GAME NOTES: The red-hot Connecticut Huskies continue their quest to enter the Top-25, as they welcome the 18th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers to the XL Center in Hartford this afternoon, for a Big East showdown. Jim Calhoun's Huskies have been as hot as any team in the nation over the last two weeks, winning four straight games, including knocking off a pair of nationally ranked teams in Marquette (89-73) and Indiana (68-63) and slipping by a strong Louisville squad (69-67) this week as well. With the recent surge, UConn has pushed its record to 15-5 overall and 5-3 in league play. Four other teams are also 5-3 in Big East action, including the Panthers. Jamie Dixon's squad is coming off a much- needed 69-57 win over Villanova this week, following a tough 77-64 setback to Rutgers last weekend. This is the 54th all-time meeting between these two teams, with UConn holding a 29-24 advantage. Pittsburgh won the only meeting last season, a 63-54 decision at home.

Pittsburgh has been without starters Mike Cook (torn ACL) and Levance Fields (fractured foot), but the team has plugged others into the lineup and been able to battle through adversity. That was certainly the case against Villanova this week, as Pittsburgh trailed by one point mid-way through the second half, but used a 22-3 run down the stretch to provide more than enough cushion for the victory. Sam Young led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds. Tyrell Biggs came off the bench with 14 points, while Ronald Ramon and DeJuan Blair tallied 10 points apiece. Just a freshman, the 6-7, 265-pound Blair recorded his eighth double-double of the season by grabbing 14 rebounds. Not having quality scorers like Fields (11.9 ppg) and Cook (10.4 ppg) on the court would cripple most teams, but Pittsburgh has been able to weather the storm thus far. The team is still averaging a steady 76.2 ppg, while limiting the opposition to just 62.8. Young and Blair have led the way down low. Young is shooting just over 50 percent from the floor (.502) and leads the team in scoring at 18.1 ppg, while pulling down 7.0 rpg. Blair is hitting 54.1 percent of his shots, adding 11.8 ppg, while leading the way on the boards (9.5 rpg), as well as in blocks (28) and steals (40).

The Huskies have not been at full strength either, as the team has been without the services of leading scorer Jerome Dyson (14.3 ppg) and solid reserve Doug Wiggins (6.6 ppg), as both have been suspended indefinitely. In their absence, point guard A.J. Price has taken a more hands-on approach when it comes to scoring, upping his season average to tie Dyson at 14.3 ppg, while remaining the Big East's top distributor (6.1 apg). The real strength of this team is in the frontcourt, where forwards Jeff Adrien (14.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg) and Stanley Robinson (10.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg) team with center Hasheem Thabeet (11.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 75 blocks) to form a dominating trio. Price once again led the charge in the two-point win over Louisville, hitting 8-of-17 shots from the floor and netting 20 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds and doled out four assists. Robinson and Adrien did the rest, as both recorded double-doubles. Robinson finished with 16 points and 10 boards, while Adrien added 12 points and 10 caroms. UConn outrebounded the Cardinals 40-29 and outscored Louisville, 30-16 in the paint.

Both teams like to get physical, but it is the Huskies that are red-hot right now. Dyson's suspension has seemed to galvanize this team for a strong stretch run and Pittsburgh has shown some weakness on the road. That should continue to ring true today, as UConn knocks off another Top-25 program.