A.J. Price News

There is no NCAA rule prohibiting tough early-season games. It is unclear if UConn coach Jim Calhoun has always understood that fact - littering past November and December schedules with any and every cupcake willing to visit the Huskies' homes in Hartford and Storrs.

Terrific story by SI's Kevin Armstrong on UConn's Kemba Walker . In the piece, Armstrong writes: The New York hustler sped onto campus as a freshman backup to A.J. Price last season, barely braking long enough to notice the headstones and obelisks dotting Eagleville Road.

Love him or hate him, agree with him or disagree with him, Jim Calhoun has rarely left the Connecticut media with nothing to write, rarely left UConn fans without comments to analyze, argue over, laugh at, shake their heads at, even repeat with pride.

Donnell Beverly didn't play much as a freshman or sophomore. But he practiced, paid attention to detail, continued to work in hopes that an opportunity eventually would come his way.

Kyle Lyddy remembers exactly how he became enamored with UConn men's basketball.

Providence College has been a proud member of the Big East since it was established back in 1979, with Providence having a key role in the birth of what would come to be one of the finest collegiate conferences in the nation.

Kemba Walker virtually carried UConn into the Final Four last spring, finishing with game highs of 23 points and five assists as the Huskies defeated Missouri in the West Regional final.

Darius Smith knows a little something about the cold weather we face at UConn. After all, he's from the coldest and greatest city in the world - all self-proclaimed, of course.

The 12th-ranked Connecticut Huskies open up their 2009-10 season this evening in Storrs, as they welcome the William & Mary Tribe to Gampel Pavilion.

Sophomore Kemba Walker, right, steps into the starting point-guard role this season, taking over for current Indiana Pacer A.J. Price.

Every loss stings, and some are more memorable than others - for the circumstances, the level of play, how it unfolded, the disappointment, even the pride in the effort put forth.

The men's basketball team deserves a higher preseason ranking than the No. 12. It is not the same as last year's Final Four team thanks to the departures of Hasheem Thabeet, A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien, but they return a wealth of talented and experienced players to complement a strong group of newcomers.

It has been 214 days since the men's basketball team lost to Michigan State in the 2009 Final Four.

Highlighted by their numerous head-to-head matchups in recent Big East Tournament Championship games, one would be hard-pressed to find a better Big East rivalry in recent years than Pitt and Connecticut.

The UConn Huskies have been picked to finish third in the 2009-10 Big East preseason men's basketball poll, the league announced at its annual media day this morning at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

There was a lot of talk before and after the Husky Run about UConn being a faster team this season.

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun didn't participate in this year's Husky Run, but he sure looked like he could have.

The UConn men will participate Wednesday in the Husky Fun Run, a 5K race on campus that is a kind of ceremonial kickoff to the season.

The Big East will take a hit this year. Devin Ebanks. Then again, how could it not? After the league was as dominant as ever a year ago, the Big East lost plenty of its star power and should take a significant step down this season.

Key Returners: Jerome Dyson , Kemba Walker , Stanley Robinson Top Newcomers: Jamaal Coombs-McDaniel, Alex Oriakhi, Darius Smith Strengths: Ita TMs crazy that a team can lose A.J. Price and still have one of the best backcourts in the Big East.