UConn’s Game With Notre Dame Set For November 21st

UConn Huskies @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish, November 21st at 2:30 PM

The University of Notre Dame announced it’s complete football schedule for the 2009 and we learned when the UConn Huskies will play the Irish.

UConn will play the Irish on Saturday, November 21st at 2:30 PM at Notre Dame Stadium. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC.

This is the only game the teams will play in this contract. There is a separate 6-game contract that calls for the games to be played between 2011 and 2017. The Huskies will “host” 3 of those games in either Foxboro, MA at Gillette Stadium or Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

Bad News For the UConn Men: Dyson Out Indefinitely

Connecticut's Jerome Dyson is attended to by basketball trainers Jim Duran and Kaitlin Kelly after injuring his knee during the first half of a NCAA college men's basketball game against Syracuse in Storrs - Fred Beckham/AP

The depth of the No. 1 UConn Huskies took a big hit today as it was learned that Jerome Dyson will be out indefinitely and could miss the rest of the season with a torn lateral meniscus. He will undergo surgery to repair the damage sometime next week, presumably after the swelling goes down a little

Depending on the severity of the damage, it’s quite possible he can return before the end of the season. From experience having done this myself, the typical recovery time is anywhere from 4-6 weeks. But it’s all going to depend on how serious the damage is once they get inside the knee.

“We are obviously all very disappointed for Jerome, who has been such a big part of why we are 23-1 and in first place in the Big East,” Calhoun said in a statement. “I know that he will work hard in the offseason and be back next year as a major contributor to our future success. As for our team going forward this season, it is another challenge we will have to face. We have very good players who I know will rise to the occasion and fill the void left by Jerome’s absence.”

Not only will Dyson be missed on the offensive end but he’s also one of the Huskies best defenders. I’d expect Craig Austrie to move into the starting lineup.

In 24 games (24 starts), Dyson was averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists as well as leading the team with 44 steals.

Dyson has torn lateral meniscus [Norwich Bulletin]

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 2/12

Josh Beckett (front) and Masterson warm up on the field. (Globe Staff Photo / Yoon Byun)

Forget what the calendar says. It’s spring time now as the Boston Red Sox pitchers and catchers reported to Ft. Myers today. From what GM Theo Epstein said, everyone is present and accounted for.

This is the day we all have been waiting for. Seeing the guys come back and hearing about Red Sox baseball on the local television and radio stations. Honestly, does it get any better than this? Rhetorical question Farley, drop and give me 20.

The elder statesman of the Red Sox, Tim Wakefield, held court this morning on the picnic tables and declared himself ready for 2009.

Justin Masterson tells us we should be excited for this year.

Justin Masterson drives a Mini-Cooper

Links and a video with Theo Epstein after the jump.

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Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 2/12

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

Solid win last night for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as the Blue and Black Defense clamped down in the second half to keep Syracuse off the scoreboard. Of course there’s always the imposing figure in the middle, Hasheem Thabeet, who made life miserable for the Orange last night as well.

The UConn women showed they were human last night for the first time all season has they had a momentary lapse of basketball insanity when they allowed St. John’s to recover from a 20 point deficit. However like any good championship caliber team, they woke up and responded back to make sure St. John’s wouldn’t pull off the upset.

UConn men’s basketball links

Matt Stout of the Norwich Bulletin, Neill Ostrout of the Connecticut Post and David Borges of the New Haven Register all have some postgame notes.

The news was positive about Jerome Dyson’s injured knee [Matt’s UConn Men’s Basketball Blog]

The Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride [UCONN | Men’s Basketball]

Lock down [UConn Huskies Basketball]

No. 1 UConn wins going away [New Haven Register]

On “D”, Thabeet could be Thabest [New Haven Register]

UConn throttles rival Syracuse [Connecticut Post]

Thabeet the difference for UConn [Connecticut Post]

Dyson proving his toughness  to UConn [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn’s defense makes its statement [Norwich Bulletin]

No. 1 UConn wins 12th in a row [Hartford Courant]

Thabeet a force in the middle [Hartford Courant]

Calhoun, Harris exchange words [Hartford Courant]

Here are some extras from the win over Syracuse [Hartford Courant]

Huskies top Syracuse for 12th straight win [Waterbury Republican-American]

Jerome Dyson suffers bruised knee [Waterbury Republican-American]

No. 1 Huskies run win streak to 12 games [New London Day]

Hasheem Thabeet is the most fascinating player in the nation [New London Day]

Dyson gives UConn a scare, but injury appears minor [New London Day]

Huskies take a bite out of the Orange [Syracuse Post-Standard]

Thabeet’s presence is fueling UConn’s roll [FOXSports.com]

No. 1 Huskies batter, bruise Ongenaet, Orange [Syracuse Post-Standard]

Orange crushed [Journal Inquirer]

UConn has a right to feel disrespected [NCAA FanHouse]

UConn women’s basketball links

A look into the future of the UConn women [UCONN | Women’s Basketball]

Charles returns home, returns to form [New Haven Register]

St. John’s rally can’t topple UConn [Connecticut Post]

Huskies survive Red scare [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn women top St. John’s [Hartford Courant]

Here are some extras from the win over St. John’s [Hartford Courant]

Big Three lead the Huskies [Danbury News-Times]

Big Three carries unbeaten Huskies to Big East win over St. John’s [Waterbury Republican-American]

It was a big game for the Red Storm’s Stevens [Waterbury Republican-American]

A fruitful trip home for Charles [New London Day]

Jessica McCormack’s surgery will now take place on Monday [Connecticut Post]

Tougher than expected [Journal Inquirer]

Other Huskies links:

Rob Lunn tells us about apples and moustaches [Thoughts From a Fat White Guy]

UConn men’s soccer player Tony Cascio has been chosen to join U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team in Bradenton, Fla. from Feb. 4-15. [UConnHuskies.com]

Terry Francona Speaks Briefly About Manny’s Book

Terry Francona: Yesterday I made mention of the new book coming about Manny Ramirez. While the Boston Red Sox had no official comment about it, Sox manager Terry Francona had this offer to about incident involving Jack McCormick. “I think we did everything in our power to protect Manny,” Francona said. “At the same time, we wanted him to own up to his actions. We tried to do it privately but also make him understand that there were consequences for his actions. I thought we did the best we could. I think we bent over backward for Manny, like we did many times.” Definitely going to be interesting to see what is said when the book is released and people have had time to read it. [Boston Herald]

Big 4th Quarter Gets Celtics Win Over Hornets

Celtics Lose Ray Allen To Injury: Despite the loss of former UConn Husky Ray Allen to a hyperextended thumb and the return of Chris Paul to the New Orleans Hornets, the Boston Celtics were still able to pick up an 89-77 win in New Orleans. Paul Pierce led the way for the Green with 30 points while Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Eddie House and Leon Powe came off the bench to score 12 and 11 points respectively.  David West led the Hornets with 15 points and former UConn Husky Hilton Armstrong added 14. CP3 had 13 points in his return to the Hornets lineup. The Celtics head to Dallas tomorrow night to take on the Mavericks before the All-Star break. [ESPN.com]

UConn Men Clamp Down on The Orange 63-49

If you’re going to beat the No. 1 UConn Huskies you have to find a way to get past the last line of defense in Hasheem Thabeet.

UConn's Hasheem Thabeet blocks a shot by Syracuse's Rick Jackson during their game at Gampel Pavillion - BOB MACDONNELL / HARTFORD COURANTThabeet had another monster game defensively as he had 8 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocked shots to help the Huskies to a 63-49 Big East win over the Syracuse Orange in front of a sold-out Gampel Pavilion.

It was the 12th straight win for the Huskies who improve to 23-1 (11-1 Big East) while the Orange fall to 18-7 (6-6).

A.J. Price led the Huskies in scoring with 17 points while Jeff Adrien had 12 points and 5 rebounds. Freshman Kemba Walker had a good game off the bench with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

The Huskies played most of the game down a man as they lost Jerome Dyson to a bruised knee when he bumped knees with Syracuse’s Kristof Ongenaet. Dyson intially stood up but had to be helped off the court and back to the locker room. Jim Calhoun said after the game that Dyson would have an MRI in the morning.

Syracuse was led by Jonny Flynn who had 16 points. Eric Devendorf added 12 points and Ongenat had a team-high 8 rebounds for the Orange in their lowest scoring game of the year.

It was an ugly game for the Huskies in the first half as they turned the ball over 14 times. The score went back and forth early on before Syracuse exploited the UConn turnovers and took a 21-16 lead. A Price three-pointer and 2 free throws by Stanley Robinson tied the game for the Huskies. The game stayed close before Walker put the Huskies up 3 at the half 30-27.

In the second half, the Huskies turned up their defensive pressure and got some timely 3-pointers. With the Huskies leading 44-40, they went on a 12-0 run to open up a 16 point lead. The Orange responded with a 9-2 run before Price put an end to that with a 3-pointer to give the Huskies a 60-49 lead with 5:09 left in the game. UConn’s defense clamped down even harder keeping the Orange scoreless the rest of the way to pickup the win.

I really don’t think there is any better big man in the country right now than Thabeet. He literally changes the way that teams play. If you try to go inside on him, it’s almost impossible to get a clean shot off. During the game tonight besides the 7 blocks, he probably altered at least 10-15 other shots. If he can stay out of foul trouble like he did tonight and the Huskies can make their shots, they can go a long way this season.

The Huskies head out on to the road Saturday afternoon as they head to New Jersey for a matchup with the Seton Hall Pirates. Tip is scheduled for noon and the game will be broadcast locally on My-TV9.

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