Rolling without the 'Dys' man to Seton Hall

When UConn last faced Seton Hall, on Jan. 18, the story was a bit different than it is today.

Junior guard Jerome Dyson locked down Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell, the second leading scorer in the Big East at the time (22.4 points per game), as the Huskies toppled the then 9-7 Pirates, 76-61. Hazell shot 7-for-20 from the field and scored just five points in the first half of that game.

When No. 1 UConn (23-1, 11-1 Big East) travels to South Orange, N.J., to take on Seton Hall (14-9, 5-6), it will be without the services of Dyson, a player who is often described as the Huskies' best perimeter defender.

After tearing the lateral meniscus in his right knee against Syracuse Wednesday, Dyson is ruled out indefinitely. He will undergo surgery next week.

The responsibilities of guarding Hazell, who now averages 23.1 points per game, will primarily be "by committee," according to senior guard A.J. Price.

"Stanley [Robinson] will probably start on him," Price said. "And I'm sure Craig [Austrie] and I will get our chance."

Since losing to the Huskies on Jan. 18, Hazell has scored 30 or more points on three separate occasions, highlighted by a 35-point, 10-rebound outburst against Rutgers on Jan. 19. He is playing perhaps his best basketball of the season - and so is the entire Pirates team. Seton Hall has won five straight games and, after starting the season 0-6 in Big East play, has moved up to 10th-place in the conference.

"They're a different team right now than when we played them before," Price said. "You can just tell by their swagger and their demeanor, they're playing with a lot more confidence."

Seton Hall plays a style that is not common in the Big East. Instead of playing with the traditional line-up of two guards, a small forward and two post players, the Pirates sometimes play with as many as four guards and try to spread the floor and penetrate to the basket to free up their 3-point shooters, like Hazell.

While UConn is accustomed to playing against that style of play - aside from Seton Hall, recent opponents Villanova and Michigan employed similar offensive strategies - the undersized Pirates can pose a bit of a match-up problem.

According to Price, forward Robert Mitchell presents the most difficult match-up. The 6-foot-6 180-pound junior plays power forward for Seton Hall and takes advantage of his quickness and shooting range against players who are used to defending in the paint, such as UConn's Jeff Adrien. Price is still confident that Adrien will be able to keep up with Mitchell despite the fact Adrien outweighs him by 65 pounds.

"Jeff does a good job out there," Price said. "He can defend inside-and-out, that's what makes him so tough on the defensive end."

With Dyson out indefinitely, Austrie is expected to get the start at shooting guard. Freshman Kemba Walker, who averages 8.8 points per game in 23 minutes of action, should see increased playing time as well. Calhoun also said that he needs seldom-used reserves Scottie Haralson and Donnell Beverly to be prepared as well.

"The first thing [after Dyson left the Syracuse game] was to get Donnell and Scottie ready," Calhoun said. "If we have foul trouble, they are going to have to play."