GAME: No. 15 Vermont (22-8) vs. No. 2 Connecticut (27-6).
REGIONAL: Phoenix, First Round.
TIME: Thursday, 7:10 p.m. EST.
SITE: HSBC Arena; Buffalo, N.Y.
Connecticut isn't the only team in the NCAA tournament dealing with an injury to its star player.
Vermont will need another brilliant effort from Taylor Coppenrath if it is to challenge Emeka Okafor and the second-seeded Huskies in a first-round matchup Thursday night.
Okafor's health is perhaps the most important factor entering this year's NCAA tournament. If the player of the year candidate and national leader in blocks and co-leader in double-doubles was healthy, Connecticut might have been the biggest favorite as it tries to add another national title to the one it won five years ago.
But Okafor has been bothered most of the season by pain in his back caused by a stress fracture. He was forced to miss two games in the Big East tournament, but will be able to play as long as he can tolerate the pain.
Even at full strength, Okafor would have trouble doing what Coppenrath did in the championship game of the America East tournament.
Coppenrath had a tournament-record 43 points and 13 rebounds as the Catamounts beat Maine 72-53 to earn their second straight automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The America East player of the year had not played for seven games because of a broken bone in his left wrist.
"I cant wait to see them in the NCAA," Maine coach John Giannini said. "Some team won't understand how good he is.
"I just didn't think he could be 100 percent. Maybe he wasn't, maybe he can play even better."
While another big game from Coppenrath is probably mandatory for Vermont to have a chance, UConn should have enough talent to win even if Okafor is slowed or can't play at all.
Ben Gordon was superb in the Big East tournament, scoring a tournament-record 81 points in three games to lead the Huskies to their sixth tournament title. He and Rashad Anderson, who averaged 13.3 points in the Big East tournament, are 3-point threats, while Taliek Brown led the Big East with 6.8 assists per game.
Freshman Charlie Villanueva was also playing well in the tournament before injuring his leg in the semifinals. He missed the championship game and his status is not yet known.
UConn is 20-2 in the first two rounds under Jim Calhoun, including 11-0 in the first round. Two wins in Buffalo would send the Huskies to Phoenix, where they were in 1999 when they advanced out of the West Regional.
"We're good enough to win a national championship," Calhoun said. "Our teams travel exceptionally well. I tell the kids, 'This is your reward, you get to travel the country."'
Vermont, which won a school-record 22 games, was eliminated by Arizona last year in its only other NCAA tournament appearance.
UConn leads the series 44-8. The former Yankee Conference rivals last met in 1999.
"It's unbelievable to play against a team I grew up watching, especially in the NCAA tournament," said Vermont guard Alex Jensen, one of two Connecticut natives on the squad. "I'm excited to play a team like UConn, a team you have ties with."
PROBABLE STARTERS: Vermont - F Coppenrath (24.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg), F Germain Njila (6.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg), C Scotty Jones (6.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg), G David Hehn (5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg), G T.J. Sorrentine (14.6 ppg, 4.6 apg). Connecticut - F Anderson (10.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg), F Josh Boone (5.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg), C Okafor (18.5 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 4.5 bpg), G Brown (5.8 ppg, 6.8 apg), G Gordon (18.1 ppg, 4.8 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Vermont - Automatic bid, America East champion. Connecticut - Automatic bid, Big East champion.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Vermont - 0-1, 1 year. Connecticut - 30-23, 24 years.
