TheRoundUp 2/6: Huskies prepare for Louisville press

The New Haven Register Blogs: UConn Men's Basketball Blog: A Look at UConn's Card Game
Indeed, the Cardinals love to press and run under Rick Pitino, and also largely employ a 2-3 matchup zone. UConn will counter with the three-guard starting lineup it unveiled against Seton Hall, along with Tyler Olander -- its best passing big man -- at the four. Louisville has won four straight, though not exactly against the iron of the league (at Pitt and Seton Hall, home against Villanova and Rutgers). It averages 9.5 steals per game, second in the Big East and sixth in the nation, and holds opponents to just 37-percent shooting, third nationally.

Gorgui Dieng's Status For Connecticut Game Still Unclear - Card Chronicle
Pitino stated after Saturday's win over Rutgers that he thought it was "doubtful" Dieng, who sprained his right ankle in the second half of the game, would be able to go against the Huskies. It was a sentiment the sophomore himself did not echo. "I'm ready to play," Dieng declared in the locker room on Saturday. "I care about this team more than anything. Anything I can do to help my team win, I'm ready for. Everybody works hard on this team and I don't want to let anybody down."

UConn Ready For Louisville's Press - Hartford Courant
"We looked at what was coming up," Blaney said, "and [knew that] probably we were going to see a lot of zone. And you certainly need ball movement. Tyler is our best frontcourt passer. When you do move the ball on the top and get the ball changed from side of the court to the other, that's when you can penetrate zones. And both Ryan and Shabazz did a terrific job of that [against Seton Hall]. … Changing sides of the floor with the basketball is really going to be a key for us."

UConn Women's Defense Gets Its Due - Hartford Courant
The No. 3 Huskies suffocated Rutgers 66-34 at Gampel Pavilion, holding the Scarlet Knights to 13 field goals, 0 threes, 14 second-half points and a field-goal percentage of 29.5. After it was done, Stringer said no one seems to give UConn enough credit for its defense.

UConn Women's Basketball -- Two big problems for Husky opponents
"It's definitely my mindset and the realization of what the team needs from me," Stokes said after scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds in 15 minutes of work. "When CD (Dailey) told me the team lost trust in me, it really homes. And when you hear they don't want you out on the court, it's like a slap in the face. It really hit me. I knew I had to change." In UConn's very next game, against nationally ranked North Carolina, the 6-foot-3 Stokes saw 14 minutes of playing time, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.