UConn's game today at Michigan could be viewed as something unique.
The Huskies are taking a step out of the Big East. A national audience will be watching on CBS. Crisler Arena is a foreign venue, one that will be packed with nearly 14,000 fans wearing that distinct Michigan yellow as part of a "Maize out."
But UConn, with enough to worry about with its recent play, is trying not to view this as anything more than what it truly should be: A chance to get things moving in the right direction.
"It's another game," Jerome Dyson said. "We just have to get wins under our belt any way we can."
The No. 15 Huskies (11-5) come in off disheartening losses to Georgetown and Pittsburgh. They are 0-2 on the road and in need of any type of victory to avoid a spiral and resume building an NCAA Tournament resume.
"It's going to be the total sum of what you do, how you do it," coach Jim Calhoun said shortly after the Huskies walked into an empty Crisler for practice Saturday afternoon. "I said you've got to get your share. As the games and days kind of filter down a little bit, you've got to get going."
This is a matchup of teams that probably expected to be in a better place. UConn was ranked No. 12 in the preseason and hasn't slid much, but the Huskies have been wildly inconsistent in key areas such as half-court offense and rebounding. They are hungry to prove that they can sustain the type of top-level play exhibited in building a 19-point lead at Georgetown.
The Wolverines (9-7) were ranked 15th to start the season but an early three-game losing streak put them in a precarious spot even before Big Ten play started. Still, Michigan should not be overlooked, or judged by its record. The Wolverines are coming off a 24-point home blowout of Indiana on Thursday, revenge for an earlier six-point loss to the Hoosiers, and have won three of four. On Jan. 3, they defeated then-No. 15 Ohio State 73-64 at Crisler.
"Our guys are excited about this game," coach John Beilein told reporters Friday. "I think our campus is excited about this game. That's why we scheduled this game. It's always an exciting day when you have a power from another league come in and play you. I've liked the way we've responded [lately]. Hopefully this will be no different."
Michigan is led by guard Manny Harris (19.8 points and 6.8 rebounds) and forward DeShawn Sims (17.4, 7.1). Forward Zack Novak averages 7.4 points and guard Stu Douglass 6.7.
UConn, then ranked No. 1, defeated unranked Michigan last season at Gampel Pavilion, 69-61. Douglass had 20 for the Wolverines, who led 34-33 at halftime.
"Harris, terrific. Sims, terrific. But Douglass killed us last year," Calhoun said. "I remember him being really, really good. They spaced us. Pittsburgh did that to some degree. I see them as a mixture of Georgetown and Pittsburgh in a sense that they point four guys on the court who can handle the ball."
Calhoun has made UConn's recent practices mostly a series of scrimmages in an effort to stoke his players' competitive fire. He wants them harping on the opportunities left on the board, not harping on what has gone wrong of late.
"This game becomes critical to us," Calhoun said. "It's a hard matchup for us. But why don't we turn it into a hard matchup for them? That's what we've really talked to the kids about. Do I think we're playing hard? I think we have great heart. I don't think we're concentrating through a full game as much as we should. I don't question our heart. This is an important game for us. We know it's going to be difficult. But the day I'm not excited is the day I walk away."
The Huskies are taking a step out of the Big East. A national audience will be watching on CBS. Crisler Arena is a foreign venue, one that will be packed with nearly 14,000 fans wearing that distinct Michigan yellow as part of a "Maize out."
But UConn, with enough to worry about with its recent play, is trying not to view this as anything more than what it truly should be: A chance to get things moving in the right direction.
"It's another game," Jerome Dyson said. "We just have to get wins under our belt any way we can."
The No. 15 Huskies (11-5) come in off disheartening losses to Georgetown and Pittsburgh. They are 0-2 on the road and in need of any type of victory to avoid a spiral and resume building an NCAA Tournament resume.
"It's going to be the total sum of what you do, how you do it," coach Jim Calhoun said shortly after the Huskies walked into an empty Crisler for practice Saturday afternoon. "I said you've got to get your share. As the games and days kind of filter down a little bit, you've got to get going."
This is a matchup of teams that probably expected to be in a better place. UConn was ranked No. 12 in the preseason and hasn't slid much, but the Huskies have been wildly inconsistent in key areas such as half-court offense and rebounding. They are hungry to prove that they can sustain the type of top-level play exhibited in building a 19-point lead at Georgetown.
The Wolverines (9-7) were ranked 15th to start the season but an early three-game losing streak put them in a precarious spot even before Big Ten play started. Still, Michigan should not be overlooked, or judged by its record. The Wolverines are coming off a 24-point home blowout of Indiana on Thursday, revenge for an earlier six-point loss to the Hoosiers, and have won three of four. On Jan. 3, they defeated then-No. 15 Ohio State 73-64 at Crisler.
"Our guys are excited about this game," coach John Beilein told reporters Friday. "I think our campus is excited about this game. That's why we scheduled this game. It's always an exciting day when you have a power from another league come in and play you. I've liked the way we've responded [lately]. Hopefully this will be no different."
Michigan is led by guard Manny Harris (19.8 points and 6.8 rebounds) and forward DeShawn Sims (17.4, 7.1). Forward Zack Novak averages 7.4 points and guard Stu Douglass 6.7.
UConn, then ranked No. 1, defeated unranked Michigan last season at Gampel Pavilion, 69-61. Douglass had 20 for the Wolverines, who led 34-33 at halftime.
"Harris, terrific. Sims, terrific. But Douglass killed us last year," Calhoun said. "I remember him being really, really good. They spaced us. Pittsburgh did that to some degree. I see them as a mixture of Georgetown and Pittsburgh in a sense that they point four guys on the court who can handle the ball."
Calhoun has made UConn's recent practices mostly a series of scrimmages in an effort to stoke his players' competitive fire. He wants them harping on the opportunities left on the board, not harping on what has gone wrong of late.
"This game becomes critical to us," Calhoun said. "It's a hard matchup for us. But why don't we turn it into a hard matchup for them? That's what we've really talked to the kids about. Do I think we're playing hard? I think we have great heart. I don't think we're concentrating through a full game as much as we should. I don't question our heart. This is an important game for us. We know it's going to be difficult. But the day I'm not excited is the day I walk away."
