Defense needs to pick it up

Storrs — UConn's defensive mission is simple: Make an opponent uncomfortable.

That didn't happen in a season-opening win over William & Mary Friday.

Coach Jim Calhoun is demanding an improvement on defense tonight against Colgate (0-0) in NIT Season Tip-Off North Regional action at 9 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion. Hofstra and Yale play in the first game of the doubleheader with the two winners meeting Tuesday for the right to go to the tournament's final four next week in New York.

Calhoun saw numerous defensive lapses Friday. Rebounding is another area of concern.

"One of the key points we make every game is they're getting too comfortable out there," Calhoun said. "Let's step in and ball pressure them. Let's do things. … We allowed too much freedom and we didn't have enough concentration.

"So (tonight) night really is for us to get our second win and to move on to play either Hofstra or Yale Tuesday and, secondly, to get us better defensively and get us better rebounding, without question. We should rebound better, much better than what we are."

To drive home his defensive point, Calhoun took what he called an unusual step of having his players watch game tape of the season-opening game prior to Sunday's practice. He wanted them to see exactly what went wrong.

Too many times players left their man to help out on penetration into the lane, leaving perimeter shooters wide open. William & Mary took advantage, hitting 13 3-pointers. Colgate, another perimeter-powered team, is capable of doing the same thing.

The 12th-ranked Huskies are focusing on better defensive positioning and sometimes resisting the natural temptation to help out a teammate.

"We've got to know our rotation and just don't over-help," sophomore Kemba Walker said. "We've got to know our roles on defense."

Calhoun is stressing that the Huskies, who scored on 80 percent of their fast break chances Friday, go into the attack mode after a basket.

"We really, really want to run," Calhoun said. "If we don't run after made baskets, I'll be very upset."

For the Red Raiders, they're just jumping into the regular season. Picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League preseason poll, Colgate returns eight players, including five starters, and also welcomes back its leading scorer from two years ago, Kyle Roemer who sat out last season with an injury.

"They're a pretty good Patriot League team," Calhoun said. "We've got to pay attention to detail and get back to doing what we have to do. … I'm not concerned about winning by 40. I'm more concerned about us executing things defensively, running the ball, rebounding the ball."

• In other news, highly-regarded recruit Doron Lamb, a 6-foot-4 combination guard out of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., began an official visit Sunday. Calhoun met with Lamb's parents prior to practice. Lamb already has visited Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma and also plans a trip to Arizona sometime in the upcoming weeks before making a decision.

g.keefe@theday.com