For UConn, Providence a 'tough, tough' matchup

STORRS -- In 2014, seven Big East Catholic schools will officially branch off, thus killing rivalries that span a few decades.

UConn and Georgetown, for example, is a classic. To an extent, so is UConn and Villanova.

It's hard, though, to truly deem UConn and Providence "rivals." From 1994 -- the year Kevin Ollie hit a game-winning layup to lift the Huskies to a 79-78 win over the Friars -- to 2006, UConn held a 16-6 advantage.

But since then, Providence -- by no means a Big East heavyweight -- leads the cross-state series 5-2.

"Whenever it's a New England team, they're always going to play their best," said UConn point guard Shabazz Napier. "Just like when we played Quinnipiac -- if we had lost that game, all bragging rights went to them."

After snapping its two-game losing streak with a 66-54 victory over Rutgers, UConn hopes to retain bragging rights when it visits the Dunkin' Donuts Center tonight for a 7 p.m. date with Providence.

"It's a tough, tough matchup for us," Ollie said. "We're going to have our hands full with them. Every team that comes down there is going to have their hands full with them."

Following a difficult start to the season that included losses to Brown and DePaul, the Friars (10-10, 2-6 Big East) have shown signs of improvement. And that's largely because they're finally healthy: The backcourt trio of Vincent Council, Bryce Cotton and Kris Dunn has played together in just eight games.

Of the three, Cotton has been far and away the most prolific, topping 20 points six consecutive times before scoring 19 in last Saturday's loss to Marquette. Council, an All-Big East performer a year ago, has seen his numbers decline due to a hamstring injury and the emergence of freshman Dunn, a McDonald's All-American from New London who chose Providence over UConn.

"He just adds an extra dimension to them," Ollie said. "Dunn is one of those long, versatile guards who can play the point and the two and the three for them."

Providence's three guards, who average a combined 38 points and 12.2 assists per game, should provide a formidable test for Napier, Ryan Boatright and Omar Calhoun (43.3 points, 9.9 assists). However, the Huskies (13-5, 3-3) experienced success with a traditional two-guard lineup versus Rutgers, and Ollie said he feels comfortable with DeAndre Daniels at small forward and Niels Giffey at the "four."

"I like anybody who can come in and give me an opportunity where we can be a little bit more versatile and a little bigger," Ollie said. "But I still like my three guards. They're going to play a lot of minutes and we're going to have Niels ready and DeAndre is going to be ready and we're going to let the game dictate to who is going to play. I don't go in and say, `I'm going to play this guy X amount of minutes.'"

Daniels, inconsistent all year, gave UConn a lift in the final minutes in its win over Rutgers. The 6-foot-8 small forward scored four points -- a tip-in and a dunk off a steal -- in six seconds as the Huskies opened up a double-digit lead. Daniels has grabbed seven or more rebounds in three of his past five games.

"He's getting closer, but he still has room to grow like all of our guys, and we're just going to keep pushing and keep challenging them," Ollie said.

kduffy@newstimes.com; @KevinRDuffy