Connecticut is 20-9 in games where Jim Calhoun has been unavailable to coach.

Calhoun will be suspended for the Huskies' first three games of Big East play.

Andre Drummond took out a loan to pay for his Connecticut tuition this season.

Michael Bradley initially gave up his scholarship for Drummond, but that was ultimately deemed not possible.

"It took the better part of a couple of months to get it a conclusion, which was reached at the end of October," spokesman Kyle Muncy said. "It only came to light now because Andre said he was a walk-on."

UConn has only 10 scholarships this season after losing one because of NCAA violations and two more because of a poor academic performance rating.

Nerlens Noel could reclassify and become a member of the incoming college class of 2012. Noel is currently a high school junior.

“Yeah I’ve heard that one,” Noel said of the rumor. “I’m not gonna do that though. I’m 90 percent sure that I won’t reclassify. But the fact that those coaches think I can play now, definitely gives me even more confidence on the court.” 

Syracuse, Providence, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Georgetown and Connecticut are considered the leaders for Noel.

Andre Drummond said he declined redshirt freshman Michael Bradley’s offer to give up his scholarship.

“I’m thankful for what Mike was trying to do for me,” Drummond said.

“I told Mike, `Don’t do that, man. I’ll pay my way and take a scholarship next year. You don’t have to give up a scholarship for me.’ ”

UConn already had reached its scholarship limit when Drummond, a gifted 6-foot-10 center from Middletown, shocked college basketball by making a late commitment in August, just days before the start of the fall semester.

Jarnell Stokes will announce his college decision on Thursday.

Stokes is one of the most highly recruited big men in the incoming college class of 2012. Stokes is a top-15 recruit in the entire class.

Memphis, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee are the expected finalists for Stokes.

Stokes graduated from Southwind High last week and will enroll in January.

Despite having an offense that does look disjointed and stagnant at times, the Huskies aren't far off last year's Kemba-fueled offensive performance.

They're currently 14th in Division I in offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, at 113.1 points per 100 possessions, which is only 2.1 points behind last season's rate. Where the Huskies are struggling a bit, somewhat surprisingly, is on the defensive end.

With Andre Drummond pairing with returning junior Alex Oriakhi and others inside, the Huskies continue to block shots at an enormous rate, which is supporting their two-point field goal defense.

UConn is about three points worse in defending opponents from behind the arc, though, which has dropped its overall defensive efficiency to 54th nationally -- a far cry from last season's final ranking of 14th and the second-worst mark of any team in KenPom's current top 25.

Alex Oriakhi has regained his starting job in the Connecticut lineup.

"I worked hard all week and I guess the coaches saw that and decided to start me," Oriakhi said, "At this point, all I want to do is win."

Calhoun said the decision to start Oriakhi over Tyler Olander was in part to build back Oriakhi's confidence.

"I told him, no promises," Calhoun said. "But he's been a big part of this team for three years. He helped us win a national championship last year."

Andre Drummond played only 17 minutes on Saturday against Arkansasd finishing with just one point and one rebound.

Drummond struggled with foul trouble.

"I told him, 'keep your head up.'" Alex Oriakhi said. "It's hard to stay in a rhythm when you're in foul trouble. I've been there."

Niels Giffey is making a case to play more minutes in Jim Calhoun's rotation.

"My assistants told me — and they were absolutely right — to leave Niels in because he was playing good defense on [B.J.] Young," Calhoun said.

Calhoun listed Giffey was one of the three best players in practice this week.

"It's another story for our kids," Calhoun said. "Niels hasn't seen the light of day much in recent games. He had four good practices in a row, and we were talking about starting him [Saturday]. Niels is a good example for anybody who wants additional minutes — they're there to be had."

Roscoe Smith and DeAndre Daniels played fewer minutes on Saturday.

"I'm not going to lie, it's difficult [when you're not playing]," Giffey said. "But Coach [George] Blaney always talks about 'the reward of playing.' You have to work hard for it. And it's worth it."