Hartford, CT (Sports Network) - The 11th-ranked Connecticut Huskies close out a three-game homestand this afternoon, as they welcome the Iona Gaels to the XL Center in Hartford for a non-conference affair.

Jim Calhoun's Huskies have won eight of their first 10 games this season, with the two losses coming against a couple of top-10 foes in Kentucky and Duke. UConn is a perfect 7-0 at home this season and has posted back-to-back wins over UCF (60-51) and Maine (71-54) entering this contest.

The Gaels also have eight victories on the season and would like nothing better than to head into the 2010 portion of their schedule with a full head of steam. Iona hasn't lost since December 7th against Siena and has strung together four straight wins, including an 82-60 pasting of Fairleigh Dickinson last Wednesday.

This is just the fourth all-time meeting between these two teams. Iona won the first-ever meeting in 1984, but Connecticut has won two straight since, including a 104-54 rout in 2003. the last time these two teams met.

The Gaels haven't exactly lit up scoreboards this season, averaging just under 70 points per game (69.8) on a rather bland .436 shooting. The team has also struggled on the boards, getting outrebounded by 5.8 boards per game. Where the team has had some success is at the defensive end, limiting the opposition to a mere 64.4 ppg, while forcing 18.3 turnovers on average. Iona is also averaging just over eight three-pointers per contest, so the long ball is definitely part of the arsenal. The Gaels lack any real flashy scoring threats, as Scott Machado is the only player currently averaging double figures, and that is at a pedestrian 11.2 ppg. The sophomore guard is also the team's primary distributor, doling out 52 assists on the year. Freshman guard Kyle Smith is close to joining Machado in double digits at 9.8 ppg and is the team's top long-range threat, hitting 41.7 percent from beyond the arc (20- of-48). The Gaels found their offensive groove last time out against Fairleigh Dickinson, as they shot a healthy .492 from the field, including 12 three- pointers. Five players notched double figures, led by Milan Prodanovic 15 points off the bench. Machado added 12 points, followed by Jermel Jenkins (11 pts), Rashard McGill (11 pts) and Alejo Rodriguez (10 pts).

The Huskies are not an offensive juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination, although the team does feature a couple of players that can simply light up a scoreboard in guard Jerome Dyson and forward Stanley Robinson. Dyson is playing at an All-American level this far, averaging 20.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He is joined in the backcourt by steady performer Kemba Walker, who is netting 13.2 points per game, while pacing the team with 6.3 assists per outing. Robinson is the top performer up front, converting 52.5 percent of his shots, en route to 15.8 ppg. He is also grabbing 7.6 rebounds per game. Forward Gavin Edwards (10.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and center Alex Oriakhi (5.2 ppg, team-high 9.0 rpg) are reliable role players in the frontcourt. Dyson was once again the driving force in the recent win over Maine, as he knocked down 9-of-18 shots from the floor and finished with a game-high 27 points. Robinson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Oriakhi added a mere six points, but grabbed a game-high 14 caroms. The teams were tied at the break (26-26), but UConn shot an efficient .517 in the second half to cruise to victory.