UConn: Ya gotta believe

New York — UConn heard whispers of doubters around the fringes of the basketball program in the days leading up to Wednesday's NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal.

The Huskies never paid attention. They just went to work following three shaky season-opening wins.

"I'm pretty sure everybody thinks that we're not that good," sophomore Kemba Walker said. "We really don't care to tell you the truth. We know how good we are and how good we can be."

Playing on the big stage at Madison Square Garden, No. 13 UConn put on a show while dismantling LSU 81-55.

The aggressive Huskies (4-0) never trailed, built a 16-point halftime lead and cruised to the finish line, dominating every phase of the game to earn a trip to the championship game at 5 p.m. Friday against No. 7 Duke, a 64-53 winner over Arizona State in the second semifinal.

"We've been waiting since the exhibition season for us to have a breakout a little bit," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. "And quite frankly it was a different kind of a breakout.

"The breakout for us was playing with energy, going back to rebounding, which is something we do very well. … It was the first time that I saw Connecticut play in the regular season game."

Calhoun challenged his Huskies to win the "work ethic meter," and they did on both ends, hustling to loose balls and grabbing rebounds in their best inside effort this season. They won the all-important rebounding battle 49-36 and limited LSU (3-1) to 36.5 percent shooting. The Tigers had out-rebounded opponents by an average of 13.8 per game this season.

Basically, UConn finally played its style of basketball.

"We definitely should have been playing like this all season," senior Gavin Edwards said. "To play like this against LSU and do it on national television, we did it on the big stage."

Senior Jerome Dyson and Walker led a balanced attack with 20 points apiece while senior Stanley Robinson had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Edwards, who came off the bench for the first time this season, chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds. Junior Charles Okwandu made a small contribution in his first start with five rebounds and two blocks.

LSU coach Trent Johnson expected to see the good Huskies, not the bad of the previous games. His best players had off nights, including Tasmin Mitchell, Bo Spencer and Storm Warren who all finished under their scoring averages.

"Obviously, that was a pretty good basketball team and they were very well prepared and ready to go," Johnson said.

UConn's transformation into an energized team was evident from the start. Instead of hanging on the perimeter, Robinson attacked the basket, scoring 14 points before halftime. Walker cranked up the transition game. The Huskies rebounded and defended with numbers and gusto.

In his first trip off the bench, Edwards started a 17-6 surge. His short hook shot propelled UConn in front for good at 6-4. Freshman Alex Oriakhi's athletic tip-in capped the run for a 21-10 lead at the 11:32 mark.

UConn mixed in an effective press, helping spark a transition game, and also played sound half-court defense. With Warren battling foul trouble and Robinson bottling up Mitchell, the Tigers scored only three field goals in a 7:11 span. Just as important, LSU was kept off the offensive boards.

Robinson's 3-pointer increased the gap to 40-24.

"Coach told us don't feel them out, just attack early," Walker said. "That was our mindset going into the game — attack and rebound. I think we did a great job doing that."

Dyson carried the offensive torch in the second half, scoring 17 points as the lead ballooned to 62-36 on his 3-pointer.

UConn played so well in the first 30 minutes that Calhoun could forgive a let-up late in the game.

"Now we have the opportunity to play in the championship game and obviously we're thrilled," Calhoun said. "We are thrilled because quite frankly it's been a funny kind of two weeks for us where it hasn't been playing the same kind of basketball I know we're capable of. I couldn't be happier."

Walker had one last message for the doubters.

"All the doubters out there, we're just going to keep working hard and get better every day," Walker said.

g.keefe@theday.com