Coach Calhoun and the Huskies will Face Former UConn Assistant Dave Leitao and DePaul in the NCAA Second Round in Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. (March 19) – Head coach Jim Calhoun and the No. 2 seed Connecticut men’s basketball team will face off against former UConn assistant coach Dave Leitao and seventh-seeded DePaul in the Second Round of the 2004 NCAA Championship on Saturday night at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

UConn (28-6) advanced to the Second Round after a 70-53 victory over 15th seeded Vermont on Monday night in Buffalo. DePaul (22-9) used a 76-69 double overtime victory against Dayton in the late game in Buffalo to advance to Second Round action.

Coach Calhoun will face one of his former assistant for the seventh time in UConn’s meeting against DePaul. The Huskies are 6-0 against his former assistants, and is 2-0 against Leitao, both wins coming while he was a head coach at Northeastern (1994-95 & 1995-96). UConn has defeated Karl Hobbs (George Washington) two times, Glen Miller (Brown) once and Howie Dickenman (Central Connecticut) once.

The game date of March 20 for Saturday’s Second Round title with DePaul will also mark the fifth anniversary of UConn earning its first NCAA Final Four appearance. The Huskies defeated Gonzaga, 67-62, on March 20, 1999 at America West Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. The winner of the UConn-DePaul matchup advances to the 2004 NCAA Sweet 16 at America West Arena in Phoenix.

With UConn’s win over Vermont on Thursday night, Coach Calhoun earned his 30th win in NCAA Tournament play, which ties him for 12th all-time in NCAA Championship play with former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. Calhoun is now 30-14 all-time in NCAA Tournament competition.

Calhoun is in his 18th season in charge of the Huskies and his 32nd season as a collegiate head coach. Calhoun enters the 2004 NCAA Championship with an overall record of 675-302 (69.1%). He has a record of 427-165 (72.1%) in 18 years at Connecticut and was 248-137 (64.4%) in 14 seasons at Northeastern. He has a 27-9 record while at Connecticut and is 30-14 overall in NCAA Tournament play.

The Huskies are 9-2 in NCAA Second Round action. UConn is 13-3 in the last five appearances in NCAA Tournament play, dating back to its 6-0 run en route to the 1999 National Title.

With UConn senior Taliek Brown’s 14 points in the NCAA First Round win over Vermont, Brown now has exactly 1,000 career points in his Husky career, becoming the 37th member of the UConn 1,000-Point Club. He is averaging 6.0 points per game for the season and leads the Huskies with 6.7 assists per game.

DePaul’s win over Dayton in the NCAA First Round on Thursday night was the first NCAA appearance for Leitao as a head coach. Before taking over at DePaul, Leitao made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances as Calhoun's assistant, including 1999, when Connecticut won the championship. Leitao is currently in his second season with the Blue Demons and his fourth as a head coach. He is 60-57 overall and 38-22 at DePaul.

"I've been avoiding even thinking of it (playing Connecticut), and I'm trying to avoid it for the next few hours," Leitao said. "I don't like it. And I don't want to play it, but it'll be very emotional."

This is DePaul’s 22nd trip to the NCAA Championship and its first since 2000. The Blue Demons are 21-24 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with their last win coming over Memphis State on March 16, 1989 in Boise, Idaho. The seventh-seed that DePaul received for the 2004 NCAA Championship is the highest since the 1991-92 season when the squad was the fifth seed in the West Region.

Senior Delonte Holland leads the Blue Demons in scoring with 16.6 points per game while adding a team-best 38 steals. Senior center Andre Brown has 9.5 rebounds per game and currently has 1,129 career points and 842 career rebounds, just the eighth player in program history to reach the feat.

In DePaul’s double-overtime win against Dayton, junior Drake Diener was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line to propel the Blue Demons to a 76-69 win in NCAA First Round action. He added a career-high 28 points, including 10 in the second overtime. DePaul finished 23-of-40 from the line, including Brown, who missed all 10 tries.