Shaking in Their Boots; UConn Basketball Dreads UB

After glancing at the schedule for the Huskies' 2004-05 men's basketball season, UConn head coach Jim Calhoun had to rub his eyes and look again.

He took a second look, but what he saw on tap for November 20, 2004 did not disappear as he had hoped.

"There it was, the Buffalo Bulls visiting the UConn Huskies," said Calhoun. "I must have stared at it for 20 minutes in disbelief."

When asked about this weekend's Final Four matchup with the fabled Duke Blue Devils, Calhoun looked distant and worried.

"I saw the way UB took apart Kent State," said Calhoun. "I'm trying to set up a damned game plan for Duke and now I'm not going to be able to sleep at night. Somebody pinch me, please."

Coming off a 17-12 season, UB head coach Reggie Witherspoon said the Bulls are ready to take on UConn.

"Playing in Cleveland in the MAC Tournament, I think we got a taste of what it means to play at the next level," said Witherspoon. "In fact, I'm not worried about UConn. It's teams like Central Michigan and Northern Illinois that keep me up at night."

The Huskies' starting center Emeka Okafor said he is happy to be graduating after this season, since it means he will not have to face UB next season.

"I heard about the Sea of Blue," said Okafor. " It's tough playing with The Cameron Crazies in the stands at Duke, but I heard the Sea of Blue really blows the roof off. I hope this team can beat UB without me."

"Is that recorder still on? (Bursts out laughing) There's no f***ing chance UConn can win without me!"

UConn guard Ben Gordon will be on the team's roster next season, and said he cannot overemphasize the importance of a victory over the Bulls.

"Getting to the Final Four, this season has been a whirlwind of excitement," said Gordon. "But if we don't beat UB next year, none of it means anything."

In a phone interview with The Spectrum, ESPN College Basketball Analyst Dick Vitale weighed in on next season's heavily anticipated matchup with one of his energetic, if nonsensical, tirades.

"I can't believe it! You take one of the best teams in the Big East and then you got one of the hottest teams in the MAC," screamed Vitale. "It's madness! Total pandemonium, baby!"

Jeffrey Hathaway, the director of athletics at UConn, said the school has already been in contact with state officials to organize extra security around the Hartford Civic Center on game night.

"We've had some pretty big games here before," said Hathaway, "but I don't think we've ever seen anything that can prepare us for the madness that will come with the UB game next season."

UB forward Yassin Idbihi said Connecticut is the last thing the UB team is thinking about.

"UConn? Please," said Idbihi. "Get back to me when we're scheduled to play a real basketball team."

Since seeing the schedule, Calhoun said his team seems less motivated than usual, despite the fact that they are in the heat of the national title tournament.

"At the beginning of the (NCAA) tournament, my guys were like a pack of hungry wolves," said Calhoun. "But when they saw that we are scheduled to play UB next season, the whole campaign just started to seem kind of pointless."

Sophomore physics major Horace Abbot said he cannot wait to take the road trip to East Hartford to cheer on the Bulls in November.

"It's going to be a great game and I'm pretty sure UB will win," said Abbot. "I mean, if we were able to beat Akron, there's no reason we can't beat UConn."

Witherspoon added that the Bulls' tremendous improvement over the 2003-04 season gave the team the confidence they will need to beat the 1999 NCAA Champions.

"We started off as a joke and ended up making a serious run for the MAC title," said Witherspoon. "If last season is any sort of indicator, then I think we can make the dance next season. Beating UConn will just be another step on the way to the national title."

Like the rest of the Bulls, guard Calvin Cage said he is barely concerned with the game against the Huskies.

"It's not a question of whether or not we'll beat UConn," said Cage. "The important question is by how much."