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Sporting News, The, Feb 11, 2005 by Kyle Veltrop

BIG EAST ... rebounding: Connecticut. With great reluctance, Jim Calhoun will reveal the secret to the Huskies' wonderful board work. "Well, we have a lot of tall guys," Calhoun says, laughing. Which is true. Center Josh Boone and power forward Charlie Villanueva are 6-10, and small forward Rudy Gay is 6-9. And there are four other players in UConn's rotation who are 6-5 or taller. But if rebounding were only about size, Shawn Bradley would be a future Hall of Famer. The simple reason a team thrives on the glass is because it outworks opponents for the ball, thanks to each player's mind-set that every missed shot belongs to him. "We will not tolerate not competing on the backboard, every single trip, on both ends of the court," says Calhoun, whose team entered the week leading the nation in rebounding margin. Boone blends size, strength, timing and a good understanding of angles; he also learned a few things playing next to Emeka Okafor as a freshman on UConn's 2004 national title team. "I think Josh Boone is one of the best weakside rebounders I've ever seen," Calhoun says. "He's a great, great offensive rebounder." Villanueva, who is blessed with terrific athletic ability and long arms, averaged 10.1 rebounds in his first seven Big East games. Aside from their size and want-to, the Huskies' rebounding efforts are aided by their fast break. They run so well that opponents are forced to send their players back on defense instead of to the glass.

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PAC-10 ... balancing the offense: Washington. Clearly, electric guard Nate Robinson is the face of the Huskies. But when you look at UW's stat sheet, Robinson simply blends in--he is one of five players averaging at least 10 points, and a sixth, point guard Will Conroy, checks in at 9.5. The Huskies like to play fast, share the ball and spread the scoring load. They rank among the nation's leaders in points, assists and field-goal percentage. Robinson still is the star of this team, but seven Huskies have scored 17 or more points in a game, and five have reached 22 or more points. Huge individual performances usually aren't what you'll find in a Washington box score; rather, it's more likely you'll see four or five guys scoring in double figures.

WAC ... free throw shooting: UTEP. It is counterproductive for a team to shoot free throws well but not get to the line often or, on the flip side, to get to the line a lot but be unable to convert. The Miners have both sides of the equation figured out; they rank fourth nationally in free throw percentage and shoot an average of 23.0 free throws per game. The seven Miners who carry a heavy load in the rotation shoot at least 70.8 percent from the line, and four make at least 80.0 percent. Omar Thomas, an outstanding slasher who is a top candidate for WAC player of the year, has picked up 30.8 percent of his points from the line. UTEP returned Thomas and fellow standouts Jason Williams and Filiberto Rivera from last year's team, which lost to Maryland, 86-83, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And even though coach Billy Gillispie moved on to Texas A&M, the Miners, 17-4 entering the week, could make a return appearance under new coach Doc Sadler.

ACC ... scoring: North Carolina. The Tar Heels, the nation's highest-scoring team can do damage from inside or outside. Their transition offense is a thing of beauty, and they also score in the halfcourt. Carolina has scored 85 or more points in 15 of 19 games.

ATLANTIC 10 ... protecting the ball: Temple. Coach John Chaney can live with a low shooting percentage, but not with turnovers, which can provide cheap points. Against Villanova, Georgetown, Alabama and Wake Forest, the Owls averaged 7.5 turnovers.

BIG 12 ... winning at home: Oklahoma State. The longest home winning streak, 25 straight victories, belongs to the Cowboys. And they haven't lost at Gallagher-Iba since the dedication of Eddie Sutton Court ... OK, there has been only one game.

BIG TEN ... passing: Illinois. The Illini routinely trade in good shots for better ones with extra passes. Deron Williams has terrific vision, and the offense also can run through Luther Head or Dee Brown. Rarely do the Illini throw away the ball.

CONFERENCE USA ... picking your pocket: UAB. The Blazers try to get teams to play faster than they would like to by pressing, gambling and jumping the passing lanes. That leads to some easy buckets for opponents--but usually more for the Blazers.

MONTAIN WEST ... taking good shots: Utah. A team can shoot 53.5 percent for a half, but for a season? Andrew Bogut is shooting a preposterous 64.7 percent--and he'll stray to the perimeter. How does guard Tim Drisdom (44.3 percent) look fellow Utes in the eye?

SEC ... defending the perimeter: Arkansas. The Razorbacks, who lead the SEC in 3-point defense, have a lot of big, athletic wings (Ron Brewer, Olu Famutimi and Jonathon Modica) who make it hard for opponents to get good outside looks.

SOUTHERN ... 3-point shooting: Furman. The Paladins are second nationally in 3-pointers per game and are third in 3-point percentage. Furman has multiple threats from behind the line; the best of the bunch is sophomore Eric Webb.

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Sporting News, The, Feb 11, 2005 by Kyle Veltrop

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