UConn Looks To Rebound Against a Tough Pitt Team

The UConn Huskies will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers at the XL Center in Hartford, in which should indicate what UConn team is going show up the rest of this season.

Although it's early, UConn is 0-3 against ranked opponents and it hopes to beat its first ranked team in 16. Pittsburgh.

First things first, UConn needs to forget about the lead it gave away at Georgetown on Saturday.  Coach Calhoun was not pleased with his team's big letdown.

"It's the most heartbreaking loss this year. It's not even close," Calhoun said, recalling a three-point loss to Kentucky and a two-point defeat at Cincinnati. "We took our 20 minutes of work, threw it away and said, 'OK, now let's play an even game.'"

With that being said and Pittsburgh coming to town, UConn has a chance to get the motor going again.  It all starts with shutting down Ashton Gibbs.

Gibbs is a superb shooter and scored 24 and 19 on the road at Syracuse and Cincinnati.  Pittsburgh has started out 3-0 in conference play in large part to the performance of Gibbs.

When he makes 1/3 of his shots, Pitt is 10-0 and when they shoot as team about 40 percent they are 12-0.

As you might imagine, defense is going to be something that UConn must play with consistency and tenacity.

Look for a combination of Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker to lock down Gibbs in the half-court offense.  He is a terrific shooter and will make you pay if left open.

Aside from Gibbs, the return of Gilbert Brown and Jermaine Dixon have solidified this Pittsburgh team.  Coming into the season not many people expected much from this Pitt Panthers team.

Jamie Dixon didn't let them effect him or his squad as he has prepared his team to contend for a Big East title.

Coach Calhoun has made it clear that he wants his players to find Stanley Robinson down low early and often.  Although Robinson has showed he can shoot from the perimeter, he does a lot of damage down in the paint.

UConn needs to come out and be physical against Pittsburgh.  There needs to be a refocus of Big East basketball and taking it right to the opponent.  It's also something the Huskies have to do for a full 40 minutes.

Kemba Walker needs to settle down the offense and execute in the half court.  All to often is he out of control, and driving into two or three defenders twice his size.  As he showed in New York against John Wall he has the talent to be a leader.

Now it's time for him to come out and put it to use.  Inconsistent play in conference at this point in the season will only continue to become more of a problem.  With Calhoun sparingly using Donnell Beverley and Darius Smith off the bench, Walker's the man.

Gavin Edwards and Jamal Coombs-McDaniels will continue to be the biggest contributors off the bench.  Edwards has been a factor averaging over 30 minutes a game this season.  His play inside and out has helped the Huskies thus far.

Coombs-McDaniels is a freshman that Calhoun highly regards.  He nailed two threes early on against Georgetown, and his size combined with athleticism makes him a strong option.

Jerome Dyson also needs to step up his game performance and do whatever it takes to get the win.  He is the only player in the nation averaging more than 19 ppg 5 asts, and 5 rebs.

He can do it all, but helping inexperienced big men Atar Majok and Charles Okwandu would make him even more of a contributor to this team.

Every time UConn and Pittsburgh take the floor, you know it's going to be a battle.  This will be no different.  The truth is two early season conference losses has put UConn in a tough position.

This game means a lot to both squads, but the Huskies have to find a way to win if they want to remain among the top 15 in the country. 

As the old saying goes, "Good team's always find a way to win."  There's no reason why this game should be any different.