The 'Jerome factor'

Jim Calhoun calls it the "Jerome factor."

He is, of course, referring to the one legitimate reason that could have kept his Huskies, who were ranked in the top five all season, from obtaining a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The numbers don't lie: With Dyson, UConn was 22-1. Without him, the Huskies are 4-3.

Ever since Dyson (13.2 points per game) was ruled out for the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee, no one has stepped up to duplicate his production.

Senior Craig Austrie was inserted into the starting line-up, a role he excelled in when Dyson was suspended for nine games last season. Austrie averaged 10.1 points per game in his place in 2008 when Dyson was suspended, but he has struggled, to say the least, since his re-insertion into the starting line-up this year.

In the seven games since Dyson went down, six of which Austrie has started, the senior shooting guard is averaging 4.7 points per game while shooting an abysmal 22 percent from the field.

"Craig's got to keep shooting," Calhoun said. "He has to. He knows that."

Fortunately for Austrie, however, UConn has other options to help alleviate the pressure of filling Dyson's shoes.

Perhaps the most important, according to Calhoun, is small forward Stanley Robinson. After a victory over South Florida on Feb. 20 - a game in which Robinson quietly registered 10 points and six rebounds - Calhoun said that he expected the 6-foot-9 small forward to step up the most out of everyone in Dyson's absence.

And of late, he has.

Robinson went off for a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in the third overtime of UConn's unforgettable 127-117 6-OT loss to Syracuse in last Thursday's Big East quarterfinal. He made jumpshots. He attacked the boards. He attacked the basket. Robinson played as close to a perfect game as he's ever played in a UConn uniform, and according to senior guard A.J. Price, that's just a sign of things to come.

"It's something we expect from Stanley," Price said. "And honestly, it's something we need. It's definitely not a one-time performance from him. I've been around him and I've seen him do those kinds of things before. We just have to hope he plays with that same assertiveness and brings that same passion and fire to the Tournament."

Robinson, who admitted to being a little gun-shy early in the year, knows that he can no longer defer to his teammates. He realizes that, at times, he must put the offense on his back.

"To be honest, I was a little rusty when I first came back," Robinson said. "I don't have a problem shooting jumpshots now, and I know that can open up the rest of my game."

One player who has never had a problem shooting jumpshots is Scottie Haralson. The heralded freshman shooting guard from Jackson, Miss., got off to a horrific 0-for-12 start from 3-point range in the first four games (exhibitions included), but regained his swagger ever since he drilled a buzzer-beater against Bryant to extend the Huskies' way-too-close 27-point advantage to a comfortable 30-point victory.

"Coach told me I had a lot of guts," Haralson joked. "But he's never told me to stop shooting."

When Big East play began, however, Haralson was essentially relegated to a practice player. Prior to Dyson's injury, he appeared in just three of UConn's 12 conference games and registered a grand total of four minutes.

When Dyson was carried off the court on Feb. 11 versus Syracuse, Haralson knew it was his time.

"Everything happens for a reason," Haralson said. "I was hoping [Dyson] was going to be OK, but then he was out for the season, I needed to step up. You just have to be ready to play whenever your number's called. My teammates told me not to be passive and just be ready to attack, so I kind of ran with that."

Three games later, he got his chance. The freshman sharpshooter nailed two key 3-pointers in a 93-82 road victory over Marquette on Feb. 25 and gained the confidence of his teammates in the process.

"[My teammates] know I can shoot," Haralson said. "I torch people in practice every day; I just needed to prove I could carry it to game."

Haralson came through in the clutch once again in the Big East Tournament versus the Orange, when he saw his first action in the fifth overtime and calmly knocked down a foul-line jumpshot that gave UConn a 110-108 lead with 42 seconds remaining.

Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn came back and sank two free throws to tie the game, and the Orange ended up prevailing in the sixth overtime.

Even though UConn lost the game, Robinson showed that he can take over offensively, and Haralson showed why Calhoun was so high on him at the begginning of the year.

Collectively - between Robinson, Haralson and Austrie - UConn believes it can make up for the absence of Dyson.

"Jerome is a great player, but the guys here right now can still do a lot of things," Haralson said. "We believe we still have what it takes to win the National Championship."