In 2009, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team went into Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center and snapped the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s 45-game winning streak. This time around, UConn was looking to snap Notre Dame’s 29-game home winning streak.

And that’s exactly what they did as Shabazz Napier led the Huskies with 16 points in their 67-53 win over the Irish in front of 9,149 on Saturday morning/afternoon in South Bend, IN.

With the win, UConn improves to 14-3 (4-2 Big East) on the season. The Irish fall to 11-7 (3-2).

After going scoreless in the win over West Virginia, Napier stepped up to lead the Huskies. Besides his 16 points, he added five assists. Alex Oriakhi may have had his best game of the season as he added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Andre Drummond didn’t play all that well but did turn things up in the second half and finished with a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds. He also had two blocks. Roscoe Smith also had a nice game off the bench with 10 points and six rebounds. Jeremy Lamb had a tough go of things on the offensive end finishing with six points but led the Huskies with seven assists.

Eric Atkins led all scorers in the game with 20 points for the Irish. Scott Martin chipped in with 12 points and nine rebounds.

This game was tale of two halfs. In the first half, Notre Dame had more three-pointers than they did two point field goals. In the second half, they couldn’t buy a three-pointer as UConn made some great adjustments at halftime on the defensive end while running their offense to almost perfection in the second half.

The Irish jumped out to a 8-6 lead early on behind threes from Atkins and Jerian Grant. UConn followed that up with a 6-0 run led by Napier and Lamb. Notre Dame would fight back though as the same duo of Atkins and Grant would hit threes to tie the game up at 14 all.

After a layup by Oriakhi, Atkins would hit a three to put Notre Dame up one. Jack Cooley would add two free throws to increase their lead to three at 21-19. After the two teams traded baskets, Alex Dragicevich would give Notre Dame a five point lead at 23-18. Four straight points by the Huskies would cut the lead to one and that’s where it was at halftime with the Irish enjoying a 25-24 lead.

Early on in the second half, the two teams would exchange the lead before a basket by Oriakhi would give UConn the lead for good at 31-29 with 16:05 remaining. Over the next six minutes, the Huskies would go on a 9-2 run to increase their lead to nine.

They would continue to build it from there as the Irish went cold from the floor due to those adjustments that UConn made at the half along with a few runs to push their lead all the way up to a 18 points.

With Tyler Olander battling a sore heel along with Ryan Boatright out due to another NCAA investigation, it was nice to see some other players besides the stars help the Huskies.

Roscoe Smith has been battling for minutes all season long and with Olander out, he was given a chance to play at the four. It worked out well for him and head coach Jim Calhoun as Smith gives them more speed at the power forward which helps on both ends of the floor.

Oriakhi has struggled at times this season as well as he was in the same boat as Smith as far as minutes go. But hopefully this solid effort by Oriakhi gives him some confidence as the season goes on.

The Huskies are off until Wednesday when they return home to Gampel Pavilion to host the Cincinnati Bearcats. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

To continue reading the UConn Huskies @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish recap, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Notes and musings:

UConn Huskies @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1.14.12 box score

Postgame quotes will be added here when/if they become available.

UConn was without freshman point guard Ryan Boatright who is once again under NCAA investigation.

Despite her son having already graduated from UConn and playing in the NBA, Kemba Walker’s mom, Andrea, was seen sitting behind the UConn bench.

The starters for UConn were Shabazz Napier, Jeremy Lamb, DeAndre Daniels, Alex Oriakhi and Andre Drummond.

UConn shot 46.3% (25-54) from the floor while the Irish shot 32.3% (21-64).

The Huskies had 13 assists on their 25 made baskets.

UConn was just 2-of-12 (16.7%) on threes. The Irish were 6-of-26 (23.1%). They had made 5-of-11 in the first half.

The Huskies were great from the charity stripe as they were 15-of-18 (83.3%)

UConn won the battle of the glass, outrebounding Notre Dame 43-33.

The Huskies had 10 points off of eight Irish turnovers. Notre Dame had 11 points off of 10 UConn turnovers.

UConn outscored the Irish 28-26 in the paint and 4-2 on the fast break.

The Huskies had 16 second chance points to 15 for the Irish.

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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 some of the other sports. 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 are in snowy South Bend, IN for a matchup at the Joyce Center with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Tip is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

It’s also game day for the UConn women’s basketball team as they are in the city of Brotherly Love for a matchup with the Villanova Wildcats. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally in Connecticut on CPTV.

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

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, Unplugged [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Game preview: UConn men at Notre Dame [Lee Lewis – The Republican-American]

Know Your Enemy: Notre Dame [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Huskies Set To Snap Irish’s 29-Game Home Winning Streak [UConnHuskies.com]

Boatright to sit for NCAA review as UConn visits ND [CT Post]

UConn men face tough crowd, early start [CT Post]

UConn’s Ryan Boatright Must Sit Out Again [Hartford Courant]

UConn Needs More Consistency From Napier [Hartford Courant]

NCAA forces UConn’s Boatright to sit [Journal Inquirer]

It’ll be over early [Journal Inquirer]

Huskies will play at Notre Dame without Boatright [New Haven Register]

UConn must face a big road test at Notre Dame today without Boatright [The Day]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

UConn/Baylor series extended [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Geno loves recruit’s low-maintainance attitude [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Stewart enjoys her latest visit to New England [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Asjha Jones Eurobasket Player Of The Week [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Game preview: UConn women at Villanova [Lee Lewis – The Republican-American]

Mosqueda-Lewis Not Fazed By High Expectations [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

No. 3 UConn Travels to Villanova on Saturday [UConnHuskies.com]

Doty just wants to compete, improve [CT Post]

At Hoop Classic, Fans Get Look At UConn Women’s Future [Hartford Courant]

UConn’s Trip To Villanova No Fun For Auriemma [Hartford Courant]

Doty has Philly in her heart [Journal Inquirer]

Villanova presents a different challenge [New Haven Register]

Top recruit Breanna Stewart an unassuming star [New Haven Register]

No. 3 UConn women visit Villanova today [The Day]

UConn Football links

DC answered a question in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Track. Women’s Track & Field Beings 2012 At Armory [UConnHuskies.com]

Huskies Claim Top Three Spots At UConn Heptathlon [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Huskies Stymied by Wildcats, 1-0 [UConnHuskies.com]

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When Theo Epstein was the general manager of the Boston Red Sox, he never had one salary arbitration case goes to the arbitrator. And it appears, at least so far, that new GM Ben Cherington is following in Theo’s footsteps.

After avoiding salary arbitration with Matt Albers, Cherington has now avoided it with newcomer Ryan Sweeney who came over in the trade with Andrew Bailey from the Oakland A’s. According to the Associated Press, it’s a one-year deal worth $1.75 million.

Cherington will have his work cut out for him though as the Red Sox still have arbitration-eligible players. They are Alfredo Aceves, Mike Aviles, Bailey, Daniel Bard, Jacoby Ellsbury, Franklin Morales, David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

We know Big Papi will be getting a raise to probably around $14 million or so. You can expect Jacoby to get one as well after his stellar 2011 campaign.

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Even though UConn Huskies freshman point guard Ryan Boatright served a three-game suspension, after missing the first three while a review was taking place for NCAA violations that happened before he came to UConn, it looks as though he will be out again.

According to a press release from UConn on Friday night, there is new information from the NCAA.

UConn men’s basketball freshman Ryan Boatright (Aurora, Ill.) will be held out of games immediately while the school works with the NCAA in a review of his eligibility.

This development arises from additional information provided by the NCAA that pertains to conditions and events that pre-date UConn’s relationship with Boatright.

He will not play in Saturday’s game at Notre Dame. He will continue to practice with the team and may sit on the bench during games, but will not dress or see action while the joint review takes place.

This is a big loss for the Huskies as Boatright has given them good minutes off the bench so far. Boatright was averaging 10.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the ten that he has played this season.

While at times he’s replaced Shabazz Napier on the court, he’s also been out on the court with Napier along with Jeremy Lamb giving the Huskies a three-guard look. When the three are together, the Huskies tend to run more. It also hurts on the defensive end as Boatright has been pretty good at pestering the opposing team’s point guard.

Now with Boatright out, Napier will have to play most of the game, if not all. And in Big East games, that is not something easy to do at all.

Hopefully this whole situation doesn’t take as long as it did the last time.

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Photo credit: Brad Horrigan – Hartford Courant

When the Boston Red Sox signed Kelly Shoppach during the offseason, the writing was on the wall for Jason Varitek. Plus with Ryan Lavarnway in the fold, there wasn’t any room for the Red Sox captain.

We had heard in the past that the Red Sox wanted to keep Varitek in the organization in some capacity, whether it be as a coach, front office type or maybe something in the baseball operations department.

But a report by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com indicates that the Red Sox have invited Varitek to spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Respected longtime Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek has been invited by the team to come to camp as a non-roster player with only an outside chance to make the team, and Varitek seems likely to decide between accepting that invitation or retiring, people familiar with his situation said.

However, that report doesn’t seem to be accurate.

Contrary to a CBSSports.com report, the Red Sox haven’t made a formal minor-league contract offer to Varitek. According to a major-league source, the club is “open to discussion” of having Varitek attend spring training as a non-roster invitee, but even then, his chances of making the team would be slim. In essence, Varitek would serve as an insurance policy in the event of injuries to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Shoppach or, in all likelihood, top prospect Ryan Lavarnway, while still showcasing himself for other teams.

If Varitek doesn’t receive a better offer, or if he decides against playing for another team after 15 seasons with the Red Sox, the source said a job offer to stay in the organization would be a “definite.”

Personally, I think it’s time for Tek to hang them up if he can’t latch on with another team.

For one, it does surprise me that a team with a young catcher that starts doesn’t want him to be a backup and help mentor. Then again, Varitek would have to want to do that.

But as the Red Sox captain, from everything we’ve heard or read, he didn’t do much in the way of helping out in the clubhouse during all the turmoil of September. He can’t play every day anymore. He only really played last year when Josh Beckett was pitching.

It would be great to see him stay with the organization. He’s done a lot of good things here and we can’t let one month dictate his 15 seasons with the Red Sox.

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Photo credit: Reuters Pictures

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 some of the other sports. 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.

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

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn Heads Straight into the Storm [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Calhoun, Boatright, Napier Talk Notre Dame [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Wrapping Things Up from UConn Practice [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

News, video from Thursday’s UConn practice [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

Notes/Quotes from Jan. 12: Daniels back in starting lineup [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Huskies hit the road for ND: Olander hurting, Daniels starting [Neill Ostrout – Journal Inquirer]

UConn notebook: Pitt troubled, but Calhoun still has respect [CT Post]

UConn Will Face Tough Opponent At Notre Dame [Hartford Courant]

Daniels Will Start; Olander Sidelined When UConn Meets Notre Dame [Hartford Courant]

UConn’s Napier struggling with consistency [The Day]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

High praise for Breanna Stewart [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Stewart Playing At Hoophall Classic In Springfield Friday [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Freshman Hurdles For UConn’s Mosqueda-Lewis [Hartford Courant]

Key Issues Forum: Three Top Coaches Talk About Winning [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

M. Track. Huskies Complete Day One of Heptathlon [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Heather Linstad leads Team USA to silver [Norwich Bulletin]

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

Here’s the release from UConn announcing that two UConn Huskies men’s soccer players, Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Tony Cascio were taken in the first round of Thursday’s 2012 MLS SuperDraft:

STORRS, Conn. – Connecticut continued a long tradition of MLS draft picks today as both Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Tony Cascio were taken in the first round of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. Jean-Baptiste was the first defender taken at No. 8 overall by the Portland Timbers while Cascio was selected No. 14 by the Colorado Rapids.

Jean-Baptiste and Cascio become UConn’s seventh and eighth first-round picks and the 23rd and 24th UConn players drafted by Major League Soccer since the league’s inception in 1996.

“It’s just a great testament to the type of kids we have in the program. Good guys, good players obviously,” said UConn head coach Ray Reid.

“It just shows UConn soccer has a ton of great players. I feel like there’s more of our players that should go in the first round every year,” said Andrew Jean-Baptiste.

The BIG EAST led all conferences with seven players selected in the first round (19 picks). The ACC was second with four picks.

“The number of picks in the first 19 shows the quality of the league. The conference is certainly one of top two in the country. With the size of the league, it’s grueling to play the league schedule but I think the draft showed just how powerful this league really is,” said Reid.

“Tony Cascio graduates in three and a half years and now steps into a solid contract in the MLS. We are extremely proud of him on both fronts.”

Tony Cascio (Gilbert, Ariz.) joins the Colorado Rapids after a successful career at UConn in which he was named a 2010 NSCAA First Team All-American and a semifinalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy. Cascio led UConn to the NCAA Quarterfinals as a senior, scoring goals in his last two games in Storrs.

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

“When they called my name out there today, there were a bunch of emotions going on. I was definitely excited. Colorado is close to home so I’m looking forward to that. It’s kind of like a dream come true but people have to realize it’ll be tough. It’s a job and I could lose it at any time. I’ll have to work really hard to get in and earn time,” said Cascio.

“Going to Colorado will be great for him. He has great potential at the next level. He can play a variety of positions. Tony is one of the most coachable kids we’ve ever had at UConn,” added Coach Reid.

Cascio entered the 2011 season as a Preseason All-American, a member of the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List and the BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He finished his final season in Storrs with 18 points on five goals and eight assists. Cascio finished his career with 73 points on 24 goals and 25 assists. He was named to the 2011 All-BIG EAST Second Team as a senior after earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team as a sophomore and junior.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste (Brentwood, N.Y.) left UConn after a sophomore season in which he was named All-BIG EAST First Team and the 2011 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. As a freshman, Jean-Baptiste earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Rookie Team and was named a Soccer America First Team Freshman All-American.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste on hearing his name announced: “I was shocked. I wasn’t thinking the Portland Timbers (would take me) but once I heard my name, I was shocked. It was crazy. It felt great.”

“He’s very talented young man who’s very athletic. I think he’ll flourish at the next level,” said Reid.

Baptiste played every minute of every game and anchored a Connecticut defense that allowed just 10 goals in 25 games. The Huskies set a program record with 16 shutouts this season. Baptiste also found his way onto the score sheet with two goals and an assist, notching the game-tying goal at Rutgers in the BIG EAST Tournament as UConn went on to win, 3-1.

“I came into it (MLS Draft) hearing a lot of comments and thinking I was one of the best defenders. Being the first defender drafted, it feels great. I knew with all the midfielders and forwards, I was going to have to wait to get called. I was mainly concerned with which defenders would get called and hearing my name first meant a lot to me.”

UConn senior back Nickardo Blake was not selected in the MLS SuperDraft but will hope to be chosen in the Supplemental Draft on Tuesday, January 17.

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