For those UCONN Women’s Basketball Fans who would like to see some game photos from the UCONN vs Gescom-Viterbo game on Thanksgiving over in Italy, head on over to Basket in Tuscia to check them out. The article is in Italian and we all know how I am with translating it.

Also to see pics from the trip, heading on over to huskies.com to see the girls while they were in Italy.

UPDATE: For some reason, the photos that were there earlier on the italian website are no longer there. I have emailed the webmaster there to see what’s going on.

Second Update: The pictures are back up at Basket in Tuscia. To view it in English, click here.

Behind six players in double figures, the UCONN Men’s Basketball team defeated the Great Danes of Albany by the final score of 86-55 on Sunday afternoon. The six players in double figures were Gavin Edwards with 16 pts, Marcus Johnson with 14 pts, AJ Price with 13 pts, Hasheem Thabeet and Jerome Dyson with 12 pts each, and Jeff Adrien with 11 pts.

Notes and observations from the game:

• Jeff Adrien’s double-double streak of 4 games ended today. He finished with 11 pts, 7 boards and 3 blocked shots
• Gavin Edwards had a career high 16 pts in the game. He also added 5 boards and 2 blocks. He played very well and may have just worked his way into the rotation. He also showed some range by knocking down an 18 foot jump shot. Not bad for a guy who is 6’11”.
• Hasheem Thabeett looked like he had been playing basketball for a long time. His play on the offensive end was much improved. It seems like he is absorbing what is being taught to him in practice. In addition to his 12 pts, he added 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.
• AJ Price’s 3 pt shot late in the 2nd half was the first and only 3 point shot for the Huskies in the game. They finished 1 for 9 from 3 pt land.
• Price’s play continues to improve with each game. He is showing a lot more poise on the court.
• Marcus Johnson’s play has also improved. He played really well tonight finishing with 13 pts, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. He is beginning to show that he is one of the best defensive players on the Huskies.
• UCONN’s free throw shooting is still improving as they shot 71% from the line (29 for 41.) They went to the line 29 more times than the Great Danes.
• UCONN’s bench outscored Albany 24-5
• Curtis Kelly and Stanley Robinson’s minutes are decreasing as each game goes on. They will have to be better in practice to get more minutes in Calhoun’s system.

All in all, another good game for the young Huskies. They seem to be grasping Coach Calhoun’s offense much better than they did in the first game. If you told me, they would be where they are at right now, I’d say there was no chance. In the first game, they didn’t look like they could beat a Rec League team. Now, they might be able to play with anyone. Next up for the Huskies is Sacred Heart on Wednesday, November 29th at 7:30 PM at Gampel Pavilion. I will be in attendance for the game.

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Boston Red Sox are reportedly close to signing former LA Dodgers outfielder, J.D. Drew. The deal could be announced later this week. No news on how long the contract will be or for how much but rumors are it will be for 4 yrs at $56 million dollars.

The signing of J.D. Drew will end the tenure of Trot Nixon as the right fielder for the Red Sox. Nixon is also a free agent and probably will now look to sign elsewhere for next season.

As Jon Heyman points out in his article, this would be the second player of Scott Bora’s that the Red Sox will sign. The Red Sox now need to sign his biggest client right now, Daisuke Matsuzaka. The Sox have until midnight on December 15th to sign him.

On Saturday afternoon, the UCONN Football Huskies lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats 26-23 on a last seconds field goal. The loss drops the Huskies to 4-7 on the season. UCONN had needed to win the last two games of the season to become bowl eligible.

In my non-expert opinion, the complexity of the game changed when UCONN kicker, Tony Ciaravino missed an extra point that would have put the Huskies up 8 instead of 7 with the miss. This would have forced the Bearcats to go for a two point conversion had they scored, which they did. UCONN then went 3 and out with some more questionable play calling from Coach Randy Edsall. Instead of trying to run the ball, he called the RB screen like he had been all game on 3rd and 3. It seemed like the Bearcats knew what was coming and had the RB well covered. UCONN was forced to punt and Cincy drove the ball down the field for the winning field goal.

Read more about the game and see photos from the game after the jump. Continue reading →

vs Albany at 5:00 PM at Gampel

vs Cincinnati 12 NOON at Rentschler Field. Televised locally on WTXX and MSG