Head coach Jim Calhoun and his #15 ranked UConn Huskies clinched a share of their league leading 9th regular season title and 15th Big East Championship overall with an 88-70 blowout of #13 Syracuse at Gampel Pavilion Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies, 21-6 (13-3 in conference) had their hands full with the Orange in the first half as the Big East heavyweights exchanged blows, closing out the half tied at 37 while Charlie Villanueva and Rudy Gay both spent extended time on the bench with 2 personal fouls each. But the Huskies put it all together, clamped down on defense, and simply took over the game in the second half, cruising to an 18 point win.

UConn shot 54% for the game, including a scorching 65% in the second half, while blocking 9 shots and holding the Orange to 30.7% shooting for the game.

The red hot Huskies assisted on 22 of 26 field goals as they steamrolled Syracuse for their 9th straight conference win in a tightly officiated game that saw the two teams combine for 54 personal fouls and 75 free throws.

Denham Brown led four Huskies in double figures with 21 points. Marcus Williams scored 11 points, dished 10 assists, and grabbed five rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Williams also locked down defensively on Syracuse point guard Gerry McNamara holding him to 4-12 shooting. Rudy Gay scored 16 points and dished 3 assists while Josh Boone added 10 points, 5 boards, and three blocked shots. Charlie Villanueva snatched a game high 14 rebounds to go with 9 points and two blocks.

Ed Nelson, Ryan Thompson, Hilton Armstrong, and Antonio Kellogg gave the Huskies a solid punch off the bench. Nelson scored 9 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in 14 minutes of action. Thompson scored 6 points on two 3-pointers to go along with 4 rebounds in 18 minutes. Kellogg added 2 points, 3 assists, and no turnovers in 10 minutes of action and Armstrong contributed 4 points and 3 rebounds in 15 minutes. Syracuse was led by Hakim Warrick who scored 25 points. Although Warrick shot just 5-19 from the field, he managed to hit 15-of-22 free throws.

After the victory, the Huskies donned "Big East Regular Season Champs" t-shirts and the players took turns hoisting up the trophy to the roaring student section. Calhoun was reminded of a very special time in UConn basketball history.

"When the game ended, I recollected back to 89-90, our first Big East championship, when we clinched the championship and how special it was. I would have to say the two most satisfying (conference) championships that I’ve been involved with, clearly were that first one and then this one...This team, coming back from Notre Dame after a really tough loss, was 4-3 in the league. And then goes on to win nine straight games, six of those without our leading scorer (Rashad Anderson)."

It's no secret that Connecticut is one of the hottest teams in the country and peaking at just the right time. The coaches know it, the players know it, and so does the opposition.

"Connecticut has played very well," said Jim Boeheim. "Over the last part of the season they’ve played the best basketball of any team in our league and I think they are playing as well as the top three or four teams in the country."

"We are still not done," said Charlie Villanueva. "We still have a lot more to do."

We've got a lot more on our minds," confirmed Denham Brown. "We've got a Big East title and a Final Four on our minds."

UConn will receive a first round bye in this week's Big East Tournament. The Huskies will play the winner of Wednesday's Seton Hall - Georgetown match-up Thursday evening at 7pm at Madison Square Garden.

Calhoun and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim entered the game with exactly 700 victories each. Both coaches were honored with trophies commemorating their accomplishment before the game.

Connecticut honored guard Sami Ameziane and forward Jason Baisch with a senior night ceremony prior to tip-off. Both players accepted framed jerseys from head coach Jim Calhoun. Ameziane was escorted by his sister Nadia and friends Holly Upton and Frederick Joly. Baisch was escorted by his parents Rudi and Kathy, his brother Thomas, and sister Lauren.

Look for our senior night features on Jason Baisch and Sami Ameziane in this week's issue of Inside Connecticut Sports Magazine.

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