ESPN.com - No. 8: UConn

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Tuesday, November 12, 2002
No. 8: UConn

By By Pete Thamel

Last Season: 277, Elite Eight


	Ben Gordon will be UConn's secret weapon.

Storrs has become as synonymous with wings (Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Caron Butler) as Buffalo. Meet the next in line: 6'2" soph Ben Gordon (12.6 ppg). Though he lacks the classic build, he's got quick feet and an even quicker stroke. Gordon averaged 25 ppg on a summer European junket, and he routinely abuses veteran stoppers Taliek Brown and Tony Robertson in practice. "They can't guard him," says Jim Calhoun. "He's that good right now." Gordon brings the firepower to complement Brown's steady hand (9.2 ppg, 5.1 apg as a soph) and Emeka Okafor's low-post punch (7.9 ppg, 9 rpg, 4.1 bpg as a frosh). And if the Huskies need more fuel after that? Meet 6'5" rookie wing Denham Brown. Calhoun calls him "the real deal," which is coachspeak for next in line.

One Step Ahead: No coincidence that Ray, Rip and Caron each stuck around one extra year: Calhoun forges tight bonds with his star players. Now comes word that the cerebral Okafor (3.7 GPA) wants to stay until he graduates, which he might do as a junior. No surprise Calhoun bills him as the ultimate role model to recruits.

One Step Behind: Why can't Connecticut develop quality centers? Fifth-year senior Justin Brown will finally see major minutes off the bench. But he'll mainly mimic ex-Husky grunts Jake Voskuhl and Travis Knight with his pick-and-board role. In 66 career games, the seven-foot Aussie has yet to score in double digits.

2002-2003 NCAA PREVIEW
MEN
1. Arizona Wildcats	9. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Kansas Jayhawks	10. UCLA Bruins
3. Oklahoma Sooners	11. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Pittsburgh Panthers	12. Kentucky Wildcats
5. Florida Gators	13. Virginia Cavaliers
6. Texas Longhorns	14. Michigan State Spartans
7. Duke Blue Devils	15. Xavier Musketeers
8. UConn Huskies	16. Indiana Hoosiers

This article will appear in the November 25 issue of ESPN The Magazine.