UConn Football links
Offensive Lineman Hansson Commits To Huskies [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
UConn Hooked Up To Florida Football Pipeline [Hartford Courant]
Dixon, Witten On Winning Side Of Shrine Game [UConnHuskies.com]
Category Archives: Articles
Dixon, Witten Part of East’s 13-10 Win In Shrine Game
Two members of the 2009 UConn Huskies football team, running back Andre Dixon and defensive end Lindsey Witten, were busy playing football on Saturday in the East-West Shrine Game. Both were part of the East’s 13-10 win at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Witten has one tackle for a loss and two quarterback hurries while Dixon did lead the East squad with 24 yards rushing on seven carries.
I was able to find something from Scouts, Inc. on Dixon’s day and another article about Witten from Friday’s practice. They are below for your enjoyment.
Here’s what Scouts, Inc. had to say about Dixon’s day for the East squad.
East RB Andre Dixon (Connecticut) has surprisingly looked hesistant at times today. He’s a downhill runner on film and during practices this week so we didn’t expect to see the stutter steps at the line of scrimmage today. He has room to improve as a receiver with his hands away from his frame and running crisper routes, but he’s athletic enough to do it. He’s also a willing pass blocker who will step up and take on blitzing linebackers. Despite today’s struggles, he’ll be a good value for someone in the middle rounds.
And here’s what Todd McShay of Scouts, Inc. had to say about Witten after practice on Friday.
DE Lindsey Witten, Connecticut
Witten had a solid week of practice, but today’s good showing leaves a favorable impression in scouts’ minds. He showed active hands and good upper-body strength during team run period. He also showed a little bit of a mean streak when he got double-teamed and fought through it nicely. He used his quickness around the edge and his active hands to victimize Rutgers OL Kevin Haslam during one-on-one pass rush drills. There are concerns about his ability to anchor in the run game, but he showed quickness and is tougher than his size (6-foot-4, 251 pounds) might suggest.
Editor’s note: Links from Scouts, Inc. are for ESPN Insider
UConn Men Upset No.1 Texas 88-74
It was a tale of two halves for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team on Saturday afternoon.
In the first half, it looked as though they were going to be blown out of Gampel Pavilion after trailing by eight points to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns at the half while committing 16 turnovers. The second half it was like the two teams switched uniforms as UConn was lights out on both ends of the floor while Texas was turning the ball over.
And because of that strong second half and Jerome Dyson’s career-high 32 points, the Huskies came back for an 88-75 upset of the Longhorns in front of 10,167 fans and a nationally televised audience on CBS.
The Huskies got their first win over a ranked team this year and improve to 13-6. It’s the second straight loss for the Longhorns who fall to 17-2 on the season.
More importantly, it gives the Huskies a much needed win for their tournament resume as they go forward.
Despite eight turnovers (six in the first half), Kemba Walker had a double-double with 19 points and 10 assists and also added six steals. Stanley Robinson added a double-double of his own with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Gavin Edwards came off the bench to add 11 points.
Even though he only scored five points, Ater Majok had probably his finest game in a UConn uniform as he played with energy unlike we’ve seen from him all season. He had six rebounds and led the Huskies with four blocked shots while playing a season-high 31 minutes.
Damion James paced Rick Barnes’ squad with 25 points and seven rebounds. Avery Bradley chipped in with 15 points while Gary Johnson had nine points and seven rebounds.
The first half was pretty ugly for the Huskies as they committed 16 turnovers which the Longhorns turned into 25 points. They could have been down more than 10 at the half but the Longhorns missed some easy shots.
The first four minutes of the game were pretty much evenly contested with the Longhorns holding an 14-11 advantage at the first media timeout. They increased their lead to nine at 20-11 before a 9-0 run by the Huskies tied it up.
The two teams exchanged three-pointers and then Texas went on a 7-0 run. The Huskies would score the next four points to cut to a three point lead but that’s as close as they would get in the half. They would head into the locker room trailing 42-34.
A Robinson turnover to start the second led to an Avery Bradley dunk that gave the Longhorns a 10 point lead and forced UConn acting head coach George Blaney to take a 30 second timeout. A 7-0 run by Walker and Dyson cut the Texas lead to three points at 44-41 but the Longhorns would get the lead up to seven points at 50-43.
After the teams exchanged layups, Dyson hit a three-pointer with 14:24 to go that ignited a 13-0 run that would give the Huskies a 58-52 lead with 11:29 to go. The Longhorns would get no closer than four points the rest of the way as turnovers and missed shots plagued them.
This was exactly what the Huskies needed. While the first half wasn’t pretty by no means, it was what they didn in the second half that mattered. They came out and played basketball to their abilities. And when they do that, they can show what we’ve expected from them all season long.
While the big three of Dyson, Robinson and Walker were strong, it was the contributions from the role players like Edwards, Majok and Donnell Beverly that can’t be overlooked. All three of them were strong and Beverly helped out by slowing things down a little due to Walker’s struggles in the first half.
In the end, it was the win the Huskies desperately needed and one that would make their head coach Jim Calhoun proud. One can only imagine what he was thinking during the first half but he had to have had a big smile on his face when the students stormed the court after the win.
The Huskies are back in action on Wednesday night when they head to the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI for a Big East matchup with the Providence Friars. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised locally on My-TV9 and SNY.
UConn Women Have No Problems With Villanova
During the UConn Huskies women’s basketball 70-game winning streak from 2001-03, the Villanova Wildcats were the 58th victim during that stretch of wins.
On Saturday afternoon in front of 3,723 at the Pavilion in Villanova, PA, the Huskies made the Wildcats their 58th victim of their current winning streak with a convincing 74-35 win.
With their 58th straight win, the No. 1 Huskies improve to 19-0 (6-0 Big East). Harry Peretta’s Wildcats fall to 11-7 (0-5).
Maya Moore led the way for UConn with 24 points in just 23 minutes of action. She also had eight rebounds and four assists. Tina Charles added 14 points and eight rebounds while Kalana Greene had 10 points.
Meghan Gardler made her first career start in what served as her homecoming game and finished with 6 points. Doylestown, PA native Caroline Doty led the Huskies with six assists.
Maria Getty paced the Wildcats with 11 points. Marlbourough, CT native Rachel Roberts added six points in just her second game while Laura Sweeney added six points as well. Kyle Dougherty pulled down five rebounds to lead the Wildcats.
If there was any chance of Villanova ending this winning streak like they did to the UConn’s 70 game winning streak, the Huskies quickly put that notion to bed.
The Wildcats got out to quick 1-0 lead when Getty hit 1-of-2 from the free throw line but it was all Huskies after that. They went on a 18-7 run to open up a ten point lead. Then in typical UConn fashion, they scored the next 21 points to push their lead to 31.
The Huskies took a 45-12 lead into the locker room and never looked back from there as Geno Auriemma had his charges take it easy on his old friend’s team in the second half.
One day someone will give the Huskies a 40 minute battle. My guess is that one day won’t be until sometime during the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies return to action on Tuesday night when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights come to the XL Center for a Big East matchup. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast somewhat nationally on CBS College Sports.
Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/23
It’s game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they are in the Philadelphia area to take on the Villanova Wildcats in a Big East matchup. The game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and will be televised locally here in Connecticut on CPTV. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.
It’s also game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as the No. 1 Texas Longhorns come to Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT for a non-conference nationally-televised matchup. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and will be televised on CBS. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.
And let’s not forget that two members of the UConn Huskies football team will be in action on Saturday afternoon as well. Running back Andre Dixon and defensive end Lindsey Witten are playing for the East team in the East-West Shrine Bowl being held at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/22
UConn Women’s Basketball links
Gampel turns 20 [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]
Dolson delivers [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]
Practice makes perfect [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]
Auriemma Expresses Compassion For Michala Johnson [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]
Huskies Riding The Rails [Rich Elliott – Connecticut Post]
Trains … not planes or automobiles [Vickie Fulkerson – The Day]
No. 1/1 Women’s Basketball Heads To Villanova Saturday [UConnHuskies.com]
UConn women go ‘old-school,’ taking train to Philadelphia [Connecticut Post]
UConn Women Headed To Philly By Train [Hartford Courant]
With budgets tight, UConn women travel by train [The Republican-American]
UConn in a battle of ‘Cats and dogs [The Daily Campus]
GA grads Doty, Carey set for showdown [PhillyBurbs.com]
Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/21
My apologies for not posting this in the morning. I’ve had internet connection issues with my laptop all day long. I got on earlier to post the new Boston Red Sox batting hat for 2010 but then it crapped out again. It finally seems to be fixed so now we can move forward with the UConn Huskies links.
2010 Boston Red Sox Batting Practice Hat
Guess what folks, the Boston Red Sox have another hat to wear this season. Only this one will be worn during batting practice.
I kind of like it but I’m more of a traditionalist so I’ll stick with my “B” cap. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
You can see the rest of the new batting practice caps for all 30 teams by heading over to the MLB Shops.
Huskies End Losing Streak In Win Over St. John’s
Given the way the UConn Huskies shot the ball in the first half, it was probably a good thing head coach Jim Calhoun wasn’t around. He would have probably blown a gasket or two. But I’d have to think he would be proud of their second half effort.
A second half that saw the Huskies miss just nine shots (17-of-26) helped them to a 75-59 win over the St. John’s Red Storm in front of 14,213 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. on Wednesday night.
The win for the Huskies (12-6, 3-3 Big East) ends a three-game losing skid while Norm Roberts’ squad falls to 12-6 (2-4).
With Calhoun shelved for the time being with an undisclosed illness, associate head coach George Blaney took the helm. It’s not the first time he’s done this as he improves to 5-3 while Calhoun is out. As a program, UConn is 18-4 without Calhoun on the bench.
Jerome Dyson led the way for the Huskies with 21 points and had six rebounds and five assists. Stanley Robinson chipped in with 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds. He also had three blocked shots. Point guard Kemba Walker played one of his finer games this season as he had 17 points and six assists.
D.J. Kennedy led the Red Storm with 19 points and seven rebounds. The only other member of the Johnnies in double-digits was Dwight Hardy, who came off the bench to score 12 points.
St. John’s started out quickly racing out to a 5-2 lead and were behind 13-11 early on. Trailing 21-15, the Huskies went on a 6-0 run to tie the game. Two straight three-pointers by Dyson gave the Huskies a 31-25 lead which shrunk to three points at the half (31-28).
The Huskies started out hot in the second half as they went on an 11-4 run that pushed the lead to 10 at 42-32. UConn’s defense held strong as St. John’s was never able to get any closer than seven points the rest of the way.
The difference in the coaching styles isn’t too much. Calhoun’s a yeller, Blaney isn’t. And that was evident on Wednesday night.
Although they shot the ball like crap in the first half, they looked a little more relaxed. This is more than likely due to the fact they didn’t have to look over their shoulder when they made a mistake. They ran their offense and played good defense. Had they done what they did in the second half in the first half, they would have won this game by 30 easily.
The Huskies will need to play a complete 40 minutes on Saturday when the No. 1 Texas Longhorns come to Gampel Pavilion for a nationally-televised non-conference matchup. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and will be shown on CBS.
Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/20
It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as the St. John’s Red Storm come to the XL Center for a Big East matchup.
The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast locally here in Connecticut on My-TV9 and SNY (where available). If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.