UConn head coach Jim Calhoun coached his 1,000th career college basketball game against the Villanova Wildcats Wednesday night. He is 7 victories shy of 700 wins in his career.

"To coach 1,000 games in Division one basketball is a journey that I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to experience," said Calhoun after the game.

Calhoun mentioned that they would like to find ways to get Rudy Gay the ball more. Gay scored 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in 33 minutes of action in Connecticut's victory over Villanova.

"George (Blaney) and I have been talking a great deal, and Tom (Moore) and Andre (LaFleur) about getting Rudy the ball more," said Calhoun.

When asked for his Super Bowl prediction Calhoun, a Boston native, didn't hesitate.

"There is only one prediction," said the confident UConn head coach. "The best team is going to win and we know the Patriots will win the game."

While Denham Brown came up limping in the second half of the Villanova game with what was believed to be a pulled muscle in his thigh, Josh Boone, who has been slumping the past few games, is working his way through a bad cold. Combined with his asthma, it has taken a lot out of Boone on the court.

"(My asthma) is not normally a problem," said Boone after the Villanova game. "But with this cold what it does is it moves from your head down into your chest. The last few days it's just been sitting in my chest and has just made it incredibly difficult to breathe."

Calhoun has been emphasizing team camaraderie and their need to come together through adversity a lot over the past few weeks. Everybody picking each other up, sometimes quite literally. The Huskies seemed to really come together and feed off each other in the win over the Wildcats.

"That's been an emphasis in practice," said Josh Boone. "If a teammate goes down, run over and help him up. Huddle after every out of bounds, after every foul, things like that."

Rashad Anderson owes Rudy Gay big time and he knows it. As the clock wound down on UConn's victory over Villanova, Anderson lobbed a bad alley-oop pass to Rudy Gay instead of taking a wide open layup or dribbling out the clock. Fortunately for Anderson - usually not one to pass up a shot - Gay saved the bad pass, and the day.

"Once we got in the back (after the game) Rashad gave me a big hug." said Gay. "He said coach told him if I didn't catch that pass he probably would have been on Pearl Street running with his jersey on."

Calhoun Goes Hollywood?

UConn head coach Jim Calhoun told the media Wednesday evening after UConn's 81-76 win over Villanova that contrary to rumors he has not heard from the Los Angeles Lakers regarding their vacant head coaching job. Calhoun said the only person he has talked to associated with the Lakers is former UConn star Caron Butler who appeared recently on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno where he told Jay about his difficult past and incarcerations as a teen before getting his life together.

"Well I did have a good discussion with Caron, the only Laker that I've talked to," said Calhoun. "We were talking about the Tonight Show, and he was magnificent. He found it rather unusual that I showed (the segment) yesterday at our chalk talk. I worked today talking with some literary agents because he has a great story to tell...It's an incredible story - if you saw him on Leno - my wife cried, I teared up. And he's so good, he's so good."

"And that's my contact with the Lakers," concluded Calhoun with a smile.

"Aw man, coach isn't going anywhere," said Rashad Anderson with a grin when asked about the rumor that the Lakers are interested in Calhoun for their vacant head coaching position. "He might really choke some of those guys, coming into practice late and stuff," concluded Anderson with a smile as he assessed the work ethic of some NBA players and Calhoun's level of tolerance.

When pressed by the media about about the Lakers interest, Calhoun wouldn't budge.

"Right now I'm trying to get ready for St. John's and hope that we can get that book going for Caron," responded Calhoun. "The only thing is, I would like to star in the movie as coach Calhoun from UConn. Beyond that I have no great desires."

Calhoun continued his comedy act when asked how important the win over Villanova was.

"I said coming into the game that it was critical. I try not to use that word. I don't believe in must win games because I never know if you don't win what happens? Do they execute you? What happens? I've always been a little bit amused by 'you have to win'. Well what if you don't? As long as you have a contract you're fine, you know what I'm saying? The point being simply is that's why there are no must win games. A critical game? Without question."

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