The UConn Huskies are going to need to wake up and wake up quick. Otherwise, they are going to find themselves fighting for an NIT bid.

The Michigan Wolverines used the three-point shot, including a clutch one late in the game by Zack Novak, to get past the No. 15 Huskies in front of a sold-out Crisler Arena on Sunday afternoon.

It’s the third straight loss for the Huskies who fall to 11-6 on the season. The Wolverines, now winners of two straight, improve to 10-7 and get that signature win that’s eluded them all season long. The Huskies are still looking for that type of win themselves.

Point guard Kemba Walker paced the Huskies with 15 points that included an 11-of-13 showing from the free throw line. Gavin Edwards came off the bench to add 14 points and eight rebounds.

Jerome Dyson spent most of the first half on the bench with foul trouble but came back to score 11 of his 13 points in the second half. Stanley Robinson chipped in with 11 points while Alex Oriakhi led the Huskies with 13 rebounds.

Manny Harris led the Wolverines with 18 points and had eight rebounds. Stu Douglass added 13 points and Novak finished up with 10 points. DeShawn Sims led the Wolverines with 11 rebounds.

The Huskies got out to a 12-6 lead in the first 5:15 of the game even with Dyson hitting the bench with two fouls at the 17 minute mark. The Huskies then went cold as the Wolverines went on a 17-2 run in which they hit five 3-point shots to go up 23-14.

UConn would get as close as five points at 27-22 on two Walker free throws but Michigan responded with 5-0 run to push the lead back to 10. Edwards made 1-of-2 at the line to cut the lead to 9 at 32-23 with 1:38 to go in the half and that’s where the half ended.

In the second half, the Huskies started chipping away at Michigan’s lead as Walker layup cut the lead to four points at 34-30. Trailing by six at 39-33, the Huskies went on a 6-0 run to tie the game up. They took their first lead at 41-40 on a Dyson jumper.

The Huskies would only see the lead one more time at 47-45. They would however tie it up at 54-54 and 58-58 before Novak’s three and a Harris layup would push the lead to five. The Huskies missed four free throws down the stretch while the Wolverines hit 5-of-6 to put the game away.

All season long, the Huskies have never really played up to their ranking. Sure they’ve had a few close games against ranked opponents in Duke and Kentucky. But what about the other games we’ve seen them struggle.

This team is lacking an identity right now and it showed on Sunday afternoon. They looked out of sync with Dyson on the bench in foul trouble and they didn’t get the ball to Robinson enough to help carry them in the first half.

UConn did fight back hard in the second half but as we’ve seen too many times, they folded like a bad hand in poker at the end. Simply put, they suck at the free throw line.

With another big non-conference matchup looming next Saturday against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, the Huskies can’t be looking past Wednesday’s Big East matchup with the St. John’s Red Storm at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. The game is scheduled to start at 7 and will be broadcast locally on My-TV9.

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It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they are in Ann Arbor, MI for a non-conference matchup with Michigan Wolverines. The game is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. and will be nationally televised on CBS. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

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This game was supposed to be another challenge for the No. 1 UConn Huskies. Instead it turned out to be another laugher in the national spotlight.

Tina Charles scored 17 of her game-high 23 points in the first half to lead the Huskies past the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in front of 10,167 and a nationally televised audience at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday night.

It’s the 56th straight win for the Huskies who improve to 17-0 (5-0 in the Big East). Notre Dame’s head coach Muffett McGraw will have to wait another day to get her 600th career win as her squad falls to 15-1 (2-1). These two teams will meet up again to close out the Big East regular season on March 1st in South Bend, IN.

Charles nearly had a double-double in the first half pulling down nine of her 13 rebounds. Maya Moore had a double-double as well as she finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Kalana Greene had a good all-around game as she had 13 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals and a blocked shot.

Devereaux Peters paced the Irish with 12 points and had eight rebounds. Ashley Barlow was the only other member of the Irish in double-digits with 10 points. Their leading scorer, freshman Skylar Diggins, only had six points and they came on two 3-pointers in the second half. Lindsay Schrader led the Irish with nine rebounds.

The game was pretty much over in the first six minutes of the game as the Huskies started out on a 17-2 run. During that span, the Huskies forced the Irish to take two timeouts just thirty seconds apart.

A 7-2 run pushed the lead to 20 points at 20-4. Charles scored all seven of those point on her way to the 17 first half points. Notre Dame just looked defeated in the first half as they trailed 42-19 at the break.

The Irish played a little better in the second half but they were never able to crack being down by less than 20 points. The highest the Huskies got the lead to was 26 points in the second half.

It was definitely a memorable day for the Huskies and women’s basketball in general as ESPN held it’s first ever Women’s College GameDay in Storrs. Hopefully this event becomes a staple on ESPN’s schedule whether it be at UConn or another women’s venue in years to come.

The Huskies have a quick turnaround as they will board a plane tomorrow and head to Durham, NC as they will take on the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium in a Martin Luther King Day matchup. The game will start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

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Given that UConn Huskies women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma is in his 25th season coaching in Storrs, you would figure that one of the local papers would know how to spell his first name.

But that’s not the case as evidenced by this picture from The Day:

I expect this from out-of-state papers but not from a paper that covers the team on a regular basis.

It’s game day for the No. 1 UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish come to Gampel Pavilion for a Big East matchup. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN at 9 p.m. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

Also, ESPN’s GameDay will be on-site at Gampel Pavilion and will be broadcasting live from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on ESPN.

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It’s that time of year right before spring training where the salary arbitration-eligible players file. On Friday, Boston Red Sox players Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez and Jeremy Hermida all filed.

The Red Sox will now have until Tuesday to work out contracts with the players. If they can’t sign them by then, the two sides will exchange numbers and wait for an arbitration hearing to be announced sometime between February 1st to the 19th.

Papelbon made $6.25 million, Hermida made $2.25 million, Delcarmen made $476,000 and Ramon Ramirez made $441,000 in 2009.

The good news is that during his tenure as general manager of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein has never had to attend an arbitration hearing.

Big Papi donates food and medical supplies to earthquake victims

BOSTON — Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz today announced that he will donate food and medical supplies to support those affected by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti this past Tuesday.

“I am saddened for my Haitian neighbors who have suffered through this natural disaster. Millions have lost family members, their homes and the little they had,” said Ortiz.

Added Ortiz, “I encourage fans, not only from Boston but from all over the world, to donate to this cause, as I have, and help the victims of this terrible tragedy. We should come together to support those who have endured this devastation and remember to never take our lives and good health for granted.”

Red Sox fans interested in donating through the team charity can do so through the Red Sox Foundation by logging on to www.redsoxfoundation.org. Beginning later this evening, donations can be made online via credit card, by text or by mail via check/money order. Checks should be made out to “Red Sox Foundation/Haiti Relief ” and sent to Red Sox Foundation, 4 Yawkey Way, Boston, MA 02215. Also, for the next 60 days, all text donations received by the Red Sox Foundation will automatically be dedicated to this cause. Instructions for text donations are available through the RSF website. 100% of the proceeds will promptly go to UNICEF’s relief efforts now underway in Haiti. Fans who wish to donate to UNICEF directly can do so by visiting www.unicef.org.

The Red Sox today announced the signings of seven free agents to 2010 minor league contracts. In addition, all seven players have been invited to Boston’s Major League Spring Training camp as non-roster players.

The seven free agents are right-handed pitchers Fernando Cabrera, Edwin Moreno and Jorge Sosa, left-hander Brian Shouse, infielders Angel Sanchez and Gil Velazquez, and outfielder Darnell McDonald.

Cabrera, 28, spent the 2009 season in the Boston system, posting an 8.44 ERA (5 ER/5.1 IP) with eight strikeouts and four walks in six relief outings over two stints with the Red Sox. In 43 relief appearances with Triple-A Pawtucket, he recorded a 1.71 ERA (10 ER/52.2 IP) while going 0-3 with 22 saves, the second-highest total in the International League. The right-hander has pitched in eight games out of the bullpen for Leones de Ponce in the Puerto Rican Winter League, going 2-0 with three saves and a 5.14 ERA (4 ER/7.0 IP). Originally selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 10th round of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Cabrera is 8-7 with one save, a 5.12 ERA (99 ER/174.0 IP), 193 strikeouts and 96 walks in 131 Major League relief appearances over parts of six seasons with the Indians (2004-07), Baltimore Orioles (2007-08) and Red Sox (2009).

The 29-year-old Moreno made his Major League debut with the San Diego Padres in 2009, going 1-3 with a 4.84 ERA (12 ER/22.1 IP) in 19 games out of the bullpen. He also made 39 relief appearances with the Padres Triple-A Portland affiliate, tallying a 3-3 record with 10 saves, a 4.17 ERA (21 ER/45.1 IP), 40 strikeouts and 20 walks. After the season, Moreno pitched for Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League and went 1-0 with 12 saves and a 3.12 ERA (6 ER/17.1 IP) over 16 games in relief. Signed by the Texas Rangers as an international free agent on February 13, 1998, he will be in his 12th professional season in 2010.

Sosa, 32, pitched in the Washington Nationals organization during the 2009 season, including 18 games out of the bullpen for the Big League club. He was 2-1 with two saves and a 6.45 ERA (16 ER/22.1 IP) in those outings while going 1-2 with three saves, a 2.79 ERA (15 ER/48.1 IP), 53 strikeouts and 13 walks in 20 appearances (four starts) for Triple-A Syracuse. Following the season, Sosa went 4-2 with a 3.83 ERA (17 ER/40.0 IP) in nine starts for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League. Signed by the Colorado Rockies as an international free agent on June 23, 1995, he has a career 42-50 Major League record with seven saves and a 4.72 ERA (386 ER/736.0 IP) in 272 games (88 starts) over parts of eight seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays (2002-04), Atlanta Braves (2005-06), St. Louis Cardinals (2006), New York Mets (2007-08) and Nationals (2009).

Shouse, 41, went 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA (14 ER/28.0 IP) in 45 relief outings for the Rays last year. He was on the disabled list from May 25-July 26 with a left elbow strain and made four rehabilitation appearances with Single-A Charlotte, collecting one save and a 2.25 ERA (1 ER/4.0 IP). The left-hander previously pitched for the Red Sox during the 1998 campaign and was 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA (5 ER/8.0 IP) in seven relief appearances. Originally selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 13th round of the 1990 June Draft, Shouse has a career 13-10 Major League record with six saves, a 3.72 ERA (145 ER/350.2 IP), 233 strikeouts and 118 walks in 467 relief appearances over parts of 10 seasons with the Pirates (1993), Red Sox (1998), Kansas City Royals (2002), Rangers (2003-06), Milwaukee Brewers (2006-08) and Rays (2009).

Sanchez, 26, hit .305 (137-for-449) with 29 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 60 RBI and 67 runs scored in 126 games for the Toronto Blue Jays Triple-A Las Vegas affiliate in 2009. He posted a .970 fielding percentage (17 errors/569 total chances) in 116 games at shortstop and also made 10 appearances at second base (0 errors/58 total chances). A native of Puerto Rico, he has hit .318 (41-for-129) in 38 games for the Indios de Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Selected by the Royals in the 11th round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Sanchez played in eight Major League games with Kansas City in 2006 and hit .222 (6-for-27) with an RBI and two runs scored. He appeared in four games at both second base (four starts) and shortstop (one start) without committing an error (46 total chances).

The 30-year-old Velazquez played in six games for Boston last season, making appearances at shortstop (four games) and third base (two games) while going 0-for-2 at the plate. He hit .193 (56-for-290) with three home runs and 18 RBI in 93 games for Triple-A Pawtucket, including appearances at all four infield positions and left field. Originally selected by the New York Mets in the 14th round of the 1998 First-Year Player draft, Velazquez has appeared in nine Major League games with Boston over the 2008-09 seasons, going 1-for-10 with an RBI.

McDonald, 31, hit .267 (28-for-105) with six doubles, one triple, two home runs, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored in 47 games over two stints with the Cincinnati Reds in 2009. In 73 games with Triple-A Louisville, he batted .314 (88-for-280) with 22 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 40 RBI, 42 runs scored and eight stolen bases. His seven triples ranked tied for fourth in the International League. Following the season, he hit .378 (28-for-74) with six homers and 20 RBI over 19 games with Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the Mexican Winter League. A first-round selection (26th overall) of Baltimore in the 1997 Draft, McDonald has a .231 average (34-for-147) with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBI and 15 runs scored in 68 career Major League games over parts of three seasons with the Orioles (2004), Twins (2007) and Reds (2009).

All of the free agents are on the Pawtucket roster.

UConn Football links

UConn Assistant West Virginia Bound [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

The Big East and bowl TV ratings [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Top 10 of 2009: No. 5 [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Top 10 of 2009: No. 4 [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

NFL playoff weekend full of Big East products [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Shane Fogarty Named Football Graduate Assistant [UConnHuskies.com]

Former UConn Coach Holtz Takes USF Job [AP via Hartford Courant]

It was a year of growth for Orlovsky [New Haven Register]

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Annual Event Benefits the David Ortiz Children’s Fund

BOSTON, MA January 14, 2010 – The 2009 David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic netted more than $225,000 for the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, providing children in New England and the Dominican Republic with access to the pediatric critical care they need to lead full and productive lives.

The 2nd annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic was held December 3-6, 2009 at Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic, one of the most spectacular resort communities in the world. Guests stayed at the five-star luxury Sanctuary Cap Cana Golf & Spa, overlooking the turquoise waters and pristine beaches of the Caribbean Sea. The tournament itself took place at the Jack Nicklaus-design and signature golf course, Punta Espada. MVP sponsors for the 2009 David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic were JetBlue, Reebok, vitaminwater and Sharp Electronics.

“We organize this event every year to raise funds to help children in my home country and in New England get the medical care they need,” said David Ortiz. “It is a tribute to our sponsors that, even in a challenging economic environment, they stood with us to help, offering these children a chance at a healthy, active life.”

The David Ortiz Children’s Fund began as a way for David to help children in his home country. The Fund is proud to partner with Heart Care Dominicana, the International Hospital for Children, and the Massachusetts General Hospital to fulfill its life-saving mission, linking pediatric critical care services to children in need. To date, the Fund has raised over $1.2 million for children in New England and the Dominican Republic and has given life, health, and hope to critically ill children.

“Once again, David and Tiffany Ortiz have made a significant difference in the lives of children in the Dominican Republic,” said Nelva Pelaez of Heart Care Dominicana. “The money they raise is critical to helping children receive the heart surgeries needed to save their lives. We are very grateful for their continued support.”

At the 2009 Golf Classic, David Ortiz was joined by a host of celebrities and MLB players, including Red Sox teammates Clay Buchholz, Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Daniel Bard and Tim Wakefield. Others attending the event included MLB players Alex Rodriguez, Pedro Martinez, Robinson Cano, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Placido Polanco; MLB Network commentator Sean Casey; Red Sox manager Terry Francona, Houston Astros manager Brad Mills; actors Jeffrey Donovan, Rachel Dratch and Sam Page; pop singer Joanna “JoJo” Levesque; and sports legends Bobby Orr, Jim Rice, Luis Tiant, John Havlicek, Andres Galarraga and Alonzo Mourning.

In addition to the star-studded event, funds were raised through an on-line auction which featured a host of one-of-a-kind gifts and experiences, including Tickets for the Red Sox Home Opener against the New York Yankees, the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park, a week’s vacation at a private home on Mustique, a tour of the Callaway Performance Center, a set of custom clubs, and much more.

The 3rd Annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic is scheduled for December 2 – 5, 2010. For information about sponsorships or participation in the event, please contact Michele Lasky at MicheleLasky@Company20.com.

About the David Ortiz Children’s Fund
The David Ortiz Children’s Fund (DOCF) is committed to helping children in New England and the Dominican Republic that do not have access to the critical pediatric services they need. The DOCF is proud to partner with Massachusetts General Hospital to fulfill its mission in New England and with Heart Care Dominicana and International Hospital for Children to fulfill its mission in the Dominican Republic. These organizations are committed to healing as many children as possible by providing critical pediatric healthcare. Working together, these organizations are increasing the number of children that will receive lifesaving services. For more information on the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, please visit http://www.davidortizchildrensfund.org/.