with a flourish.
Alabama (22-6, 11-4 Southeastern) started a 36-9 run early in the second half to turn a nine-point game into a 36-point laugher. The Tigers (12-16, 3-12) shot only 29% from the field.
No. 22 Cincinnati 77, Tulane 56 -- Jihad Muhammad scored a career-high 24 points, including six three-point baskets at Cincinnati.
Muhammad came off the bench and steadied the Bearcats (23-6, 11-4 Conference USA). The Green Wave (9-17, 3-12) has lost five in a row.