2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team

The 2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2010–2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies were coached by Jim Calhoun and played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. The Huskies are a member of the Big East Conference.
The Huskies entered the year unranked and picked to finish tenth in the Big East. In November, they won the Maui Invitational Tournament for the second time. They finished the Big East regular season in a tie for ninth place at 9–9. Led by Kemba Walker who scored a tournament record 130 points, they became the first school to win five conference tournament games in as many days in claiming their seventh Big East Tournament title. By winning the tournament, they were awarded an automatic berth into the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. They advanced to their fourth Final Four with a 65–63 victory over Arizona and advanced to their third National Championship game with a 56–55 victory over Kentucky and beat Butler 53–41 for their first championship since 2004 and third since 1999.

2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 9
2010–11 record32–9 (9–9 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHarry A. Gampel Pavilion
XL Center
2010–11 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 4 Pittsburgh15–3 .833  28–6  .824
No. 5 Notre Dame14–4 .778  27–7  .794
*#12 Syracuse12–6 .667  27–8  .771
No. 14 Louisville12–6 .667  25–10  .714
No. 18 St. John's12–6 .667  21–12  .636
Cincinnati11–7 .611  26–9  .743
No. 22 West Virginia11–7 .611  21–12  .636
Georgetown10–8 .556  21–11  .656
No. 10 Connecticut†9–9 .500  32–9  .780
Villanova9–9 .500  21–12  .636
Marquette9–9 .500  22–15  .595
Seton Hall7–11 .389  13–18  .419
Rutgers5–13 .278  15–17  .469
Providence4–14 .222  15–17  .469
South Florida3–15 .167  10–23  .303
DePaul1–17 .056  7–24  .226
† 2011 Big East Tournament winner
As of April 4, 2011[1]
*Syracuse:: 7 wins vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed record: Syracuse–(27–8)(10–6); Rankings from AP Poll

Before the season

The Huskies were coming off of a tumultuous 2009–10 season in which they failed to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament for the second time in four years, and amidst an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations involving Nate Miles. As a result of the investigation, assistant coaches Patrick Sellers and Beau Archibald resigned from their positions.[2] Later that summer, Kevin Ollie was hired to take Sellers' role as assistant coach,[3] and Glen Miller was brought on as Director of Basketball Operations, replacing Archibald.[4] Both men have previous links with Jim Calhoun. Ollie played for the Huskies under Calhoun from 1991–95, while Miller was an assistant coach under Calhoun from 1986 until 1992.
In addition to the coaching changes, the Huskies also needed to replace three graduating starters: Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards. Reserve forward Ater Majok also left the school before the season began.[5]
Prior to the start of the season, the Huskies were picked by both the Big East coaches and writers to finish tenth in the conference.[6][7] The team was not ranked in the top 25 in any major national poll, although they did receive votes in the Preseason AP Poll.[8]
With regards to individual honors, Kemba Walker was selected to the Preseason All Big East first team,[9] and was named to both the Wooden and Naismith award preseason watchlists.[10][11]

Recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Michael Bradley
C		 Chattanooga, TN Tyner Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 13, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 88
Niels Giffey
SF		 Berlin, Germany Alba Berlin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Jeremy Lamb
SG		 Norcross, GA Norcross H.S. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sep 15, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 92
Shabazz Napier
PG		 Roxbury, MA Lawrence Academy 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Apr 29, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 94
Tyler Olander
PF		 Storrs, CT E.O. Smith H.S. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Mar 25, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 90
Roscoe Smith
SF		 Baltimore, MD Oak Hill Academy (VA) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jan 8, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Enosch Wolf
C		 Germany Wilbraham & Monson Academy 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 250 lb (110 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 18   ESPN: 20
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "ESPN – Connecticut Basketball Recruiting 2010". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  • "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 26, 2010.

    Roster
    2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
    G 21 Kyle Bailey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)170 lb (77 kg) Sr Lancaster, NH
    G 2 Donnell Beverly (C) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) Sr Hawthorne, CA
    F/C 25 Michael Bradley  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)235 lb (107 kg) Fr Chattanooga, TN
    F 4 Jamal Coombs-McDaniel 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) So Dorchester, MA
    G/F 5 Niels Giffey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) Fr Berlin, Germany
    G/F 3 Jeremy Lamb 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg) Fr Norcross, GA
    G 13 Shabazz Napier 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg) Fr Roxbury, MA
    F 10 Tyler Olander 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg) Fr Mansfield, CT
    C 35 Charles Okwandu 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)255 lb (116 kg) Sr Lagos, Nigeria
    F/C 34 Alex Oriakhi 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)240 lb (109 kg) So Lowell, MA
    F 22 Roscoe Smith 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg) Fr Baltimore, MD
    F 23 Benjamin Stewart 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) So Denver, CO
    G 15 Kemba Walker (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)172 lb (78 kg) Jr Bronx, NY
    C 1 Enosch Wolf 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)260 lb (118 kg) Fr Göttingen, Germany
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster
    Last update: January 23, 2010

    Regular season

    After a pair of exhibition games, the Huskies began the regular season with non-conference wins over America East teams, Stony Brook and Vermont. In the win against Vermont, Kemba Walker tied a UConn XL Center record by scoring 42 points.[12]
    The team next travelled to Hawaii to play in the 2010 Maui Invitational Tournament. They last participated in the tournament in 2005, when they won the championship. To open the current tournament, they played Wichita State. Walker scored 29 of his 31 points in the second in the 83–79 win.[13] The victory meant they would match up with Michigan State, who was ranked No. 2 in the AP poll at the time. Walker scored 30 points, the third straight game that he eclipsed the 30 point mark, as the Huskies won 70–67.[14] In the championship game, the Huskies outscored Kentucky 21–2 at the end of the first half, and defeated the Wildcats, 84–67.[15] Walker, who scored 29 points in the final, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. His 90 points was just three points short of the Maui Invitational record.[16] Alex Oriakhi was also named to the all-tournament team.

    Postseason

    The Huskies entered the Big East Tournament as the No. 9 seed, just missing the cut to earn a First round bye. UConn went on to win five games in five consecutive days to earn the Tournament Championship, and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. In the Big East Tournament, UConn defeated four teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.[17]

    UConn received a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament's West Region. They continued their winning streak all the way to the National Championship, finishing the season with eleven consecutive wins. As a result of having to play 5 games to win their conference tournament, they became the first team in Division I history to play 41 games in a season.

    Schedule
    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    November 3*
    7:30 pm    		 American International W 96–58 
    		Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    November 7*
    1:00 pm    		 Bridgeport W 103–57 
    		XL Center 
    Hartford, CT
    Regular Season
    November 12*
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 Stony Brook W 79–52  1–0
    		 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (8,319[18])
    Storrs, CT
    November 17*
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 Vermont W 89–73  2–0
    		 XL Center (10,216[18])
    Hartford, CT
    November 22*
    3:00 pm, ESPN2    		 vs. Wichita State
    Maui Invitational Quarterfinal    		 W 83–79  3–0
    		 Lahaina Civic Center (2,400[18])
    Lahaina, HI
    November 23*
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 vs. No. 2 Michigan State
    Maui Invitational Semifinal    		 W 70–67  4–0
    		 Lahaina Civic Center (2,400[18])
    Lahaina, HI
    November 24*
    10:00 pm, ESPN    		 vs. No. 8 Kentucky
    Maui Invitational Final    		 W 84–67  5–0
    		 Lahaina Civic Center (2,400[18])
    Lahaina, HI
    November 30*
    7:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 7 New Hampshire W 62–55  6–0
    		 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (8,558[18])
    Storrs, CT
    December 3*
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 7 UM-Baltimore County W 94–61  7–0
    		 XL Center (10,591[18])
    Hartford, CT
    December 8*
    7:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 6 Fairleigh Dickinson W 78–54  8–0
    		 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (8,241[18])
    Storrs, CT
    December 20*
    7:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 4 Coppin State W 76–64  9–0
    		 XL Center (10,193[18])
    Hartford, CT
    December 22*
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 4 Harvard W 81–52  10–0
    		 XL Center (11,255[18])
    Hartford, CT
    December 27
    8:30 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 4 at No. 6 Pittsburgh L 63–78  10–1 (0–1)
    		 Petersen Events Center (12,725[18])
    Pittsburgh, PA
    December 31
    6:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 4 South Florida W 66–61 OT 11–1 (1–1)
    		 XL Center (12,599[18])
    Hartford, CT
    January 4
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 8 at No. 14 Notre Dame L 70–73  11–2 (1–2)
    		 Joyce Center (7,291[18])
    South Bend, IN
    January 8*
    3:30 pm, ESPN    		 No. 8 at No. 12 Texas W 82–81 OT 12–2
    		 Frank Erwin Center (16,734[18])
    Austin, TX
    January 11
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 10 Rutgers W 67–53  13–2 (2–2)
    		 XL Center (12,527[18])
    Hartford, CT
    January 15
    2:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 10 at DePaul W 82–62  14–2 (3–2)
    		 Allstate Arena (9,581[18])
    Rosemont, IL
    January 17
    3:30 pm, ESPN    		 No. 8 No. 7 Villanova W 61–59  15–2 (4–2)
    		 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167[18])
    Storrs, CT
    January 22*
    2:00 pm, CBS    		 No. 8 Tennessee W 72–61  16–2
    		 XL Center (16,294[18])
    Hartford, CT
    January 25
    9:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 5 at Marquette W 76–68  17–2 (5–2)
    		 Bradley Center (15,476[18])
    Milwaukee, WI
    January 29
    12:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 5 No. 23 Louisville L 78–79 2OT 17–3 (5–3)
    		 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167[18])
    Storrs, CT
    February 2
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 6 No. 17 Syracuse
    Rivalry    		 L 58–66  17–4 (5–4)
    		 XL Center (16,294[18])
    Hartford, CT
    February 5
    7:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 6 at Seton Hall W 61–59  18–4 (6–4)
    		 Prudential Center (10,001[18])
    Newark, NJ
    February 10
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 10 at St. John's L 72–89  18–5 (6–5)
    		 Madison Square Garden (13,652[18])
    New York, NY
    February 13
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 10 Providence W 75–57  19–5 (7–5)
    		 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167[18])
    Storrs, CT
    February 16
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 13 No. 9 Georgetown
    Rivalry    		 W 78–70  20–5 (8–5)
    		 XL Center (16,294[18])
    Hartford, CT
    February 18
    9:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 13 at No. 16 Louisville L 58–71  20–6 (8–6)
    		 KFC Yum! Center (22,776[18])
    Louisville, KY
    February 24
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 14 Marquette L 67–74 OT 20–7 (8–7)
    		 XL Center (14,622[18])
    Hartford, CT
    February 27
    12:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 14 at Cincinnati W 67–59  21–7 (9–7)
    		 Fifth Third Arena (11,246[18])
    Cincinnati, OH
    March 2
    7:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 16 at West Virginia L 56–65  21–8 (9–8)
    		 WVU Coliseum (13,241[18])
    Morgantown, WV
    March 5
    2:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 16 No. 8 Notre Dame L 67–70  21–9 (9–9)
    		 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167[18])
    Storrs, CT
    2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
    March 8
    12:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 21 vs. DePaul
    First round    		 W 97–71  22–9
    		 Madison Square Garden (19,375[18])
    New York, NY
    March 9
    12:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 21 vs. No. 22 Georgetown
    Second round/Rivalry    		 W 79–62  23–9
    		 Madison Square Garden (19,375[18])
    New York, NY
    March 10
    12:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 21 vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh
    Quarterfinals    		 W 76–74  24–9
    		 Madison Square Garden (19,375[18])
    New York, NY
    March 11
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 21 vs. No. 11 Syracuse
    Semifinals/Rivalry    		 W 76–71 OT 25–9
    		 Madison Square Garden (19,375[18])
    New York, NY
    March 12
    9:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 21 vs. No. 14 Louisville
    Championship Game    		 W 69–66  26–9
    		 Madison Square Garden (19,375[18])
    New York, NY
    2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
    March 17*
    7:20 pm, TNT    		 No. 9 (3-W) vs. No. (14-W) Bucknell
    Second round    		 W 81–52  27–9
    		 Verizon Center (17,706[18])
    Washington, DC
    March 19*
    9:40 pm, TBS    		 No. 9 (3-W) vs. No. (6-W) Cincinnati
    Third round    		 W 69–58  28–9
    		 Verizon Center (18,684[18])
    Washington, DC
    March 24*
    7:15 pm, CBS    		 No. 9 (3-W) vs. No. 6 (2-W) San Diego State
    Sweet Sixteen    		 W 74–67  29–9
    		 Honda Center (17,980[18])
    Anaheim, CA
    March 26*
    7:05 pm, CBS    		 No. 9 (3-W) vs. No. 17 (5-W) Arizona
    Elite Eight    		 W 65–63  30–9
    		 Honda Center (17,856[18])
    Anaheim, CA
    April 2*
    6:49 pm, CBS    		 No. 9 (3-W) vs. No. 11 (4-E) Kentucky
    Final Four    		 W 56–55  31–9
    		 Reliant Stadium (75,421[18])
    Houston, TX
    April 4*
    9:00 pm, CBS    		 No. 9 (3-W) vs. No. (8-SE) Butler
    National Championship    		 W 53–41  32–9
    		 Reliant Stadium (70,376[18])
    Houston, TX
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

    Players drafted into the NBA
    YearRoundPickPlayerNBA Club (at time of draft)
    2011[19]19Kemba WalkerCharlotte Bobcats
    2012[20]112Jeremy LambOklahoma City Thunder (acquired via trade from the Houston Rockets)
    2013[21]257Alex OriakhiPhoenix Suns
    2014[22]124Shabazz NapierMiami Heat (acquired via trade from the Charlotte Hornets)

    Notes
    1. "Big East Conference Standings - 2010-11." ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
    2. Anthony, Mike (May 28, 2010). "UConn Assistants Sellers, Archibald Out In Light Of NCAA Violations". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
    3. Katz, Andy (July 2, 2010). "Ollie says he's joining UConn's staff". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
    4. Divver, Mark (July 2, 2011). "UConn adds former Brown coach Glen Miller to staff". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on August 18, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
    5. O'Neil, Dana (September 1, 2010). "Majok gives UConn more bad news". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
    6. "Pittsburgh Chosen As BIG EAST Hoops Favorite" Archived October 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Bigeast.org. Published 10-20-2010. Retrieved 05-28-2011
    7. "Pitt picked to win Big East, Syracuse picked to finish 3rd in Post-Standard's annual preseason writers poll". Syracuse.com. Published 10-19-2010. Retrieved May 28, 2011
    8. "NCAA Division I: AP Top 25 (Oct. 28)". ESPN. October 28, 2010. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
    9. "Freeman Selected BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year" Archived October 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Bigeast.org. Published 10-20-2010. Retrieved 05-28-2011
    10. "Wooden Award Preseason 2010–11 Watch List". FanHouse. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
    11. "DUKE UNIVERSITY LEADS A DIVERSE PACK ON THE NAISMITH PRESEASON WATCH LIST". Naismith Award. December 16, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
    12. Borges, David (November 17, 2011). "UCONN MEN'S BASKETBALL: They'll Rememba Kemba; Walker matches record with 42 in win over Vermont". New Haven Register. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
    13. "UConn's Kemba Walker scores 29 of his 31 points in second half". ESPN. November 22, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
    14. "Kemba Walker's 30 points power Huskies past second-ranked Spartans". ESPN. November 23, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
    15. Marshall, John (November 25, 2010). "Walker leads UConn to Maui title over Kentucky". Associated Press. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
    16. "Kemba Walker scores 29 points as UConn upsets Kentucky, wins Maui Invitational". ESPN. November 25, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
    17. "2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – AP Top 25 Week 18 (Mar. 7)". ESPN. March 7, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
    18. "Season Schedule/Results & Leaders". University of Connecticut.
    19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    20. https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2012.html
    21. http://www.mutigers.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062813aaa.html
    22. https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2014.html
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