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Notre Dame faces UConn in key Big East contest

Feb 13, 2008 - 1:48 PM No. 18 Notre Dame (18-4) at No. 17 Connecticut (18-5) 7:00 pm EST

STORRS, Connecticut (Ticker) - Two of the hottest teams in the Big East Conference collide on Wednesday when No. 18 Notre Dame visits No. 17 Connecticut.

The teams have won a combined 12 consecutive games. The Fighting Irish (18-4, 8-2 Big East) are tied with first-place Georgetown in the loss column and are one game ahead of the surging Huskies (18-5, 7-3).

Sophomore forward Luke Harangody has keyed Notre Dame's five-game winning streak, averaging 25 points and 12.4 rebounds in that span. When the teams met on January 5, it was junior guard Kyle McAlarney who burned UConn for a career-high 32 points in a 73-67 victory.

"I think they're better than when we played them in the second game of the (conference) season, but I also think we're better," Irish coach Mike Brey said. "I know that they want to get their hands on us."

The Huskies have won seven straight, including the last five without suspended starting guard Jerome Dyson.

Junior forward Jeff Adrien leads UConn with 14.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, but the surge has been sparked by the constant improvement of center Hasheem Thabeet. The 7-foot-3 sophomore is coming off a career-high 24 points along with 15 rebounds and six blocks in Saturday's 80-68 win over Georgia Tech.

Notre Dame has played the Huskies only once in Storrs, losing during the 1995-96 season.

Both teams have won five consecutive conference games.