Blaney: Calhoun still in pain, Drummond mum

SYRACUSE, N.Y.– The UConn men's basketball team ran out of gas on Saturday against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.

"We got it to 63-61 then we got a little careless on offense and defense and we let it get away," said UConn George Blaney.

The Huskies seemed to be happy with their performance despite the loss, saying it was a better road effort than the loss at Louisville on Monday.

"They stretched it out but the game wasn't as bad as the score says," said Jeremy Lamb.

After cutting the deficit to two, the Orange outscored UConn 18-1 to pull away and blow the game open. The Huskies couldn't keep up with Syracuse at the end of the game, or defend them on the perimeter. The Orange shot 63 percent from behind the arc on 10-of-16.

"We're going to see them again," said freshman guard Ryan Boatright.

Although a second half ankle injury took freshman center Andre Drummond out of the game, the freshman center came out of the locker room for the second half with a different intensity.

"I was really excited about Andre Drummond finally going to the rim like we know we can," Blaney said.

Drummond scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 28 minutes of action on 5-of-13 shooting. In the second half, Drummond was more aggressive by the basket and went for dunks rather layups.

"We started screaming at him, you've got to go two-handed, full force," Blaney said.

Drummond said that when the injury occurred he thought his ankle was broken. He said that his ankle was sore after the game and started to tighten up.

Off the Rim

The 33,430 fans in attendance on Saturday was the fourth–largest crowd in Carrier Dome history and the largest crowd for an on-campus college basketball game this season.

Blaney said coach Jim Calhoun, who has missed the last three games while on medical leave, is still in pain. Blaney said Calhoun told him he's spoken to doctors at UConn, New York and Boston about his back trouble and that a decision is expected soon.

"The problem with backs is there are all different solutions," Blaney said.

With the announcement of the Big East and West Virginia settling, Blaney was asked about the possibility of Syracuse leaving early for the ACC. Blaney said the rivalry between the two schools and their coaches, Jim Boeheim and Calhoun, is great for the Big East. He hopes to continue to play the Orange.

"I think it's a natural game, it's been a rivalry game," Blaney said. "You can talk about a number of rivalries in the league and certainly Syracuse– UConn has been as good as any."

On Friday, UConn's request for a waiver to play in the 2013 NCAA tournament was denied. Drummond was asked if this would affect his decision on whether or not to go pro early.

"I don't know," Drummond said bluntly. He continued to say he's only focused on this team and winning a championship this season.

The quotable George Blaney

"I would have liked Jeremy [Lamb] to be a little more ready to pull the trigger... I want him shooting open shots," Blaney said.

Follow Matt McDonough on Twitter @McDTwin1.