Jim Calhoun had just lost to long-time nemesis John Calipari. He had watched his team fall behind 12–0 at the start of the game, then looked on as freshman phenom John Wall took control at the end. Kentucky defeated his UConn team 64–61 at Madison Square Garden, the legendary New York venue where Huskies fans flock to cheer their team on the biggest stage of all.

But Calhoun did not enter the interview room in a funk. He didn’t get down on his players for losing a game that looked winnable for a large portion of the second half. It was quite the opposite, in fact, as Calhoun walked away with quite a bit of optimism.

“It’s on our record; we’re 6–2 and not 7–1,” Calhoun said. “But we were different tonight and I like how we were.”

Wall’s debut under the bright lights and Kentucky’s great start under Calipari were the top storylines last Wednesday night from a game played in a Final Four type of atmosphere at the Garden. But there truly are two sides to every story and the Huskies came away with some true positives, unlike UConn’s other loss this season – a 68–59 setback to Duke (also at the Garden) when Calhoun questioned his team’s effort, and with every right.

Against Kentucky, an athletically blessed team that is still learning how to play together, Calhoun said he liked the way his team fought. And leading the fight was senior Gavin Edwards, a 6-10 forward who could become a key contributor to the Huskies if he shows the same aggression he displayed against Kentucky. That means UConn could become a much improved team by February or March.

Edwards played over 36 minutes off the bench, scored 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots. Edwards also played some solid defense on Kentucky’s All-American forward Patrick Patterson, who needed 15 shots to score 16 points.

“Gavin is getting better every day, so it’s hard to say if this was his best game,” Calhoun said. “The best I can tell you is that I used to say, ‘How much longer can I keep Gavin in?’ Now I can’t leave Gavin out.

“From an emotional standpoint, banging who he was banging against, it was the most physical effort he’s had – so you take the stats and all that, and he was just terrific for us.”

Edwards was a role player for the Huskies when they featured Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien on the frontline. He has shown flashes of what he can do in the past, including a 14-point, 12-rebound effort in a win over Gonzaga last season. But the Huskies are thin up front this season and Calhoun has been searching for answers.

“Gavin runs the floor on every play,” Calhoun said. “There’s not many guys in college basketball, in any basketball, who are doing that. He gives you a great effort every night.”

Edwards started the first three games of the season. Calhoun has been bringing him off the bench, behind Charles Okwandu, in an effort to give UConn the feeling of some depth. That may not be necessary starting Sunday, when the Huskies finally have the availability of Ater Majok, a 6-11 freshman who is 22 and has gone through a virtually endless eligibility process with the NCAA. Majok is cleared to play now and it will be interesting to see how Calhoun defines the roles on the front line.

“I feel about as comfortable as I can feel,” Edwards said. “I don’t feel a lot of pressure from coach. I know I need to play well but it’s not like before when I made a mistake and I knew I was coming out. He and I have an understanding that I can just play.

“It really doesn’t bother me whether I start or come off the bench. I’m fine either was as long as I play.”

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

A 40-point performance is pretty special, but a 40-point performance off the bench? That’s extraordinary. Seton Hall’s Jamel Jackson came off the bench to help the Pirates to a 134–107 victory over VMI Saturday. And yes, he scored 40 of those 134 points. Jackson hit 12 of 15 shots from 3-point range, setting a Big East and school record. Jackson told the Associate Press that he knew something special was happening when he hit his fourth straight 3-pointer. “I’ve never heard of many guys getting 40 off the bench,” coach Bobby Gonzalez said. “Jamel was just in a zone. He was locked in. Every time he shot it, it went in. I never saw anything like that.”

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Kentucky’s John Wall could win this award or POW almost every week.  Let’s just say Wall was the star of stars with his play against Connecticut and Indiana. But let’s spread the wealth a bit and name Xavier Henry of Kansas the top freshman this week. Henry scored a season-high 31 points to help the No. 1 Jayhawks defeat LaSalle 90–65 Saturday. Henry hit 10 of 15 field goal attempts and was 4-for-5 from 3-point range. He added seven free throws to become the first KU freshman to score 30 points since Paul Pierce in 1998. “We saw something today that he’s got to do more and that’s attack the basket,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Tuesday, Dec. 15

Gardner-Webb at Duke
It’s time for semester exams, so the schedule is light and extremely unattractive until Saturday. That’s why this game makes our list. Remember 2007 when Gardner-Webb became America’s team after defeating Kentucky? There’s very little chance that history will repeat itself. Fellow ACC contender North Carolina defeated Garder-Webb 93–72 on Nov. 23.

Wednesday, Dec. 16

Oral Roberts at Louisville
Oral Roberts is hard to figure. The Golden Eagles beat Missouri 60–59 last week, then lost to Indiana State 60–54. Oral Roberts takes a 6–5 record to Louisville. Rick Pitino’s Cardinals began the season 4-0 but have lost three or their last four, including a 91–83 setback to Western Carolina.

Saturday, Dec. 19

Michigan at Kansas
Word is the No. 1 Jayhawks haven’t been tested. Who knew UCLA would be so far down? Who knew Michigan, a preseason top 25 team, would begin the season 5–4?

UCLA at Notre Dame
The Bruins will have their hands full inside with Luke Harangody, who is averaging 24.6 points and 10.1 rebounds. The Irish have built support around their big man with Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough scoring I double figures.

North Carolina at Texas
How many people will file into the new Cowboys Stadium to watch the Tar Heels and Longhorns on the world’s biggest outdoor TV?

Memphis vs. Massachusetts
The highlight of this game should be the halftime speech by John Calipari explaining why the NCAA forced both schools to vacate their most recent Final Four appearances. Just kidding. Coach Cal has his own game at Kentucky Saturday.

Duke vs. Gonzaga
Gonzaga was impressive on the way to winning the Maui Invitational last month. Now the Bulldogs face another long trip to the Big Apple, to play Duke in Madison Square Garden. Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray and Robert Sacre will be asked to rise to the occasion for Gonzaga.

Sunday, Dec. 20

Florida State at Georgia Tech
It’s early but this will be important to the ACC standings. Overall, FSU might need to win this one more after two early losses.

THEY SAID IT:

“I think 50 sounds better. Or 60. It’s cool. I just want to win. I promise, that’s all I want to do.” – Texas forward Damion James after recording his 40th career double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds in an 87-54 victory over Texas State.

“We heard the place erupt. It really got them going.” – Purdue guard Chris Kramer, referring to the announcement just before tipoff in Tuscaloosa, that Alabama tailback Mark Ingram had won the Heisman Trophy. Purdue rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the Crimson Tide 73–65.

“They don’t give parades for wins in December.” – Kansas State coach Frank Martin following a 95–80 victory over No. 18 UNLV.

“I’m going to look like Dick Vitale when this season’s over or I’ll be as gray as Bobby Cremins.”  - Kentucky coach John Calipari after the Wildcats battled to a 64-61 victory over UConn.

“With all the problems you can have in the world, we don’t have a lot right now. We’ll probably encounter some problems. But right now, we don’t have a lot.” – Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim after the Orange (9–0) defeated Florida 85–73 for their ninth double-digit victory of the season.

“We lost our heads. We were worried about everything but winning the game.” – Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin after an 83–79 double-overtime loss to rival Xavier. The game featured two technical fouls and a couple of bench clearing altercations – just another chapter in the Crosstown Shootout rivalry.

NOTES:

After years of saying there would be no expansion of the men’s tournament, the NCAA has suddenly opened the discussion again. The Associated Press reported last week that talks of expansion and moving television coverage from CBS to a cable network are in the “very early stages.” The 11-year, $6 billion contract with CBS allows the NCAA to opt out after this season. The tournament field was increased to 64 in 1985 and a 65th team was added in 2001 when the number of automatic bids increased.

The Pac-10 continues to experience a conference-wide meltdown and Anaheim became the epicenter Saturday when Georgetown beat Washington and Mississippi State defeated UCLA in the Wooden Classic. Coach John Wooden was watching as the Bruins completed a horrible week that began with a home loss to Kansas. UCLA could get better as the conference season goes along but the Bruins are going to have a difficult time reaching the NCAA Tournament. Saint Mary’s downed Oregon by five in Eugene just to compound the problems for the Pac-10. More and more, it’s looking as if only two Pac-10 teams will have NCAA resumes.

Think about the possibility of a Memphis team with John Wall and Xavier Henry playing together. Then add DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe from Kentucky to Elliot Williams and Roburt Sallie, the top two scorers for the Tigers in their 7–1 start. If only coach John Calipari had stayed, Memphis fans. If only.

Derrick Caracter is back. The former problem child at Louisville made his debut at UTEP Sunday, plying 12 minutes, scoring two points (1-of-3 shooting) and grabbing two rebounds. He also had three personal fouls. New Mexico State handed the Miners their first loss of the season, 87–80. UTEP now is 5–1.

Truth is there is no Brotherly Love in Philadelphia. The teams in the Big Five are constantly targeting one another. Villanova dodged a bullet Wednesday when it defeated Saint Joseph’s but Juan Fernandez and the Temple Owls caught the No. 3 team in the nation Sunday and ended Villanova’s recent domination in Philly. Fernandez hit seven three-pointers, scoring 33 points and Temple outscored Villanova by 16 in the second half (something you won’t see often). It marked just the second time in the last 23 games that Villanova lost to a Big Five rival. Temple plays No. 1 Kansas at home on Jan. 2.

Kansas may have the most quality depth in the nation but the Jayhawks will add two more players in time for Saturday’s game against Michigan. Guard Brady Morningstar, suspended the first semester due to a DUI, and Jeff Withey, a 7-foot transfer from Arizona, will be added to Bill Self’s rotation.

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