Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

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UConn Women's Basketball links

Huskies learn they must get physical [carl adamec – sny.com]

Kelly Faris: Numbers That Define A Player [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Mike Thibault Stops By The XL Center; Talks Life, Faris, Stewie [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Yet Another Delay In Hardwick-NBA-Auriemma Case [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Banks Continues To Impress For The Huskies [rich elliott – ct post]

Auriemma Hopeful Mosqueda-Lewis Will Play Vs. Penn State [rich elliott – ct post]

Huskies prove their mettle [jim fuller – new haven register]

Huskies add to resume [lee lewis – republican-american]

It’s great to face my old teammate and friend [maggie lucas – espnw]

W. Basketball. No. 2 Women's Hoops Hosts No. 10 Penn State Thursday at 7 [uconnhuskies.com]

Kelly Faris: UConn's Do-Everything Guard [hartford courant]

Three Points from Monday's win over Maryland [new haven register]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Kevin Oliie’s Take; Wrapping Things Up From The Garden [dom amore – hartford courant]

UConn Battles, But Falls to Stronger NC State [david borges – new haven register]

Ollie is the right fit, but how about Pasqualoni? [kevin duffy – ct post]

Post-game breakdown, video: North Carolina State [gavin keefe – the day]

Identity Crisis [uconn huskies basketball]

North Carolina State beats UConn 69-65 [ct post]

Bigger, Faster N.C. State Beats UConn, 69-65 [hartford courant]

Learning Ollie's Offense Is A Work In Progress [hartford courant]

Herbst Battles To Get UConn Into Big East Tournament [hartford courant]

North Carolina State holds off Huskies in Jimmy V Classic [new haven register]

N.C. State beats UConn at the Garden 69-65 [the day]

NC State edges UConn at the Garden [the hour]

UConn Football links

Big East power rankings [andrea adelson – espn.com]

UConn Athletic Director Warde Manuel Confirms Paul Pasqualoni’s Return For A Third Season, And A Word To Fans [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Ollie is the right fit, but how about Pasqualoni? [kevin duffy – ct post]

UConn AD Confirms Paul Pasqualoni Will Return, But Wants To See Adjustments [hartford courant]

Tebucky Jones Jr. leaving UConn football program for Fordham [new britain herald]

Other UConn related links

M. Ice Hockey. UConn Hosts Army Friday In Final Game Before Holiday Break [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

The famous line of the late North Carolina State Wolfpack basketball coach and one time UConn Huskies assistant coach Jim Valvano was "Don't Ever Give Up".

On Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in the tournament named after him, both teams followed that mantra to a tee.

Unfortunately for UConn, they fell just a bit short as the Wolfpack hit their free throws down the stretch for a 69-65 win over the Huskies.

UConn falls to 6-2 on the season while NC State improves to 5-2.

Shabazz Napier had a great first half with 15 points but finished with 19 points. He also had two rebounds and two assists. Ryan Boatright had a nice night with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Enosch Wolf also had a great game off the bench as he had 10 points and pulled down six boards.

C.J. Leslie, a one-time UConn recruit, and Lorenzo Brown both led the Wolfpack with 16 points and four assists. Leslie ended up with a double-double as he had 13 rebounds.

After going scoreless in the first half, Richard Howell ended up with a double-double of his own with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Scott Wood rounded out the Wolfpack in double digits with 13 points as well.

The Huskies dominated the early part of the first half getting out to as much as an 11 point lead. NC State did battle back though to take a one-point lead though at the break.

In the second half, it went back and forth before the Pack seized control late. And they did that with their bigs who basically took over and got State a hard fought victory.

We knew one of the problems this Huskies team would have is on the inside. They just don't have the depth or talent there. Wolf was a surprise on Tuesday night and he basically needs to play out of his gourd every time out. But if he can do that, UConn might have somewhat of a chance on the inside.

Either way, I am proud of the way the Huskies battled all game long. It is a by-product of their new head coach Kevin Ollie, who needs to be locked up long-term as soon as possible so the Huskies won't get hurt in recruiting. Especially when they need a big man who can come in and play right away.

Tyler Olander is basically useless right now and Phil Nolan isn't ready yet. So until then, we're going to continue to see UConn rely on their guards until the inside game improves.

UConn is back in action on Friday night when they'll host the Harvard Crimson at Gampel Pavilion on campus in Storrs, CT. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

To continue reading, please click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

North Carolina State vs UConn Huskies Jimmy V Classic 12.4.12 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Kevin Ollie.

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photo credit: getty images

Backup catcher ✓
First baseman/catcher ✓
Two catchers already on roster ✓

Next up on the list for the Boston Red Sox to sign is/was another catcher right fielder. And for him, they had to leave the mainland.

According to several media reports, the Red Sox and the "Flying Hawaiian" Shane Victorino have agreed to terms to a three-year deal. It's reportedly worth $38-39 million over three years.

And who needs reports when you have Twitter.

Victorino is expected to play right field for the Red Sox next season and provides insurance in center field should something happen to Jacoby Ellsbury like an injury or even a trade. He did have a down year between his time with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers.

In 154 games between the two teams, he hit .255 with 11 home runs, 55 RBIs and 39 stolen bases. He is a career .275 hitter with 90 home runs, 409 RBIs and 201 stolen bases.

Now it seems the Red Sox have their starting nine and the signing of Victorino likely means they will not be bringing back Cody Ross. I still expect the Red Sox to be active in free agency or even with a trade to get another starting pitcher.

And as free agency goes on, we can expect some of the signings the Red Sox make to provide depth and bench spots.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: getty images

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It's game day for the UConn Huskies men's basketball team as they'll take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Madison Square Garden at 9 p.m in the Jimmy V Classic. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and is also available online at WatchESPN. You can also listen on the IMG/UConn Radio Network.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Men's Basketball links

Calhoun reveals he had cancer surgery in May [ap]

Would Jim Calhoun Coach Again? ‘Never Say Never’ … Notes From ‘Center Stage,’ and Back Stage [dom amore – hartford courant]

UConn Ready for Big Bout with NC State at MSG Tuesday Night [david borges – new haven register]

Evans progressing, N.C. State on tap [john silver – sny.com]

UConn gets set for big game in the Garden [ct post]

UConn Has A Chance To Showcase Season On Grandest Stage [hartford courant]

Calhoun Won't Rule Out Coaching Again [hartford courant]

Huskies set for meeting with N.C. State at Madison Square Garden [new haven register]

Huskies, N.C. State have date in the city [the day]

UConn Women's Basketball links

UConn, Faris get defensive to stop Maryland [carl adamec – sny.com]

Highlights From UConn’s 63-48 Win Over Maryland [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Final: No. 2 UConn 63, No. 9 Maryland 48 [rich elliott – ct post]

Mosqueda-Lewis’ Status Unclear [rich elliott – ct post]

Rugged Game Brings Out The Best In Faris [rich elliott – ct post]

Milestone for Doty [jim fuller – new haven register]

Faris delivers for Huskies [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn’s lingering question [lee lewis – republican-american]

UConn women roll, improve to 7-0 [ct post]

Maryland tries to beat up UConn — and can't [ct post]

No. 2 UConn Women Beat No. 9 Maryland [hartford courant]

Auriemma Says Keeping Doty Out Of Starting Lineup A Tough Call [hartford courant]

Huskies get physical in win over ninth-ranked Maryland [new haven register]

Kelly Faris steals the show in victory over No. 9 Maryland [new haven register]

UConn women up to challenge against Maryland [the day]

Second-ranked Huskies beat No. 9 Maryland [the hour]

UConn weathers Terps, still unbeaten [graham hays – espnw

UConn Football links

Stitched up nose and all, Matt Walsh back at Rentschler [jim fuller – new haven register]

Ending eerily similar for Huskies for second straight season [new haven register]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

There are going to be times this season when the UConn Huskies women's basketball team will be tested. Monday night was one of those nights.

Behind a stellar all-around effort from Kelly Faris, the No. 2 Huskies beat the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins 63-48 in front of 11,485 at the XL Center in Hartford, CT in the Women's Jimmy V Classic.

UConn improves to 7-0 on the season. Maryland falls to 4-2.

Faris may not have led the team in scoring on Monday night but she put up some outstanding numbers. She had eight points, seven rebounds, seven assists and eight steals. The assists and steals were a team-high.

Stefanie Dolson led UConn with 14 points and eight rebounds. Breanna Stewart added 13 points and six rebounds. Brianna Banks rounded out the Huskies in double figures with 11 points.

Tianna Hawkins led the Terrapins with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Chloe Pavlech added 10 points while Alicia DeVaughn had eight points and nine rebounds.

This was definitely not the prettiest of games. Neither team shot the ball all that well. I'm also guessing there'll be some players in the cold tub after the game icing down some bruises as it was a physical game as well.

But this is a game the Huskies needed to go through. With some tough tests coming up, games like these will help them towards their goal of an eighth NCAA Championship.

The UConn women are back in action on Thursday night when they host the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Maryland Terrapins @ UConn Huskies 12.3.12 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Geno Auriemma as well as some of his players.

Here are UConn's postgame notes.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit:  michael mcandrews – hartford courant (no. 15 in gallery)