Big East Tournament: Connecticut 81 DePaul 67

While it mostly goofed off in the second half and watched a 24 point lead get whittled down to as little as nine, Connecticut was almost never in danger in running to a win over DePaul in the opening game of the 2012 Big East Tournament. Led by 25 points from Jeremy Lamb and 17 points from Ryan Boatright, the Huskies hit their first six three point attempts of the game and raced out to a 13 point halftime lead while shooting 58% from the floor.

DePaul made something of a game of it in the second half, which is a reversal of its typical style of play that is competitive in the first half and fades late. Cleveland Melvin and Morgan Moses each scored 19 points in the effort, but it wasn't enough to match Connecticut's hot shooting. The Huskies finished the game shooting 52% from the field and 58% from three-point range in their second game with Jim Calhoun back on the sideline. Connecticut has now won six consecutive Big East Tournament games and advances to face West Virginia at noon tomorrow.