David Butler II/US Presswire

A.J. Price is pumped about Connecticut's win over Louisville on Monday -- its fourth W in a row.

Key Shot

By: Reggie Rankin
Scouts Inc.

Connecticut point guard A.J. Price controlled the game from start to finish in the Huskies' 69-67 win over Louisville on Monday night. Price, the junior guard, scored 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out four assists while logging 39 minutes. Price was forced into playing power minutes due to the ongoing suspensions for a violation of team rules of starting guard Jerome Dyson and key reserve Doug Wiggins.

With only one scholarship guard on the UConn bench, the Cardinals planned to use their full-court pressure to create turnovers against the shorthanded Huskies. But Price handled the heat without any problem, and UConn committed only 11 turnovers (Price had just two of them despite handling the ball the entire game).

Both teams mixed their defenses, playing pressure man and 2-3 zone. Louisville tried to attack the zone with the 3-point shot. The Cardinals were 11-for-33 from behind the arc, which in turn allowed the Huskies to rebound and run the floor in transition.

Connecticut, on the other hand, gave the ball to Price -- who took control by penetrating and getting in the lane at will, regardless of the defense the Cards were playing. Price changed speed and directions and got into the heart of the defense to either score or find the open man. His toughness and heart were on full display as the Big East assist leader played a flawless floor game.

UConn forwards Stanley Robinson and Jeff Adrien handled the dirty work; they were active and physical on defense, finishing with a combined 28 points and 20 rebounds. The much-improved Hasheem Thabeet ran the floor in transition and had two above-the-rim finishes that were highlight material, to go along with three blocks.

Louisville kept the pressure on as the Huskies, who played just six players double-digit minutes after Saturday's big win over Indiana, seemed to be running out of gas in the second half. But UConn kept attacking and got over the hump, even when Robinson went to the bench with leg cramps.

Still, Louisville had a shot to win the game in the final seconds. Senior Juan Palacios, who scored a team-high 16 points, found himself open at the top of the key. But instead of dribbling into an open 16-footer, he stepped back for a contested 3 that missed badly off the glass.

Connecticut seems to be playing with great confidence after going into Bloomington over the weekend and shocking the Hoosiers. The Huskies (15-5, 5-3 Big East) are right in the think of things in the Big East. They have won four straight games (against then-No. 13 Marquette, at Cincinnati, at then-No. 8 Indiana and now Louisville) and are playing their best ball in years.

So much for people saying UConn doesn't have a true point guard. Price made everyone a believer on Monday.

Key Notes

By Jason McCallum
ESPN Research

• In 26 Division I games on Monday night, 18 were decided by single-digits. The home teams were 10-8 in those games.

• Connecticut's Jeff Adrien and Stanley Robinson each had 10 rebounds in the Huskies' two-point win over Louisville. The attack of the glass certainly helps Connecticut; the Huskies are 5-0 this season when at least two players reach double figures in rebounds. Further, during Robinson's two years in Storrs, the Huskies are 5-0 when he records a double-double. They are 18-8 when Adrien gets a double-double. Both have had double-doubles in the Huskies' past two games.

• Blake Griffin, the highly touted freshman for the Oklahoma Sooners, scored 15 points in the win over Oklahoma State. But it was older brother Taylor who led the Sooners with a career-high 20 points against the Cowboys. The 35 combined points is tied for the most combined by the brothers this season. In a Jan. 7 win over Mount Saint Mary's, Blake scored 26 and Taylor scored nine.

• Gonzaga beat Portland 79-41 on Monday night. The 41 points allowed is the third-fewest Gonzaga has allowed in the past 10 seasons. But when you take conference play into consideration, it's the fewest the Bulldogs have allowed since they beat Idaho 59-31 on Jan. 30, 1978 -- when Gonzaga was a member of the Big Sky Conference. The Bulldogs joined the WCC in the 1979-80 season.

• Gonzaga freshman Austin Daye recorded the second double-double of his career, scoring 19 points and grabbing a career-high 13 rebounds. What makes this one so remarkable, however, is that he racked up those numbers in only 15 minutes of playing time. He's played fewer minutes in only five other games this season -- and in those games he has a combined 24 points and 14 rebounds.

• Coach Eddie Sutton's San Francisco Dons took another loss on Monday, falling 66-48 at home to Santa Clara. There have been four head coaches to win 800 Division I games, and Sutton is one win shy of joining that group. Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith and Jim Phelan all recorded their 800th win in the game immediately following win No. 799. Bob Knight got a loss in the game immediately following his 799th win but then won the next game. Sutton has dropped three straight since getting No. 799 on Jan. 19 against Portland.

• Three players had at least 10 assists on Monday; they were Paul Stoll of Texas-Pan American (11), Brody Angley of Santa Clara (10) and Mike Jefferson of High Point (10). All three led their teams to victory. So far this season, 63 players have had at least 10 assists in a conference game. Their teams are 50-13 in those games.

• The performance of the night belongs to San Diego's Gyno Pomare. The junior had 20 points, his 12th career 20-point effort, in the Toreros' 63-55 win over No. 20 St. Mary's. Pomare had a career-high five blocked shots and shot 9-for-10 from the floor. The performance enabled San Diego to earn its first victory over a nationally ranked team since Nov. 22, 2002, when the Toreros beat No. 14 UCLA.