Generating Quite A Buzz

The result was typical - a victory over rival Syracuse by the slimmest of margins.

But the means certainly were not.

The men's basketball team has created a reputation over the last few years of playing tough defense and has led the NCAA in blocks the past six seasons. However, to overcome the Orange's perimeter attack, the No. 19 Huskies took a page out of Jim Boeheim's playbook and used a zone defense - something head coach Jim Calhoun rarely employs - to limit Syracuse to just 37.3 percent shooting from the field and pull out a 63-61 victory in the Carrier Dome Wednesday.

Now riding a six-game win streak, UConn (17-5) looks to continue the sterling defense they've played of late as they take on Georgia Tech (11-10) Saturday at Gampel Pavilion (4 p.m., ESPN).

"We're playing things a little different and doing a lot of different things that would be atypical of a Connecticut team," Calhoun said. "I'm a man-to-man coach, I'm a running coach, but last night we probably played 33, 34 minutes of zone.

"Right now we're playing really great, pragmatic basketball."

The changes in the game plan have worked so far, as the Huskies rank fourth in the NCAA in rebounds and are allowing opponents to shoot 37.4 from the field, good for sixth-best in the nation. But the adjustments made have come out of necessity rather than choice.

With UConn down to 10 active scholarship players after the 30-day suspension of Jerome Dyson and the team getting very little offense off the bench - they've added just six points the last four game - Calhoun said he simply curbed his ideology to the strength of his team.

"We're not coming out at you like we normally would because we just don't have the depth and can't afford some of those guys playing all those minutes to get in foul trouble," Calhoun said. "If you don't adjust to what's going on around you and your personnel you're making a mistake."

The transition to playing without Dyson has been smoother than most would have expected, thanks in large part to the outstanding play of late by Hasheem Thabeet. The sophomore had seven blocks Wednesday - although Calhoun said his coaches counted 11 - to bring his season average to four per game.

"He's a great presence in the middle," said Providence head coach Tim Welsh. "They funnel their defense toward him and take some chances on the perimeter because they have guys like him and [Jeff] Adrien."

As the year progresses, the center is also becoming a force on the offensive end as well. Thabeet is averaging 11.6 points per game in the Huskies' six-game run, and is beginning to play with more confidence and fun, as evidenced by his interaction with the crowd and opposing players lately.

The big man will certainly be tested this Saturday against a Yellow Jackets team without a true center. Thabeet struggled earlier in the year against teams that run their offense out of a three-guard set, and guards Anthony Morrow (14.5 ppg) and Lewis Clinch (11.2 ppg) can spread the defense with their play on the perimeter.

While UConn has made headlines with its recent winning streak, but head coach Paul Hewitt and his team are also on a run of their own. Georgia Tech has won four of their last five and are averaging 85.4 points per game in that span.

"Georgia Tech is a very physical team," Calhoun said. "They're on a streak and are playing much better basketball."

The Yellow Jackets makes the most of their opportunities, sitting third in the ACC in field goal percentage, shooting almost 48 percent on the year, but is susceptible to the 3 - teams are shooting 30 percent from beyond the arc against them.

The Huskies are 9-1 at home and 5-0 when playing at Gampel this season while Georgia Tech is 5-4 on the road.

Contact Justin Verrier at Justin.Verrier@UConn.edu.