Huskies All Access Host Erika Wachter sits down with Head Coach Bob Diaco, RS Junior Tight End Sean McQuillan and Analyst Joe D’Ambrosio to preview UCF, the Huskies’ Homecoming matchup.
Author Archives: ianbethune
2014-15 NCAA Men’s Basketball Rankings – AP Preseason Poll
Just like the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Kentucky Wildcats are the preseason No. 1 team in the Associated Press Preseason Men’s Basketball Poll that was released on Friday.
Joining the Wildcats in the top five are the Arizona Wildcats, Wisconsin Badgers, Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks.
The defending national champions, the UConn Huskies, are ranked No. 17 to start the season and are the highest ranked American Athletic Conference team. They are joined in the top 25 by the No. 22 SMU Mustangs.
The Memphis Tigers and Cincinnati Bearcats are the only teams from the American among the others receiving votes.
During the season, as we have in the past, we will be posting both polls together when they come out on Mondays.
| AP Top 25 | |||
| RK | TEAM | REC | PTS |
| 1 | Kentucky (52) | 29-11 | 1,604 |
| 2 | Arizona (5) | 33-5 | 1,518 |
| 3 | Wisconsin (8) | 30-8 | 1,483 |
| 4 | Duke | 26-9 | 1,415 |
| 5 | Kansas | 25-10 | 1,346 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 24-10 | 1,274 |
| 7 | Florida | 36-3 | 1,153 |
| 8 | Louisville | 31-6 | 1,114 |
| 9 | Virginia | 30-7 | 1,090 |
| 10 | Texas | 24-11 | 1,061 |
| 11 | Wichita St | 35-1 | 1,027 |
| 12 | Villanova | 29-5 | 885 |
| 13 | Gonzaga | 29-7 | 840 |
| 14 | Iowa State | 28-8 | 781 |
| 15 | Virginia Commonwealth | 26-9 | 574 |
| 16 | San Diego St | 31-5 | 560 |
| 17 | Connecticut | 32-8 | 552 |
| 18 | Michigan St | 29-9 | 521 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 23-10 | 426 |
| 20 | Ohio State | 25-10 | 340 |
| 21 | Nebraska | 19-13 | 309 |
| 22 | SMU | 27-10 | 285 |
| 23 | Syracuse | 28-6 | 178 |
| 24 | Michigan | 28-9 | 167 |
| 25 | Harvard | 27-5 | 98 |
| 25 | Utah | 21-12 | 98 |
| Dropped from rankings: | |||
| Cincinnati 15, Creighton 16, New Mexico 17, UCLA 20, Baylor 23, Saint Louis 25 | |||
| Others receiving votes: | |||
| Stanford 71, Iowa 58, Colorado 57, UCLA 35, Minnesota 34, Kansas St 27, Arkansas 21, Pittsburgh 20, Memphis 15, NC State 14, Louisiana Tech 9, Cincinnati 8, LSU 8, George Washington 7, Notre Dame 6, Oklahoma St 6, Dayton 6, Georgetown 5, Florida St 5, Maryland 3, Illinois 3, UNLV 2, BYU 2, West Virginia 1, Baylor 1, Stephen F. Austin 1, UTEP 1 | |||
Paw Prints – Central Florida Knights @ UConn Huskies Preview
This week:

The UConn Huskies are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they’ll host the Central Florida Knights in their Homecoming Game at Rentschler Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
UConn is 1-6 (0-4 American). UCF is 5-2 (3-0 American).
The Line:
According to Rivals.com odds, UCF is favored by 10.5 points. The over/under is 39.5 points.
Tickets:
According to UConn Huskies ticket office, there are still tickets available to Saturday’s game.
Getting To The Game:
Here is link for the weather report. Here is all the parking info you will need for the game, this link includes directions to Rentschler Field. Here is a Rentschler Field seating chart and here is some general information for Rentschler Field.
The parking lots will open up 4 hours before kickoff. Here is a list of the tailgating rules at the Rent.
There is a new route for the Husky Walk as the team arrives for games at Rentschler Field this year and fans get a chance to greet the team as they get off their buses and make their way to the stadium. The Husky walk, which takes place approximately, two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, will now start in the Gray Parking Lots and the team will makes its way to the large tunnel near Gate B.
The UConn team will now do its pregame warmup in front of the UConn student section on the South End of the stadium – a change from previous seasons. The Huskies will enter the stadium for pregame warmups on the concourse of Rentschler Field and go through the student section.
Once again, FanFest takes place starting four hours before kickoff up until 30 minutes before the game between Gates A and B outside the stadium gates. The offerings change each game, but activities typically include inflatable games for children, live bands, promotional vehicles and UConn student-athletes from various teams signing autographs.
The break between the third and fourth quarter will feature “Coach D’s Playlist” as fans during the game will get to select a song to play based on a list they saw earlier in the game.
Once again this season at the end of home games, the UConn team will sing the “UConn Husky” fight song in front of the student section at Rentschler Field.
JASPER HOWARD MEMORIAL
A memorial in honor of Jasper Howard, the UConn football student-athlete who tragically lost his life five years ago, will be officially dedicated on Saturday at halftime. Funds for the statue were raised in a grassroots fashion with the efforts spearheaded by UConn supporters Dan and Lisa Lowry of Prospect, Conn. The lead gift for the memorial came from former UConn head football coach Randy Edsall, who was Howard’s coach with the Huskies. Donations also came from former Husky student-athletes and fans from around the country.
Howard lost his life on October 18, 2009 – hours after UConn had defeated Louisville at Rentschler Field on Homecoming. Howard recorded a career-high 11 tackles in the contest and a fumble recovery.
Funds will continue to be raised for the Jasper T. Howard Endowed Scholarship Fund at UConn, which is presented annually to a cornerback on the Husky football team who best embodies the qualities of Howard.
For information on how to contribute to that fund, please visit http://s.uconn.edu/howardscholarship.
The statue is made of barre grey granite quarried in Barre, Vt. It is a three-piece memorial that has an overall height of seven feet and weighs 3.25 tons. The top piece of granite is carved into mirror 6’s so whether viewing from the front or back it is a 6 and is colored to replicate the home jersey Howard wore.
The pedestal which the 6 sits on top of is lettered on the East and West facing sides. The east side has a quote from Jasper and is accented by 23kt gold leafed letters. The west side contains a narrative of Jasper’s life and a porcelain picture of Jasper. K. G. Keena Memorials of East Hartford, Manchester Monument Company of Manchester and Wethersfield Monument of Wethersfield designed, created and installed the piece.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television:
Saturday’s game will be televised nationally by the CBS Sports Network. Dave Ryan is on play-by-play with Corey Chavous on color and Dana Jacobson on the sideline.
Radio:
The UConn IMG Sports Network is the home of Husky football on the radio. WTIC NewsTalk 1080 in Hartford serves as the flagship station and is the state’s only 50,000 watt signal and can be heard in 23 states and parts of Canada.
Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) return to call the action with Kevin Nathan on the sidelines.
UConn football on home noon Saturday dates gets going early with “Breakfast At The Rent” with Ray Dunaway beginning at 5:30 a.m. For noon games, the UConn Tailgate Show airs from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m with Bob Joyce and Nathan. “UConn Football Magazine” begins at 10:30 a.m. as the network pregame show.
Here is a full list of stations on the UConn IMG Radio Network.
UCF Knights Radio:
WYGM 940-AM serves as the flagship station of the UCF IMG Sports Network. Marc Daniels handles the play-by-play while Pat O’Hara (color commentary) and Jerry O’Neill (sideline) join Daniels.
The UCF game will also be available on Sirius Radio Channel 137 and XM Channel 206.
Last Week:
UConn fell to East Carolina 31-21. UCF beat Temple 34-14.
History:
Saturday’s game will be the second meeting between the two schools with UCF taking a 62-17 win over the Huskies on October 26, 2013 at Bright House Networks Field in Orlando.
Connections:
There are 10 Florida natives on the UConn roster – Fr. OL Ryan Crozier (Plantation), RSo. CB John Green (Miami), So. CB Javon Hadley(Miami), Fr. RB Ron Johnson (Naples), RSo. DB Ellis Marder (Windermere), Fr. OL Daniel Oak (Fort Myers), RSo. K Bobby Puyol (North Palm Beach), RFr. OL Kyle Schafenacker (Cooper City), RSr. LB Brandon Steg (Coral Springs) and RFr. CB Jhavon Williams (Wellington).
The UCF roster does not have any Connecticut natives on it.
High school connections:
Lake Highland – UCF RSo. WR Hayden Jones. UConn RSo. DB Ellis Marder.
Fort Myers – UCF RFr. OL Tate Hernly. UConn Fr. OL Daniel Oak.
McEachern (Ga.) – UCF RSr. OL Tarik Milner. UConn RJr. LB Jefferson Ashiru.
UConn Notes:
Here is the video from UConn head coach Bob Diaco’s press conference. Here is a transcript of some his remarks from the press conference.
UConn head coach Bob Diaco made his UConn and collegiate head coaching debut on August 29th vs. BYU. Diaco served on the Notre Dame coaching staff as the defensive coordinator for the past four years and the assistant head coach for the past two. He was the 2012 winner of the Frank Broyles Award, given to the top assistant college football coach in the country and was the first Irish assistant to receive the prestigious award.
Here is UConn’s roster and 2014 schedule.
Here is UConn’s depth chart for the game.
The captains of the 2014 UConn Huskies football team are Geremy Davis, Byron Jones, Alex Mateas and Marquise Vann.
Despite UConn having virtually an entire new staff this year, seven of the Huskies’ full-time coaches have previously worked games at Rentschler Field. Head coach Bob Diaco, defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter and assistant coach Wayne Lineburg were on the Virginia staff for a 45-10 Husky win on Sept. 13, 2008; Assistant head coach Don Patterson was on the Buffalo staff for a 24-17 UConn win on Sept. 29, 2012; Offensive coordinator Mike Cummings was on the Western Michigan staff for a 41-27 UConn win on Nov. 1, 2003; Assistant coach Kevin Wolthausen was on the Louisville staff for a 30-20 UConn loss on Dec. 3, 2005. UConn assistant coach Mike Foley is the lone holdover on the staff and is entering his ninth season.
UConn has an all-time record of 49-27 at Rentschler Field and a 27-13 mark in non-conference games.
The Huskies were picked to finish 9th in the American in 2014.
Head coach Bob Diaco and his staff have seen a large number of players get into games this season – many of them first time college performers. Diaco played 57 players against BYU, 55 against Stony Brook, 56 vs. Boise State, 55 vs. USF, 57 vs. Temple, 54 vs. Tulane and 54 vs. East Carolina.
According to a survey conducted by Arizona State, UConn has the 12th most freshman and sophomores on its two-deep (26), the seventh-fewest seniors on the two-deep (8), and the fourth-fewest total seniors on the roster (12).
Here is a breakdown by class of Husky players who have seen their first collegiate action during the first four games of the 2014 season – a total of 23 players.
True Freshmen (9)
TE Alec Bloom, LB Luke Carrezola, OL Ryan Crozier, LB Vontae Diggs, TE Steve Hashemi, TB Ron Johnson, RB Arkeel Newsome, OL Trey Rutherford, CB Jamar Summers.
Redshirt Freshmen (10)
H Blake Feagles, DL Folorunso Fatukasi, OL Thomas Hopkins, LB Junior Joseph, WR Thomas Lucas, RB Joshua Marriner, TE Tommy Myers, LB Cole Ormsby, LB Cameron Stapleton, LB Jalen Stevens
Redshirt Sophomores (4)
C Kyle Bockeloh, OT Andreas Knappe, DL Sean Marinan, P Justin Wain
After throwing for 303 yards at East Carolina on Oct. 23, Chandler Whitmer became one of 11 quarterbacks in the FBS to eclipse 300 in a game in each of the past three seasons.
The list is:
- Shane Carden, East Carolina
- Rakeem Cato, Marshall (four seasons)
- Cody Fajardo, Nevada (four seasons)
- Connor Halliday (four seasons with 400)
- Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion (four seasons)
- Brett Hundley, UCLA
- Sean Mannion, Oregon State (four seasons)
- Marcus Mariota, Oregon
- Bo Wallace, Ole Miss
- Chandler Whitmer, UConn
Geremy Davis has made a reception in 33-straight games, dating back to the 2011 season, the 12th-longest such streak in the country.
Deshon Foxx had an 88-yard TD pass reception from Whitmer in last Thursday’s game vs. East Carolina. The play was the fourth-longest pass in school history and the longest since a 90-yarder from Dan Orlovsky to Jason Williams against Temple in 2004.
Senior cornerback Byron Jones (New Britain, Conn.), who saw his UConn career end against East Carolina, had a 70-yard interception return for a TD late in the first half of the USF game on Sept. 19. Jones also has a career fumble return for a touchdown and became just the third Husky player to have a fumble return for a TD and an interception TD in a career. Jones fumble return for a TD also came against USF – in a 16-10 UConn win in 2011.
The UConn defense is ranked fourth in The American and 45th in the country in total defense at 361.4 yards per game. UConn is also ranked 28th nationally and third in the league in rushing defense (123.1 ypg) and is 64th in scoring defense (26.4 ppg). UConn is 23rd in the country and second in the conference in punt returns at 13.00 yards per return.
In individual leaders, redshirt junior Marquise Vann (Cincinnati, Ohio) is 33rd in the country in tackles with 9.4 per game – which is tied for fourth in the conference.
Preseason Award Watch Lists:

Notes from this week’s opponent UCF:
Here is some video from UCF coach George O’Leary’s weekly pregame press conference. Here is the full audio of O’Leary’s press conference. Here are some selected quotes from his press conference.
George O’Leary is in his 11th season in charge of the UCF program and has guided the team to six bowl appearances during his tenure there, including a 52-42 win in last year’s Fiesta Bowl over Baylor. During UCF’s time in Conference USA, he led the Knights to two conference championships and four division titles. O’Leary enters Saturday’s game with an overall head coaching record of 129-91 and a 77-58 mark at Central Florida. He also served as head coach at Georgia Tech with a 52-33 record from 1994-2001.
Here is UCF’s depth chart for the game.
Here are UCF’s 2014 roster and 2014 schedule.
The Knights are 11-0 all-time in the American Athletic Conference.
UCF carries a 6-2 record vs. schools from New England, and a 3-1 mark against teams from Connecticut.
UConn has faced three common opponents already with UCF (BYU, Temple, Tulane).
Besides the trip to Ireland to begin 2014, this Saturday will be the farthest north UCF will have traveled for a game since 2010 when it visited Buffalo.
The Black and Gold rank 10th in the FBS in total defense, 11th in interceptions and 14th in scoring defense.
Jacoby Glenn has five interceptions, and ranks third in the FBS in picks this year.

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Despite winless record in AAC, UConn believes it’s making strides [ct post]
Jasper Howard Memorial To Be Unveiled Saturday At Halftime [hartford courant]
Memorial A Joyful Moment For Jasper Howard’s Fiancee [hartford courant]
Next Week:
UConn heads out on the road next week as they’ll take on the Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 PM.
Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Huskies Roundup – 10/31/14

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.
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 Football links
Today’s UConn Football links can be found in the Friday links section of the UCF vs UConn preview.
UConn Women’s Basketball links
2015 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll & Honors [sox & dawgs]
2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Rankings – AP Preseason Poll [sox & dawgs]
Geno Auriemma Remembers His Days As General Patton [john altavilla – hartford courant]
Stewart Dealing With Pain In Her Left Foot [rich elliott – ct post]
According to Auriemma, Chong Has Been The Best [rich elliott – ct post]
UConn’s Chong, Temple’s Atkinson opening eyes [jim fuller – new haven register]
UConn’s game at Colgate was news to Breanna Stewart [jim fuller – new haven register]
Is UConn’s dominance a blessing or curse for rest of AAC [jim fuller – new haven register]
AAC Women’s Basketball Media Day with UConn [uconn huskies youtube]
UConn needs South Florida, AAC to do better [ct post]
South Florida Best Of Rest At AAC Women’s Basketball Media Day [hartford courant]
UConn Men’s Basketball links
Video: Kemba Walker Hits Two Big Shots in Hornets Opening Night Win [sox & dawgs]
Other UConn related links
W. Cross Country. Women’s Cross Country Gears Up for The American Championship on Friday [uconn huskies]
W. Cross Country. Bunnell grad, UConn senior Lauren Sara striding twoard AAC cross country crown [new haven register]
M. Cross Country. Men’s Cross Country Heads to the 2014 American Athletic Conference Championship [uconn huskies]
W. Soccer. UConn Hosts Tulsa In American Athletic Conference Quarterfinal On Sunday [uconn huskies]
Field Hockey. No. 4 Field Hockey Rounds Out Regular Season at Temple on Saturday [uconn huskies]
M. Soccer. UConn Goes For Conference Regular Season Title Saturday Against No. 25 USF [uconn huskies]
M. Ice Hockey. Huskies To Get Another Shot At Merrimack [hartford courant]
High Five City Returns; Red Sox Re-Sign Koji Uehara For Two Years

Koji Uehara #19 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates following his save in the 9th inning against the Tampa Bay Rays during the game at Fenway Park on September 25, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts.
With Thursday the first official day players can file for free agency, the Boston Red Sox saw four players do so in Koji Uehara, Burke Badenhop, David Ross and Ryan Dempster.
The Red Sox will have until Tuesday November 4 at 12:00 AM to talk with any of them about re-signing. We already know that Dempster has retired. At 12:01 AM on the 4th, the free agent frenzy begins.
The Red Sox didn’t waste anytime though in finding their closer for 2015 as they’ve brought back High Five City (Uehara) for another two years. According to published media reports, Uehara will receive $18 million over the two seasons.
Here’s the full release from the Red Sox:
BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox today signed right-handed pitcher Koji Uehara to a two-year contract through the 2016 season.
Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.
A first-time All-Star in 2014, Uehara, 39, went 6-5 with 26 saves and a 2.52 ERA (18 ER/64.1 IP) in 64 games for the Red Sox. He finished the year with 80 strikeouts compared to just eight walks for a 10-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio which ranked second among all American League relievers on the season.
Uehara, who did not allow runs in 53 of his 64 appearances this past year, posted a team season-best 21.0-inning scoreless streak from May 3 to June 16. He converted each of his first 15 save chances of the season to run his streak of consecutive saves converted to 31, which is the second-longest in Red Sox history.
In 2013, his first year with Boston, he had a 1.09 ERA and recorded 21 saves in 24 chances during the regular season, setting an AL record with 44 perfect outings out of 73 total appearances. His 0.57 WHIP was the best single-season mark in major league history among pitchers with at least 40.0 innings.
He pitched in 13 of Boston’s 16 postseason games en route to the 2013 World Series championship, and secured the title by striking out the Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter for the final out of Game 6 at Fenway Park exactly one year ago today.
Overall in the 2013 postseason, he gave up just one run in 13.2 innings (0.66 ERA), converted all seven save chances, and was named MVP of the American League Championship Series.
Uehara’s 1.75 ERA as a Red Sox is the best mark in club history (min. 75.0 IP) and ranks second among major league relievers since the start of 2013 (min. 85.0 IP) behind only Kansas City’s Wade Davis (0.99). His 181 strikeouts out of the bullpen in that time rank second in the American League to the Royals’ Greg Holland.
Over the last two seasons, he posted the lowest WHIP (0.73) and walk ratio (1.1 walks per nine innings pitched), and the highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.7) among all big league relievers.
Over six major league seasons with the Orioles (2009-11), Rangers (2011-12), and Red Sox (2013-14), Uehara has gone 15-15 with 61 saves and a 2.44 ERA (95 ER/350.1 IP) in 294 outings, including 12 starts in his debut campaign. With just 46 walks and 250 hits allowed and 412 strikeouts, he owns the best career strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.0 SO/BB) and WHIP (0.84) in major league history among pitchers with at least 100.0 lifetime innings.
In his 10 seasons (1999-2008) for the Yomiuri Giants in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Central League, Uehara compiled a 112-62 record with 33 saves, a 3.01 ERA (518 ER/1,549.0 IP), and 1,376 strikeouts. He led the NPB in wins in 1999 and 2002, ERA in 1999 and 2004, and strikeouts in 1999 and 2003.
An eight-time NPB All-Star (1999-2005, 2007), he was named the Central League Rookie of the Year in 1999, along with winning the Sawamura Award as the NPB’s top pitcher, the Golden Glove Award, and being named to the Top Nine Award as NPB’s best all-around starting pitcher in both 1999 and 2002. He led the Giants to the Japan Series championship in 2000 and 2002. He also participated in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games for Team Japan, and helped lead his country to the gold medal at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.
photo credit: getty images
2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Rankings – AP Preseason Poll
The AP Preseason Women’s Basketball Poll came out on Thursday and for the 10th time in program history, the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team is ranked No. 1. It’s the second consecutive year and third time in the last five years they’ve earned the top preseason spot.
They are joined by the South Carolina Gamecocks, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Tennessee Volunteers and Texas A&M Aggies in the top five.
There are no other teams from the American Athletic Conference ranked in the top 25. The South Florida Bulls are among the others receiving votes.
| AP Top 25 | |||
| RK | TEAM | REC | PTS |
| 1 | Connecticut (35) | 40-0 | 875 |
| 2 | South Carolina | 29-5 | 824 |
| 3 | Notre Dame | 37-1 | 798 |
| 4 | Tennessee | 29-6 | 749 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 27-9 | 702 |
| 6 | Stanford | 33-4 | 645 |
| 7 | Duke | 28-7 | 577 |
| 8 | Baylor | 32-5 | 573 |
| 9 | Texas | 22-12 | 532 |
| 10 | Maryland | 28-7 | 531 |
| 11 | Kentucky | 26-9 | 522 |
| 12 | Louisville | 33-5 | 505 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 27-10 | 504 |
| 14 | Michigan St | 23-10 | 433 |
| 15 | California | 22-10 | 423 |
| 16 | Nebraska | 26-7 | 314 |
| 17 | West Virginia | 30-5 | 306 |
| 18 | Depaul | 29-7 | 301 |
| 19 | Iowa | 27-9 | 236 |
| 20 | Oregon St | 24-11 | 183 |
| 21 | Oklahoma St | 25-9 | 158 |
| 22 | Dayton | 23-8 | 95 |
| 23 | UCLA | 13-18 | 86 |
| 24 | Rutgers | 28-9 | 65 |
| 24 | Syracuse | 23-10 | 65 |
| Dropped from rankings: | |||
| Penn State 14, NC State 16, Purdue 17, Gonzaga 18, Middle Tennessee 22, USC 25 | |||
| Others receiving votes: | |||
| LSU 58, Purdue 45, Penn State 43, Georgia 37, Gonzaga 28, NC State 24, Vanderbilt 23, Oklahoma 17, Arkansas 14, BYU 14, Mississippi State 13, Florida State 10, Minnesota 8, South Florida 8, St. John s 7, Oregon 5, Green Bay 4, Western Kentucky 4, Middle Tennessee 3, Iowa State 2, Northwestern 2, Albany (N.Y.) 1, Arizona State 1, Colorado State 1, James Madison 1 | |||
Video: Kemba Walker Hits Two Big Shots in Hornets Opening Night Win
When you watch the video below, you’ll reminisce back to when Kemba Walker played for the UConn Huskies and hit shots like these to win games.
Walker hit the shot to force overtime last night for the Charlotte Hornets against the Milwaukee Bucks. He then hit the game-winner in overtime.
2015 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll & Honors
NEW YORK – UConn was predicted to win the 2014-15 American Athletic Conference women’s basketball championship in voting by the league’s head coaches, the conference announced on Thursday.
The Huskies, who are the overall preseason favorite for the second consecutive season, tallied 100 points and 10 of 11 first-place votes.
UConn junior Breanna Stewart was the unanimous choice for American Women’s Basketball Player of the Year while teammate Kia Nurse was tabbed the American Freshman of the Year. Stewart was one of three Huskies that received first team all-conference honors, joining Moriah Jefferson and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. Courtney Williams (USF) and Ariel Hearn (Memphis) round out the preseason all-conference first team honorees. Stewart and Williams were unanimously chosen to the team.
The Huskies enter the season returning eight letterwinners and three starters from last year’s squad that went undefeated and won a NCAA championship for a record ninth time.
USF garnered a first place vote and was picked to finish second with 91 points. The Bulls return 13 players from last season’s WNIT Final Four squad.
East Carolina was picked to finish third with 72 points. The Pirates are newcomers to the league and return seven players, including all five starters, from last year’s 22-win team.
Temple and Tulane were chosen fourth in the standings with 67 points apiece. The Owls return three starters and five letterwinners from last season while the Green Wave looks to follow-up on its 15th trip to the postseason under head coach Lisa Stockton.
Memphis (54 pts.), SMU (52 pts.) and Cincinnati (37 pts.) were picked sixth, seventh and eighth in the preseason poll, respectively. Tulsa (28 pts.), UCF (24 pts.) and Houston (13 pts.) were tabbed ninth, 10th and 11th to round out the tallies.
The 2014-15 campaign begins November 14, with conference play set to begin December 27. The 2015 American Women’s Basketball Championship is slated for March 6-9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Preseason Player of the Year
*Breanna Stewart, UConn, Jr., F
Preseason Freshman of the Year
Kia Nurse, UConn, Fr., G
Preseason All-Conference First Team
*Breanna Stewart, UConn, Jr., F
*Courtney Williams, USF, Jr., G
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, UConn, Sr., F
Moriah Jefferson, UConn, Jr., G
Ariel Hearn, Memphis, Jr., G
Preseason All-Conference Second Team
Feyonda Fitzgerald, Temple, So., G
Jada Payne, East Carolina, R-Jr., G/F
Alisia Jenkins, USF, Jr., F
Alyesha Lovett, Cincinnati, Sr., G
Kiah Stokes, UConn, Sr., C
[*] denotes unanimous pick
2014-15 Preseason Coaches Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
Team Points
1. UConn (10) 100
2. USF (1) 91
3. East Carolina 72
T-4.Temple 67
T-4.Tulane 67
6. Memphis 54
7. SMU 52
8. Cincinnati 37
9. Tulsa 28
10. UCF 24
11. Houston 13
Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Huskies Roundup – 10/30/14

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.
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 Football links
Solid ratings for UConn/East Carolina game [jim fuller – new haven register]
Hadley could make an impact at UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]
Punter Justin Wain A Rare Bright Spot In UConn’s 1-6 Season [hartford courant]
Knights face unpredictable UConn [winter park/maitland observer]
UConn Men’s Basketball links
2015 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll & Honors [sox & dawgs]
Kevin Ollie, Ryan Boatright, Huskies are Stars of The Show in New York [dom amore – hartford courant]
A whole bunch of notes, quotes and video from today’s AAC Media Day [david borges – new haven register]
AAC notes: Boatright honored, but chasing team awards [william paxton – ct post]
Tulsa’s Haith has high praise for Purvis, Hamilton [william paxton – ct post]
UConn’s Boatright Looking to Win Back-to-Back NCAA Titles; Ollie Visits Tucker, Talks Recruiting [zags blog]
AAC Men’s Basketball Media Day: Amidah Brimah [uconn huskies youtube]
AAC Men’s Basketball Media Day: Coach Ollie [uconn huskies youtube]
AAC Men’s Basketball Media Day: Ryan Boatright [uconn huskies youtube]
UConn men take spoils at AAC media day [ct post]
UConn Men AAC’s No. 1; Boatright, Hamilton Honored [hartford courant]
Teams In AAC Know They Have To Boost Nonconference Schedules [hartford courant]
UConn men tabbed to win AAC; Ryan Boatright player of the year [new haven register]
Even without Rick Pitino, AAC coaching roster still impressive [new haven register]
Huskies get the red-carpet treatment in NYC [the day]
AAC must follow the Huskies’ lead [waterbury republican-american]
NCAA risks losing more prospects like Emmanuel Mudiay [ny daily news]
Other UConn related links
Video: UConn Men’s Soccer Nick Zuniga Flip Throw-In [sox & dawgs]
Photos: UConn Men’s Soccer vs Yale Bulldogs – 10/28/14 [sox & dawgs]
W. Soccer. Vote For UConn Women Soccer’s Rachel Hill [uconn huskies youtube]
W. Volleyball. Volleyball Heads Into the Second Leg of Conference Home-and–Homes [uconn huskies]
Field Hockey. Davidson Selected to Play in 2014 NFHCA Division I Senior Game [uconn huskies]
M. Ice Hockey. UConn Faces Merrimack Friday Afternoon in Liberty Hockey Invitational [uconn huskies]
UConn Club. UConn Athletics Endowed Scholarship Dinner [uconn huskies]
W. Ice Hockey. Huskies Host Maine, Travel To Vermont To Open WHEA Play [uconn huskies]
M. Golf. UConn Golfers Compete At Quail Valley [uconn huskies]
Photos: UConn Men’s Soccer vs Yale Bulldogs – 10/28/14
Here are photos from the UConn Huskies Men’s Soccer team’s 1-0 overtime win over the Yale Bulldogs on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at Morrone Stadium in Storrs, CT.
photo credits: ian bethune

