On Monday Maine blew the doors off the Maine-Machias Clippers in a 113-49 rout. Something tells me they're in for a slightly different result tonight. It's a safe bet that the Black Bears are going to be overwhelmed by UConn's speed, strength, length and athleticism. They don't be defenseless, but they're not going to win either. If you're looking for a dangerous player, keep your eye on 6'7" sophomore forward Alasdair Fraser, who scored 19 for the Black Bears in their opener. If you're looking for something marginally more entertaining, you should watch 6'9" (tallest guy on the team) senior Svetoslav Chetinov, who managed to foul out in 19 minutes of play against Maine-Machias. How long will he last against the likes of Alex Oriakhi and Andre Drummond? 15 minutes? 10? 5? Tune in to find out!
As for the Huskies, they'll be looking to put together 40 minutes of consistently good basketball for the first time this year. Against Columbia none of the bigs -- save Tyler Olander -- were able to get going, and against Wagner the Huskies let a sizeable lead slip to a too-close-for-comfort eight-point gap before pulling away. Andre Drummond put together a really nice performance in just 19 minutes on Monday, but fellow big man Alex Oriakhi has been slow to get going offensively (not that it is all his fault -- as David Borges noted he's only had 11 fg attempts so far this year).
Unfortunately the siren song of co-ed intramural wiffleball and my subsequent commute home are going to keep me from watching the game, but this thread is here for your amusement and I'll check in if I can. The game tips at 7 on SNY and ESPN3. Go Huskies.