January 19 1997 Rip Hamilton Paul Pierce Raef LaFrentz Jacque Vaughn The number one team in the nation, the Kansas Jayhawks, roll into the state of Connecticut at the worst possible time for UCONN. The school was in what was expected to be a rebuilding year, and had just suspended its two leading scorers, Kirk King and Ricky Moore. King would never play for UCONN again. With that being said, the words “roll over” didn’t exist in the lexicon of a team coached by Jim Calhoun. Instead of packing it in and accepting their fate, the UCONN Huskies threw everything they had at the experienced, loaded number one team in the nation. Led by 18 year old freshman Richard Hamilton and Rashmael Jones, UCONN kept it close, despite Paul Pierce, Jacque Vaughn, and Raef LaFrentz’s best efforts. Fans attending at the Hartford Civic Center got their money’s worth.