NCAA Men’s College Basketball Polls – Week 15

AP Poll, USA Today/ESPN PollBased on their victory over the former No. 1 UConn Huskies and losses by the Oklahoma Sooners and North Carolina Tar Heels, the Pittsburgh Panthers have risen back to the top of the college basketball polls.

Also based on those losses, the UConn Huskies only fell to No. 2 in the land.

With conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament looming, we are definitely going to be hearing about the RPI of our favorite teams.

AP Top 25 PVS ESPN/USA Today Poll PVS
1. Pittsburgh (69) 25-2 1,797 4 1. Pittsburgh (30) 25-2 774 4
2. Connecticut (1) 25-2 1,692 1 2. Connecticut (1) 25-2 721 1
3. Oklahoma (2) 25-2 1,643 2 3. Oklahoma 25-2 691 2
4. North Carolina 24-3 1,556 3 4. Memphis 24-3 682 6
5. Memphis 24-3 1,543 5 5. North Carolina 24-3 668 3
6. Louisville 21-5 1,403 7 6. Louisville 21-5 585 7
7. Duke 22-5 1,228 9 7. Duke 22-5 559 9
8. Marquette 23-4 1,169 10 8. Missouri 23-4 517 10
9. Michigan State 21-5 1,136 6 9. Michigan State 21-5 511 5
10. Villanova 22-5 1,125 12 10. Marquette 23-4 471 11
11. Missouri 23-4 1,094 11 11. Arizona State 21-5 434 11
12. Clemson 22-4 1,050 13 12. Villanova 22-5 428 14
13. Wake Forest 20-5 992 8 13. Clemson 22-4 424 13
14. Arizona State 21-5 869 14 14. Wake Forest 20-5 411 8
15. Kansas 22-5 812 15 15. Kansas 22-5 355 18
16. Purdue 21-6 765 19 16. Purdue 21-6 261 21
17. Gonzaga 21-5 661 17 17. Gonzaga 21-5 257 20
18. LSU 23-4 541 23 18. LSU 23-4 239 24
19. Xavier 22-5 413 16 19. UCLA 20-7 202 15
20. Illinois 22-6 364 18 20. Illinois 22-6 197 16
21. Washington 20-7 291 22 21. Washington 20-7 178 19
22. UCLA 20-7 268 20 22. Xavier 22-5 175 17
23. Florida State 21-6 217 NR 23. Butler 23-4 75 22
24. Butler 23-4 192 21 24. Texas 18-8 55 NR
25. Texas 18-8 162 NR 25. Florida State 21-6 52 NR
Others Receiving Votes Others Receiving Votes
Utah 108, West Virginia 96, Syracuse 53, Arizona 33, Dayton 21, Creighton 21, Utah State 16, Florida 14, California 11, Siena 9, South Carolina 8, Penn State 8, Saint Mary’s 5, Davidson 3, Minnesota 3, Kansas State 3, Brigham Young 2, American University 1, Kentucky 1, Maryland 1. Utah 22, Utah State 22, Dayton 21, Syracuse 18, Florida 16, Penn State 10, Arizona 9, California 7, West Virginia 7, Brigham Young 6, South Carolina 5, Saint Mary’s 4, Boston College 3, Creighton 2, Kentucky 1.
Dropped From Rankings Dropped From Rankings
Syracuse 24, Dayton 25. Utah State 23, Syracuse 25.

Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 2/23

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

UConn women’s basketball links

The General Responds [New London Day]

UConn women fight off Notre Dame [Waterbury Republican-American]

UConn women draw largest crowed of the season [Waterbury Republican-American]

UConn women subdue Notre Dame, 76-66 [Hartford Courant]

Doty trying to stay positive [Hartford Courant]

UConn women’s extras [Hartford Courant]

Video: Renee Montgomery talks about win [Hartford Courant]

Irish put up fight but Huskies pull away [Norwich Bulletin]

Auriemma backs up Calhoun, says question was unfair [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn stays perfect, beats Notre Dame [Connecticut Post]

UConn women’s notebook [Connecticut Post]

No luck for Irish [New Haven Register]

Faris, Heritage Christian onto Semi-States [Elm City to Eagleville]

Now for something completely different [Elm City to Eagleville]

No Paycut for Geno [Connecticut Post]

UConn men’s basketball links

Krayeske Ambush Of Calhoun Nothing But Grandstanding [New London Day]

Big East race remains confusing [Waterbury Republican-American]

Calhoun needs more from bench [Hartford Courant]

Calhoun owes answer, not refund [Hartford Courant]

Depth issues at guard starting to glare [Norwich Bulletin]

Price still isn’t right [New Haven Register]

Rudy Gay goes back to high school [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Marty Gagne: “Pittsburgh Sports Fan…Go To Hell….” [Thoughts From a Fat White Guy]

USF Redux [Connecticut Post]

UConn football links

D Brown’s hops helps RBC [UConn |  Football]

NFL Combine Standout: Will Beatty [Thoughts From a Fat White Guy]

UConn hockey links

The UConn women’s hockey team lost 4-2 to New Hampshire [UConnHuskies.com]

Other UConn related links

The UConn women’s softball team dropped the rematch to Kentucky 5-4 [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn women’s softball players Julianne Towers was named to the Mardi Gras Classic All-Tournament Team [UConnHuskies.com]

The UConn men’s indoor track team won their second consecutive Big East title [UConnHuskies.com]

The UConn men’s baseball team picked their first win 10-1 over Northwestern [UConnHuskies.com]

The UConn women’s indoor track team won their second consecutive Big East title [UConnHuskies.com]

2009 Oscars Winners

OscarsHere are the winners for the 2009 Academy Awards affectionately known as The Oscars.

Winners are in bold

Performance by an actor in a leading role

  • Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
  • Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
  • Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
  • Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
  • Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

  • Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
  • Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
  • Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
  • Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

  • Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
  • Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
  • Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
  • Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
  • Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

  • Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
  • Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
  • Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
  • Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
  • Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Continue reading →

Geno Gives His Thoughts On Yesterday’s Incident

Geno Auriemma (left) and Jim Calhoun (right) - AP Photo (left) Getty Images (right)

One day after a local “reporter” attacked UConn Huskies men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun about his salary, UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma defended his men’s counterpart.

“I think it’s unfair in this setting and I would venture to say it’s unfair in any setting,” Auriemma said.

“How do you answer questions about money, about your personal life?” he asked.

“If everybody in the university agreed that, let’s all give back this and we can save this, this, this, and this program, then somebody’s got a plan,” Auriemma said. “But just to ask that question and say, ‘Yeah, OK, because I make a lot I should give some of that back,’ that’s a really hard question to deal with.”

I do wonder if the “reporter” had asked Geno the question, what he would have said. Odds are they may have had to hold him back.

Good to see Geno backup Calhoun here because they are right, a postgame press conference is not the place to be discussing such matters.

Auriemma comes to Calhoun’s defense [USA Today]

Donald Brown Has Impressive NFL Combine

It was former UConn Huskies running back Donald Brown’s turn to impress the scouts at the NFL Combine and that he did. Brown finished as a top performer in 6 of the 7 categories and left an impression on Charles Rogers.

[dailymotion]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8gqbf_donald-brown-sox-dawgs_sport[/dailymotion]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtJEXeFpfXA[/youtube]

40-yard dash Vertical Jump Broad Jump
Name Time Name Height Name Distance
Peerman, Cedric 4.45 Brown, Donald 41.5″ Wells, Beanie 10’8″
Johnson, Ian 4.46 Peerman, Cedric 40″ Brown, Donald 10’5″
Sheets, Kory 4.47 Goodson, Mike 39.5″ Scott, Bernard 10’5″
Brown, Andre 4.49 Southerland, Brannan 38″ Kimble, Anthony 10’2″
Brown, Donald 4.51 Brown, Andre 37″ Coffee, Glen 10’1″
Williams, Javarris 4.52 Greene, Shonn 37″ Greene, Shonn 10’1″
Goodson, Mike 4.54 Sheets, Kory 37″ Sheets, Kory 10’1″
Scott, Bernard 4.56 Coffee, Glen 36″ Jennings, Rashad 10’0″
Coffee, Glen 4.58 Kimble, Anthony 36″ Southerland, Brannan 10’0″
Lucky, Marlon 4.59 Ore, Branden 36″ Goodson, Mike 9’10”
Wells, Beanie 4.59 Scott, Bernard 36″ –
–
3 Cone Drill 20-yard Shuttle 60-yard Shuttle
Name Time Name Time Name Time
Scott, Bernard 6.82 Scott, Bernard 4.08 Brown, Donald 11.30
Moreno, Knowshon 6.84 Brown, Donald 4.10 Jennings, Rashad 11.46
Ogbonnaya, Chris 6.85 Ringer, Javon 4.11 Bell, Kahlil 11.55
Jennings, Rashad 6.86 Johnson, Ian 4.18 Moreno, Knowshon 11.63
Ringer, Javon 6.87 Jennings, Rashad 4.20 Johnson, Ian 11.63
Bell, Kahlil 6.87 Bell, Kahlil 4.20 Sheets, Kory 11.70
Goodson, Mike 6.89 Goodson, Mike 4.22 –
Brown, Donald 6.93 Moreno, Knowshon 4.27
Johnson, Ian 6.93 Peerman, Cedric 4.29
Sutton, Tyrell 6.94 Ogbonnaya, Chris 4.29

Donald Brown NFL Combine Profile

Cody Brown will have his chance to impress the scouts tomorrow afternoon and Darius Butler will go on Tuesday.

No KG, No Problem For the Celtics

Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo scored a career-high 32 points and added 10 assists to help lead the Boston Celtics to a 128-108 win over the Phoenix Suns. Ray Allen added 31 points and Paul Pierce had 26 points. Brian Scalabrine added 14 points and Glen “Big Baby” Davis chipped in with 14 for the Green who shot a blistering 63% for the game. Jason Richardson led the Suns with 21 points and Steve Nash added 19 points and 11 assists. The Celtics are back in action tomorrow night when they head to Denver to take on the Nuggets. [ESPN.com]

UConn Women Survive Test From Notre Dame

UConn coach Geno Auriemma gives Renee Montgomery a pat on the back in the closing seconds of UConn's hard-fought victory over No. 24 Notre Dame on Sunday at the XL Center - PATRICK RAYCRAFT / HARTFORD COURANT

Other than the first game of the season against Georgia Tech, the No. 1 UConn Huskies women’s basketball team was finally tested as the No. 24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish threw everything they had at UConn including the kitchen sink.

Renee Montgomery led the Huskies with 20 points, 8 assists and 5 steals to help them to a 76-66 win over the Irish in front of 14,533, the largest crowd of the season, at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

The win improves UConn to 27-0 (13-0 Big East) and another win or Louisville loss will give them at least a share of the Big East title. Notre Dame drops to 18-7 (7-6).

Maya Moore scores two points off a fastbreak after a Renee Montgomery steal against Notre Dame - PATRICK RAYCRAFT / HARTFORD COURANTTina Charles added 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Huskies while Maya Moore chipped in with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Tiffany Hayes had another good all-around game with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Ashley Barlow led the Irish with 18 points while Lindsay Schrader had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Melissa Lechlitner added 10 points and 5 assists for Muffet McGraw’s squad.

It took the Huskies 3 minutes to score to start the game and that point they were trailing 6-2 as they missed their first five shots. They battled back to take an 11-10 lead on a Montgomery 3-pointer. The two teams battled back and forth for the next few minutes before 7 straight points by the Irish gave them a 24-19 lead. Notre Dame pushed the lead 33-28 before the Huskies closed out the final 2:54 of the first half on an 8-0 run to take a 36-33 lead at the break.

Notre Dame wouldn’t go away in the second half though as they battled back to take a 43-41 lead. After that though, it was all UConn as they used a 22-1 run over a span of 6:59 to put the game away. Moore had 12 points, Montgomery had 6 and Charles 4 during the decisive run. The Irish would only get as close as 9 points after this.

It was good to see the Huskies have to face a little adversity. While we all enjoy a blowout, it’s good for this team to be tested once in a while. One thing’s for certain, I wouldn’t want to face the Irish down the road. They were impressive with their 4 guard lineup.

But like any champion, the Huskies found a way to get the job done and kept their perfect record intact for another game.

Next up for the Huskies could be another tough matchup when Geno Auriemma’s friend Harry Perretta and the Villanova Wildcats come to Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday night. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 PM and the game will be televised locally on CPTV.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ UConn Huskies 2.22.09 women’s basketball box score

Red Sox Photo Day

Today was picture day in Ft. Myers for the Boston Red Sox and here are the ones that I’ve found so far. As fc said earlier today, she hoped that Kevin Youkilis wasn’t sporting the Fu Manchu but alas he is.