UConn's 'Big Three' struggle against Irish

South Bend, Ind. - Leading up to Wednesday's pivotal game against Notre Dame, coach Jim Calhoun spoke of the importance of his 'Big Three' playing well all the time for UConn to be successful.

Calhoun was proven right Wednesday.

Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson and Kemba Walker collectively sputtered. So did the Huskies, suffering a painful 58-50 loss.

"I don't think anybody was on their A game," Robinson said.

The point guard had a decent game, scoring 15 points, but was partially responsible for an ineffective halfcourt offense.

Dyson was dreadful, converting just 2-of-14 field goals and scoring 10 points. His mistake-prone play continued, leading to five turnovers. He came in averaging 4.5 turnovers in the last six games.

"I missed a lot of open shots," Dyson said. "Just a bad night for me."

When asked what he saw from Jerome, Calhoun responded: "Nothing."

Robinson basically disappeared, taking a season-low four shots. He finished with a season-low six points, ending his consecutive double figure scoring streak at 35 straight games.

"I wasn't worried about my points," Robinson said. "I was worried about the loss."

Lunardi talks UConn

For what it's worth, ESPN resident bracketologist Joe Lunardi thinks UConn will find a way to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

"I think at the end of the day they will just sneak in," Lunardi said during a Wednesday conference call.

Even a loss at Notre Dame won't keep UConn from qualifying, according to Lunardi. He believes the Huskies need three wins. They finish the regular season at South Florida Saturday and play in the Big East tournament next week in New York.

Lunardi compares UConn to Louisville, two inconsistent teams with quality wins. Neither will go far in the NCAA tournament, he says.

"I'm not confident in either team's ability to get to the second weekend," Lunardi said. "It seems to me that very rarely do teams that have essentially been .500 teams for a month and half suddenly go on a four or five game winning streak."

Shooting woes

In UConn's opening possession of the second half, Dyson and Walker fired back-to-back air balls. Bad misses were certainly more common than made baskets.

UConn's poor shooting on the road continued, as it shot 35.4 percent from the field. It converted just 42 percent in eight previous road games.

"We took a lot of bad shots," Calhoun said. "That's why we shot 35 percent. … Shot selection was not what we wanted it to be."

The Huskies were 17-for-48, the 17 field goals a season low.

News and notes

Farmington High School graduate Tim Abromaitis, a Notre Dame junior, had 10 points.

g.keefe@theday.com