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.

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

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UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video: 2011 UConn Women’s Senior Night [SOX & Dawgs]

Special night for Maya Moore [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Tidbits From Monday’s 82-47 Win Over Syracuse [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Lorin Dixon Going Out On A High Note [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Miss Maya On Her Senior Night Experience [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Huskies Open Big East Tournament Play Sunday [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

A big thumbs-up from Maya’s biggest fan [Roger Cleaveland – The Republican-American]

Video View: Postgame Following The Win Over Syracuse [Shawn Courchesne – Hartford Courant]

Moore, after Senior Night ceremony, powers UConn [CT Post]

Huskies Honor Moore And Dixon, Then Wrap Up Unbeaten Big East Regular Season [Hartford Courant]

A Senior Citizen’s Joy Steals Senior Night [Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Notebook Extras … [Hartford Courant]

Huskies Pay Tribute To Seniors Moore, Dixon [Hartford Courant]

Huskies start fast, cruise past Syracuse on Senior Night [New Haven Register]

Savor Moore’s greatness while you still can [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn Women’s Basketball Notebook: Moore, Dixon may set records [Norwich Bulletin]

Maya Moore gets #23 added to the Huskies of Honor wall [The Day]

Senior moments at Gampel Pavillion [The Day]

UConn notebook: Huskies picture perfect in the Big East [The Day]

UConn fans celebrate their seniors [The Day]

UConn Hits March With 29 Wins, but Only 8 Players [New York Times]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn versus West Virginia preview [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Walker feels weight of UConn’s season [CT Post]

Calhoun, Huskies Fighting For A Higher Big East Seed [Hartford Courant]

Emotional season for Calhoun [The Day]

‘Eers can’t relax with Huskies, Cards on tap [American Chronicle]

NCAA gives UConn, Calhoun a love tap, Garden party [Sporting News]

UConn Football links

Five biggest Big East spring questions [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Schedule analysis: Connecticut [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Jordan Todman: Pleased With His Effort At NFL Combine [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Anthony Sherman: Wants Chance To Contribute To NFL Team [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Posted Combine Results For Lloyd, Lutrus And Wilson [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Zach Hurd: “I Thought I did Very Well” At The NFL Combine [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Todman Impressive At NFL Combine [Hartford Courant]

Five games to watch this season in the Big East [Orlando Sentinel]

Other UConn related links

W. Lacrosse. Rainone Named BIG EAST Defensive Player Of The Week [UConnHuskies.com]

While the Boston Red Sox rallied back to beat the Minnesota Twins in their Grapefruit League home opener this afternoon and tie the Mayor’s Cup up at 1-1, that wasn’t the biggest news of the day. The big story of the day was the fact that Josh Beckett was hit by a ball in the head during batting practice.

It was first announced that everything was okie dokie with Beckett but he was later sent home from City of Palms Park with “mild concussion symptoms”.  Skipper Terry Francona said that he wasn’t sure whether or not Beckett will make his next start on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“He’s got a headache,” Francona said. “He’s been evaluated already. We’ll get somebody to look at him tonight, and then, when he comes in [Tuesday], we’ll check on him again to see what level, if any, of a workout he could do — or should do.”

Hopefully Beckett will bounce back on Tuesday and everything will be back to normal for him.

Back to the game from today, it was Josh Reddick who provided the Red Sox with the win as it was his 2-run home run in the seventh that was the difference.  Drew Sutton knocked in two runs in the 6th to jump start the comeback. David Ortiz added his first home run of the spring, a three-run shot, that was part of a 2-for-2 afternoon.

Jason Varitek was 2-for-2 while Carl Crawford made his Red Sox spring debut and went 0-for-3.

Daisuke Matsuzaka started for the Red Sox and showed some good life on his fastball. He allowed one run on one hit (solo home run by Jason Kubel). Tim Wakefield was the victim of a Brent Dlugach error and allowed three runs (none earned) on three hits and walk over two innings. Daniel Bard wasn’t particularly sharp as he was rocked for two runs on three hits in an inning.

Andrew Miller was impressive in his Red Sox spring debut and maybe the scenery change could just be what he needed. He struck out the first two batters he faced on six pitches and then needed just one pitch to retire his final batter. Michael Bowden picked up the win and Matt Albers got the save.

For the third straight day, the Red Sox and Twins will meet, this time across town at Hammond Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Jon Lester will start for the Red Sox while Jonathan Papelbon and Alfredo Aceves are among the pitchers scheduled to work tomorrow.

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Pregame notes: Beckett update, Jenks to pitch Thursday [Clubhouse Insider]

Francona on Beckett: ‘He’ll be all right. He’s got a hard head’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Ortiz homers, Miller dazzles in Red Sox’ 7-6 win vs. Twins [Clubhouse Insider]

Crawford settles into the Red Sox spotlight [CSNNE.com]

Matzuzaka happy with ‘a very good job’ in first outing [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Miller impresses Francona with strong inning [CSNNE.com]

Ortiz a Celtic? [ESPN Boston]

Jenks will make spring debut Thursday [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox showcase top 3 spots in lineup [ESPN Boston]

Dice-K pleased with first spring outing [ESPN Boston]

On Buchholz, BABIP and open minds [Extra Bases]

Francona and Crawford together again [Extra Bases]

Wrapping up the day in Fort Myers [Extra Bases]

The new media guides are here! [Extra Bases]

Late morning Red Sox notes: The journey from Taiwan Cup to Mayor’s Cup for Terry Francona, Carl Crawford [Full Count]

Red Sox options with Hideki Okajima could include minors [Full Count]

It was the day Carl Crawford became a Boston Red Sox (sort of) [Full Count]

Like buddy Ben Zobrist, Drew Sutton looking to stick as a utility guy [Projo Sox Blog]

Photo credit: AP Photo

Storrs, Conn. – It was announced today by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association that UConn junior guard Kemba Walker (Bronx, N.Y.) has been named a top-10 finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, to be presented to the association’s National Player of the Year.

The Oscar Robertson Trophy is awarded to the USBWA’s Player of the Year. It is the nation’s oldest award and the only one named after a former player. The legendary Oscar Robertson was the USBWA’s first player of the year in 1959. The USBWA renamed its player of the year award the Oscar Robertson Trophy in 1998.

Walker currently ranks second in the BIG EAST and seventh in the nation at 22.8 points per game. On the season, he’s averaging 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Walker also ranks tied for third in the BIG EAST with 1.9 steals per game.

Along with the Oscar Robertson Trophy, Walker is a finalist for the Wooden Award as the National Player of the Year and the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard. He was previously named the Sporting News Midseason Player of the Year.

Walker has led Connecticut in scoring 22 out of 28 games this season, including 18 straight to start the year.

Among his accomplishments this season, Walker tied an XL Center and Jim Calhoun-era record against Vermont on November 17 with 42 points. Walker led UConn to the Maui Invitational Championship and was named the Tournament MVP after scoring 31 points (23 in the second half – a Jim Calhoun-era record) against Wichita State, 30 against No. 2 Michigan State and 29 in the victory over No. 8 Kentucky in the championship.

He has hit game-winning/go-ahead shots in the final three minutes of five games this season, at Seton Hall, against No. 7 Villanova, at No. 12 Texas, against No. 2 Michigan State and against Wichita State.

He’s scored 30 points or more seven times this season and recorded a triple-double against UMBC on December 3 with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Walker became just the 11th UConn player to score 600 points in a season.

Walker has led the Huskies to a 21-7 record overall with a 9-7 mark in the BIG EAST Conference. UConn is currently ranked 16/16 in the latest polls.

UConn is in action next when it travels to Morgantown, W.V. to face the Mountaineers on ESPN/espn2 at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2.

The presentation of this year’s award will take place on Friday, April 1 at the USBWA’s annual awards breakfast at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston in conjunction with the NCAA Men’s Final Four. The breakfast will also honor the winner of the Henry Iba Award, the association’s coach of the year and will announce the winner of the first Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year Award.

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

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. Today, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. For more information on the USBWA and its awards, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-421-0339.

Oscar Robertson Trophy Finalists:

Jimmer Fredette, Guard - BYU
Jordan Hamilton, Guard/Forward - Texas
JaJuan Johnson, Forward/Center - Purdue
Terrence Jones, Forward - Kentucky
Marcus Morris, Forward - Kansas
Kyle Singler, Forward - Duke
Nolan Smith, Guard - Duke
Jared Sullinger, Center - Ohio State
Kemba Walker, Guard - Connecticut
Derrick Williams, Foward - Arizona

The 2011 Grapefruit League got started for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night and they found themselves on the wrong side of the win colum in an 8-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins. The win by the Twins gives them a 1-0 lead in the Mayor’s Cup, a cup which the Red Sox have had a stranglehold on in recent years.

Josh Beckett got the start for the Red Sox and had a decent beginning to the 2011 spring campaign. He went 2 innings allowing one run on two hits. The two hits by the Twins came on pitches he left up in the zone. He was followed by Clay Buchholz, who threw two scoreless innings with a strikeout.

Hideki Okajima didn’t fool anyone on the Twins last night as he was rocked for four runs on five hits in an inning of work. Dan Wheeler made his Red Sox spring debut and allowed a run on two hits. He left a pitch up in the zone as well and former Red Sox farmhand Jeff Bailey cracked it out of the ballpark for a home run.

Scott Atchison worked a scoreless inning while Brandon Duckworth allowed two runs on three hits.

On the offensive side of things by the Red Sox regulars, Mike Cameron had a decent night as he was 1-for-3 with a stolen base. Kevin Youkilis also had a hit which were hard to come by early in the game for the Red Sox as did Darnell McDonald.

The offensive explosion for the Red Sox came in the eighth inning when the Red Sox got three runs, including a solo home run by Lars Anderson. Mark Wagner added a solo shot in the 9th. Josh Reddick knocked in a run as well.

It will be those same two teams again today as the Twins will head across town to City of Palms Park for a 1:05 game. Daisuke Matsuzaka will get the start and he’ll be followed by Tim Wakefield, Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard.

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

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

Francona really steps into one [Boston Globe]

Pitcher caught breaks [Boston Globe]

Josh Beckett sees positives in effort [Boston Herald]

It all starts with a pitch [Boston Herald]

New stars adjust to spotlight [Boston Herald]

Clay Buchholz an early riser [Boston Herald]

Beckett has mixed feelings about spring debut [CSNNE.com]

Buchholz feels good during easygoing spring training [CSNNE.com]

A healthy and speedy Cameron [ESPN Boston]

Finding synergy with Salty [ESPN Boston]

Okajima: ‘Results were clearly poor’ [ESPN Boston]

Saltalamacchia gets his work in [Extra Bases]

Red Sox Prospect Lavarnway Knows The Drill [Hartford Courant]

Carl Crawford to See First Action in Revamped Red Sox Outfield Against Twins [NESN.com]

Mike Cameron’s Energetic Play One Highlight in Red Sox Loss to Twins [NESN.com]

Bowden survives stint in Venezuela [Providence Journal]

Red Sox journal: Mixed results for Beckett [Providence Journal]

Reyes impressive in first side session [RedSox.com]

Jenks says war of words with Ozzie is over [RedSox.com]

Exhibition or not, Beckett’s focus is already there [RedSox.com]

Reliever Okajima rocked in debut [RedSox.com]

Buchholz picks up where he left off [RedSox.com]

How Josh Beckett, Jon Lester view the Red Sox’ Opening Day starter debate [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

2011 Prospect Previews: Jose Vinicio and Kendrick Perkins [SoxProspects.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.

Photo credit: AP Photo

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.

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

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they’ll host the Syracuse Orange on senior night for Maya Moore and Lorin Dixon. Game time is scheduled for 7:36 p.m. and the game will be televised locally here in Connecticut on CPTV. The game is also available for a fee online at Hoop Streams. Senior night festivities will begin at 7:13 p.m. and will also be shown live on CPTV. It’s expected that Maya Moore will also have her number put in the “Huskies of Honor”. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

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

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Dixon looks back at her time at UConn [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

UConn recruits continue champion quests [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Moore Set For Induction Into Huskies Of Honor [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

No. 23 will be another brick in the wall [Vickie Fulkerson – The Day]

Women’s Basketball Fan Advisement [UConnHuskies.com]

Earning Auriemma’s High Praise: Senior Night [Hartford Courant]

Maya Moore, Lorin Dixon have been side by side since the beginning [New Haven Register]

Senior night to celebrate Moore, Dixon, the best of friends [The Day]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn 67, Cincinnati 59: the wrap [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

Kemba Walker’s Minutes, And His Help [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

UConn Freshmen Step Up In Victory At Cincinnati [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Huskies get out of Fifth Third with 21st win [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Fresh Start [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Calhoun, UConn make triumphant return; defeat Cincinnati, 67-59 [CT Post]

UConn men’s basketball notebook [CT Post]

Huskies Find Range, Defeat Bearcats [Hartford Courant]

Tireless Walker Finds His Groove Again [Hartford Courant]

UConn Notebook Extras … [Hartford Courant]

UConn Football links

Lloyd, Lutrus And Wilson Set To Impress At Combine Monday [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Speaking Of UConn’s March 23 Pro Day: Andre Dixon [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

The Big East’s best: No. 16 Kendall Reyes [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Workout warrior [SouthCoastToday.com]

Other UConn related links

Softball Ends FAU Tournament With 3-2 Victory Over Jacksonville [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Lacrosse. Huskies Rally For 17-12 Victory At Quinnipiac [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Huskies Blank Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 7-0 [UConnHuskies.com]

Pair Make All-Tournament Team, As Islanders Drop KCBB Finale to #14 UConn [KZTV10.com]

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.

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

Welcome to the overslept game day edition. It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they are in Cincinnati, OH, taking on the Cincinnati Bearcats. The game began at 12 p.m. and is currently being televised by ESPNU. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

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

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn men face big test in Cincy [CT Post]

Calhoun Knows UConn Has Issues To Address In Final 3 Games [Hartford Courant]

Tom Moore Has Earned A Clean Slate [Hartford Courant]

NCAA Sanctions Trim UConn’s Margin For Error In Recruiting [Hartford Courant]

Calhoun to return as Huskies face Cincinnati [Hartford Courant]

UConn men look to bounce back at Cincinnati [The Day]

UConn’s Walker was almost a Bearcat [Cincinnati.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Tidbits From Saturday’s 52-42 Win Over Georgetown [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Don’t Expect Heather Buck Back Anytime Soon [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Senior Night Is Coming, Like It Or Not [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

The Maya Moore interview: special video presentation [Lee Lewis – The  Republican-American]

Maya and Kathryn Moore: Teammates In Life [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

No. 1 Huskies Edge No. 18 Hoyas, 52-42, Clinch Big East Top Seed [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn women trip Georgetown, clinch Big East top seed [CT Post]

Huskies Struggle To Get Past Hoyas [Hartford Courant]

Auriemma Comfortable Taking A Standing 8 [Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Notebook Extras … [Hartford Courant]

Geno On What Makes Maya Special [Hartford Courant]

Past 4 Years Have Been Special For Maya & Mom [Hartford Courant]

Huskies clinch top seed for Big East tournament [New Haven Register]

Au Revoir, Maya [The Day]

Top-ranked Huskies slog to victory [Washington Post]

UConn Football links

Massachusetts native Jordan Todman hopes to impress at NFL combine [ESPN Boston]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. Huskies Fall In Hockey East Playoffs, 4-0 [UConnHuskies.com]

Softball. Softball Defeats Kent State, 14-5 [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Lacrosse. Lacrosse Game Time Changed To 2:00 p.m. (Feb. 27) [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Indiana Slips Past Huskies with 3-1 Win [UConnHuskies.com]

Picozzi finds his niche as play-by-play announcer [CT Post]

M. Ice Hockey. UConn Rallies For 4-3 Victory at AIC [UConnHuskies.com]

While the Boston Red Sox don’t officially begin their 2011 Grapefruit League schedule until 7:05 p.m. tonight against their crosstown rivals the Minnesota Twins, they did unofficially kick off with two games on Saturday afternoon. Two local Boston teams, the Boston College Eagles and Northeastern Huskies, came down to Ft. Myers to take on the local pro team.

And for the Red Sox, it was a good way to get going on what we hope will be a great 2011 season. They beat BC 6-0 on a one-hitter and then in the nightcap, they beat Northeastern 13-2 behind three RBIs from shortstop Jose Iglesias.

In the opener, Kevin Youkilis led the way with a great defensive play in the top of the 1st inning. He then followed that with a three-run homer in the bottom half of the inning. Other regulars that played in the game were Marco Scutaro (two walks), Dustin Pedroia (0-1, walk, run scored), David Ortiz (0-2), Darnell McDonald (0-1, walk, run scored) and Ryan Kalish (1-2, RBI).

Stolmy Pimentel picked up the win by striking out two over two innings of work. The only Red Sox pitcher to allow a hit in the game was Randy Williams, who is fighting for one of the possible two lefty spots in the bullpen.

Iglesias was the main man in the nightcap as he was 2-for-3 with the three aformentioned RBIs. Che-Hsuan Lin and Peter Hissey each added two RBIs to the cause as well.

Jacoby Ellsbury (0-1, walk), Mike Cameron (0-2), Jed Lowrie (0-2) and Daniel Nava (0-1, walk)  were the Red Sox regulars who saw action in the game

Rich Hill, another one of those lefties, competing for a spot in the bullpen, picked up the win despite allowing a run in his inning of work. Kyle Weiland got the start and allowed one run on two hits and a walk in two innings of work. He also recorded two strikeouts.

Josh Beckett will make the start against the Twins tonight and he’ll be followed by Clay Buchholz, Brandon Duckworth, Hideki Okajima, Scott Atchison and Dan Wheeler. Beckett is expected to go two innings.

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

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Hoping to show good side [Boston Globe]

Jenks gets into the drill [Boston Globe]

Diamond anniversary [Boston Globe]

The critics can’t get inside Ortiz’s head [Boston Globe]

First-round knockdown [Boston Herald]

Jacoby Ellsbury back to ‘normal’ [Boston Herald]

Two sides to Mike Gambino’s story [Boston Herald]

Third impression [Boston Herald]

Bobby Jenks grew in 2005 series [Boston Herald]

Tito the great(est)? [Boston Herald]

Ellsbury back in the leadoff spot against Northeastern [CSNNE.com]

Pedroia and Youkilis return to game action [CSNNE.com]

Jenks and Guillen get into heated back-and-forth [CSNNE.com]

Video: Solid Saturday for Sox [ESPN Boston]

Dustin Pedroia’s foot passes first test [Full Count]

Jacoby Ellsbury Feeling Healthy, Ahead of Schedule in Return to Game Action [NESN.com]

Ozzie Guillen sounds off on Bobby Jenks [Providence Journal]

Someone’s got to lead off, but who? [Providence Journal]

Four players back from injuries and looking good [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: No rush to mound for Bobby Jenks [Providence Journal]

Reyes arrives late, but set to work for Red Sox [RedSox.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.

photo credit: AP Photo

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.

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

It’s gameday for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they are in Washington, DC to take on the Georgetown Hoyas. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will be televised locally here in Connecticut on CPTV. The game is also available for a fee online at Hoop Streams. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

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

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Mosqueda-Lewis is WBCA national player of the year [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Heather Buck to be sidelined [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Miss Maya’s First Game For UConn Was A Great One [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Top Secret: New Player Expected To Join Huskies Of Honor Wall [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Remember When Maya Moore Did Something No One Else Did? [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

UConn women on brink of Big East regular season championship [CT Post]

UConn Will Face Georgetown Without Heather Buck [Hartford Courant]

Drive for 5 [Journal Inquirer]

Huskies poised to wrap up another title [New Haven Register]

Huskies can wrap up another Big East title today [The Day]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

The Warrior is a Warrior [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Daily Campus editorial: “Sorry we wrote an inane editorial” [The UConn Blog]

Calhoun’s Apology Hits Home, Before Lawyer Confuses Things [Hartford Courant]

UConn’s Continued Reliance On Walker Needs To Be Adjusted [Hartford Courant]

Who’s Sorry Now? [Journal Inquirer]

Rookie responds when called [Norwich Bulletin]

Giffey was a shining light in UConn loss [The Day]

UConn Football links

Big East Friday mailbag [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Iowa State football: Game at UConn scheduled for a Friday and ESPN [Des Moines Register]

Other UConn related links

W. Lacrosse. Huskies Edge Out Binghamton, 11-9 [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Huskies Fall to Oregon State 2-0 [UConnHuskies.com]

Softball. Huskies Open 2011 At FAU Tournament [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. Huskies Defeat AIC On Senior Night, 2-1 [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Huskies men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun issued a statement through his Kansas based attorney about the violations the UConn men’s basketball program committed.

“First of all I’d like to thank everyone who has offered support over this past week both for our program and for my family during what has been a difficult time. Regarding the NCAA’s findings and penalties, I’d like to state the following:

As the leader of the Connecticut basketball program and an ambassador of the University, the buck stops with me. No qualifications. No exceptions. Without going into the details of the case or addressing each of the findings and subsequent penalties, I fully acknowledge that we, as a staff, made mistakes and would like to apologize to the University and all associated with UConn on behalf of myself and the men’s basketball program.

Throughout my 39-year career, my intentions have been, and will continue to be, on doing things the right way, in full compliance with the rules of my profession, and more importantly, with a moral and ethical standard that has been at the center of who I strive to be as a person. I remain committed to doing my job with integrity. Clearly, through our actions, there are lessons to be learned for the University, for our basketball family, and for me personally.

Unfortunately, our mistakes have caused unrelated attention to be placed on the young men in our program today who continue to write their own story this basketball season. I will not allow those distractions to continue.

My love for my players, the game of basketball, and this University will remain my number one professional priority. As the leader of this program, I am moving forward. I owe this to our players and our staff. I have apologized to them privately for the distractions. My personal feelings about this situation and the NCAA’s findings will remain private and I will not have any further public comment on this matter.

I am energized and excited about the remainder of the regular season and what the post-season may hold, and our program remains committed to making UConn and all associated with it proud of what we do both on and off the floor.”

STORRS, Conn. (Feb. 25, 2011) — The University of Connecticut football team will play an exciting seven-game home schedule, highlighted by four BIG EAST Conference games at Rentschler Field, as the 2011 Husky schedule was announced on Friday.

UConn will play host to one Thursday night and one Friday night game in 2011 with the other five games on Saturdays. The seven home games include BIG EAST Conference contests against USF, Syracuse, Louisville and Rutgers. Three of these BIG EAST opponents won bowl games last season – USF (Meineke Car Care Bowl Champions), Louisville (Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl Champions) and Syracuse (New Era Pinstripe Bowl Champions).

In addition, the schedule features two other teams that played in bowl games – Pittsburgh (BBVA Compass Bowl Champions) and West Virginia (Champs Sports Bowl).

The 2011 UConn football schedule currently features three national television appearances with broadcast plans for the other nine games to be announced at a later date.

“We are looking forward to the upcoming 2011 season and the debut of our new head coach Paul Pasqualoni,” says Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway. “Our home schedule at Rentschler Field features a great mix of exciting matchups featuring four great BIG EAST Conference games. The growth of our football program to the point where we played in a BCS game last season has resulted in more enthusiasm for our program than ever before. We encourage our loyal fans to order their season tickets now. Last year, we were undefeated at Rentschler Field and, and as we get ready for 2011, we look forward to maintaining the great home field advantage which our fans provide.”

UConn’s BIG EAST schedule will begin after it plays all five of its non-conference games. The Huskies will visit West Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 8 and open the home portion of the league schedule the following Saturday (Oct. 15) playing host to USF for the annual Homecoming game. UConn will then return to action when it travels to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Oct. 26 for an ESPN nationally-televised game at 8:00 p.m.

Following the Pittsburgh game, UConn then plays three-straight home conference games. Syracuse visits Rentschler Field on Saturday, Nov. 5 followed by Louisville on Saturday, Nov. 19 and Rutgers on Saturday, Nov. 26.

The regular season concludes at Cincinnati on “Championship Saturday”, Dec. 3. That game will be televised nationally by either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

“I think that we have a very competitive and exciting schedule for our football team in 2011,” says Pasqualoni. “Our non-conference schedule features teams from the SEC and the Big XII. In addition, we are excited to have seven home games this season. We appreciate the tremendous support from our UConn fans, who will continue to make Rentschler Field one of the best home environments in the country.”

Pasqualoni and his Huskies will begin the season on Thursday, Sept. 1 against Fordham. UConn hits the road for the first time on Saturday, Sept. 10 against Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference. Iowa State of the Big XII comes to Rentschler Field on Friday, Sept. 16 for an 8:00 p.m. game on ESPN or ESPN2.

The non-conference games conclude with a pair of contests against teams from the Mid-American Conference – at Buffalo on Saturday, Sept. 24 and home against Western Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Season tickets for the 2011 home season are now on sale. For more information, visit UConnHuskies.com or call 1-877-AT-UCONN .

2011 UConn Football Schedule