With the 91-46 win over the Hofstra Pride on Friday night, UConn Huskies women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma won his 700th game in his coaching career. All 700 wins have come at UConn.

The NIT Season Tip-Off Committee got it what wanted in the finals at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

Two top programs in the UConn Huskies and Duke Blue Devils. Two Hall of Fame coaches with at least 800 wins in Jim Calhoun and Mike Krzyzewski. And for about eight minutes, they got what appeared to be another instant classic at the world’s most famous arena.

But instead, the Dukies clamped down on defense and took advantage of a UConn cold streak in the first half to propel themselves to 68-59 win to take the NIT Season Tip-Off Championship.

It’s the fourth time the No. 7 Blue Devils (6-0) have won the tournament. The No. 13 Huskies (4-1) had taken the last four games, including wins in the 1999 NCAA Championship Game and 2004 NCAA Tournament Semifinals.

The reason UConn lost.

It’s simple. They shot the ball like crap, they got outrebounded, they couldn’t keep control of the ball and they missed almost half of their free throws.

UConn went 15-of-26 (53.6%) from the free throw line and had they made at least 10 of the misses, they could have won again. Instead, they’ll have to deal with the ire of Calhoun.

It wasn’t much prettier for Duke as they shot 29.6% (21-of-74) in the game from the floor and made just eight field goals in the second half. The difference? They made six 3-pointers while UConn put up a doughnut.

The other difference. They missed 53 shots but grabbed 56 rebounds including a 25-14 advantage on the offensive glass.

The game took a turn for the worse for UConn when Duke’s Kyle Singler went to the bench with three fouls. UConn was clinging to a 22-21 lead and had prime opportunity to really put the game in their favor.

Instead, the Blue Devils went on an 16-6 run to close out the half as the Huskies got sloppy with the ball and rushed their shots.

The Blue Devils put the game away early in the second half with a 12-0 run to take a 53-34 lead that UConn chipped away at but never got closer than eight points at 62-54. They got that close on a 12-0 run but it wasn’t enough.

Jerome Dyson led the Huskies with 15 points on 6-of-20 shooting. In unlike Dyson form, he was only 3-of-9 from the free throw line. Gavin Edwards, coming off the bench for the second straight game, added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks while Stanley Robinson chipped in with 10 points. Freshman Alex Oriakhi had 8 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

Tournament MVP John Scheyer led the Dukies with 19 points and had five assists. Nolan Smith added 16 points while Andre Dawkins and Lance Thomas had 11 points with Thomas adding 10 rebounds. Duke’s leading scorer, Singler, was held to six points.

The Huskies return to action on Wednesday night when they will host the Boston University Terriers at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally here in Connecticut on My-TV9.

This week:

After an emotional win  last Saturday over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the UConn Huskies return home to the friendly comforts of Rentschler Field to take on the Syracuse Orange Saturday at 12:00 p.m. A win on Saturday would make the Huskies bowl eligible.

Here are the rosters for the Orange and the Huskies.

The Line/Prediction:

According to Rivals.com, the Huskies are 13.5 point favorites and the over/under is 47. My prediction is UConn 31 Syracuse 14.

Tickets:

The game is sold-out.

Getting To The Game:

Here is link for the weather report. Here is all the parking info you will need for the game, this link includes directions to Rentschler Field. Here is a Rentschler Field seating chart.

The parking lots will open up 4 hours before kickoff. Here is a list of the tailgating rules at the Rent. And some alternative tailgating rules can be found here.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television:

Saturday’s game will be televised by the BIG EAST Network as the BIG EAST Game of the Week and will be seen throughout the Northeast, Midwest and Southern portions of the country. Mike Gleason is on play-by-play while John Congemi is on color and Quint Kessenich is on sidelines.

The game will be seen locally on MyTV9-WCTX and also on SNY. Other large market live clearances include WCVB-TV in Boston, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, Altitude Sports in Denver, WTTV-TV in Indianapolis, WKRC-TV in Cincinnati, WMLW-TV in Milwaukee, WHAS-TV in Louisville and Cox Sports New England in Providence.

Radio:

For the 18th consecutive season, WTIC 1080-AM in Hartford serves as the flagship station for the UConn Radio Network. WTIC is the state’s only 50,000 watt signal and can be heard in 23 states and parts of Canada. Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) return to call the action with Kevin Nathan on the side lines and Eric Davis on production.

The UConn pregame show begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff, while home games, the UConn Tailgate Show will air two and a half hours prior to the game with Arnold Dean. UConn football games are also broadcast over the internet at WTIC.com. For a full list of stations on the WTIC/UCONN radio network, click here.

Syracuse Radio

Voice of the Orange Matt Park ‘97 and former Orange All-American tight end Chris Gedney ‘93 call the game action and Brian Higgins ‘04 provides sideline reports. Higgins also hosts the pre-game and postgame shows. Former Orange head coach Dick MacPherson provides insight and analysis during the pre- and post-game shows and at halftime. TK-99.5 FM is the flagship for the ISP Sports Network.The Syracuse ISP Sports Network covers New York, New Jersey, Vermont and Pennsylvania. SU game broadcasts are also available on SIRIUS/XM satellite radio (channel 122/203).

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It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they will face the Duke Blue Devils in the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden. Tip is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. 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 women’s basketball team as they will host Hofstra in their first game in the WBCA Classic. The Huskies will look to get head coach Geno Auriemma the 700th win of his Hall of Fame coaching career.  Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally here in Connecticut on CPTV. The game is also available on the internet for a fee through Hoop Streams. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

UConn Football links

The UConn football links will be coming up shortly in the game preview. They can be found in the other news section.

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If the Boston Red Sox were hoping that shortstop Alex Gonzalez would take a reduced contract to come back with them, they were sadly mistaken.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and later confirmed by Joe Haggerty of CSN New England, Gonzalez has signed a one year deal with an option with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Red Sox held a $6 million option on Gonzo but declined it making him a free agent.

Instead, he’ll get $2.75 million in 2010 with the Jays holding an option of $2.5 million in 2011.

With Gonzo off the market now, there’s not really much out there for shortstops. The big names available are Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera and Marco Scutaro. All three of them would cost the Red Sox their first round draft pick since they’re all Type A free agents.

Of the three, I would expect to see the Red Sox go after Scutaro with possibly a 2-year deal, giving Jose Iglesias some time to develop in the minor leagues.

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Tiger Beat [David Borges – New Haven Register]

It’s UConn vs. Duke [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

UConn 81, LSU 55 [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

UConn-Duke, Part 9 [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Huskies take a big step forward [Neill Ostrout – Connecticut Post]

The Doctor is in [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn rocks LSU in NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal [Connecticut Post]

UConn Men Beat LSU, 81-55; Duke Next [Hartford Courant]

Once Again, It’s UConn-Duke [Hartford Courant]

Rebounding Debut On N.Y. Stage [Hartford Courant]

UConn parades past LSU in New York [New Haven Register]

Calhoun gives back: UConn coach consoles Terzi family [New Haven Register]

Robinson fuels UConn’s fire [The Day]

UConn: Ya gotta believe [The Day]

Huskies play up to expectations vs. LSU [The Republican-American]

Huskies’ Robinson hears the call to be more productive on boards [The Republican-American]

NIT Season Tip-Off Preview: UConn Huskies [Blue Devil Nation]

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The time around Thanksgiving usually finds the Boston Red Sox busy trying to acquire a big name pitcher in trade, not an utility infielder.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Red Sox traded for Kansas City Royals utility infielder Tug Hullet in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Hullet, who will compete for the utility infielder job with the Red Sox, can play all over the field. He’s spent parts of the last two seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Royals.

In 15 games with the Royals in 2009, Hulett hit just .111 with an RBI. In 45 big league games, he is hitting .194 with one home run and three RBIs.

MUZE CLOTHING PARTNERS WITH CELTICS STAR RAY ALLEN AND RED SOX PITCHER JOSH BECKETT FOR EXCLUSIVE CHARITY T-SHIRT DESIGNS

Fans can go to www.muzeclothing.com to purchase charitable tees and other apparel that fuse cutting edge designs and classic movie lines

Phoenix, AZ (November 19, 2009) – Further showcasing their connection to the worlds of sport and entertainment, Muze Clothing is proud to launch a charity t-shirt initiative with new designs in partnership with Boston Celtics star Ray Allen and Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Josh Beckett Foundation, respectively. Leveraging the company’s deep entertainment knowledge and the design team’s creative firepower, each charity shirt combines a compelling graphic coupled with a familiar pop culture quote and contributes proceeds to a worthwhile organization.

“Muze Clothing has a social conscience, and some of our best shirts are specifically designed to assist those less fortunate,” said CEO Bill Deacon. “Having grown up in New England, I jumped at the opportunity to create shirts with special meaning for Ray Allen and Josh Beckett ?? two sports icons who have not only brought championships to Boston, but are also extremely committed to tremendous causes.”

Starting today, fans can go to www.muzeclothing.com to preview and purchase the new shirt from Ray Allen titled “What Would Jesus Shuttleworth Do?” from the popular movie He Got Game. This design takes a symbolic approach to Allen’s career journey by tracing the contours of a basketball’s seams from the beginning of his career up to present day. A paper plane, paying homage to his childhood growing up on a US Air Force base, travels across the design starting at Lincoln High School and passing through the University of Connecticut, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston and into the unknown. The back of the shirt sports Ray’s personal signature along with a favorite quote from the movie Coming To America, “No journey is too great when one finds what he seeks.”

In addition, Josh Beckett and Muze have created a shirt to benefit the Josh Beckett Foundation, an organization that strives to improve the health and well being of disadvantaged children. Both Josh’s Texas roots and his intensity on the field serve as inspiration for Muze’s latest offering. There are times when a pitcher can feel like he’s all alone on the mound, and must summon the strength and will to get out of a jam on his own merit. Josh has always admired John Wayne and his iconic screen image, and asked the Muze team to create a shirt featuring The Duke’s famous quote, “Out here, a man settles his own problems” from the classic Western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. This imagery was also chosen because Josh does most of his charitable work out of the spotlight or behind a mask, so to speak. Available on www.muzeclothing.com in mid-December, these limited edition unique Muze shirts will help settle a less fortunate child’s problems, and will have a direct and permanent impact on the lives of children throughout New England and in his hometown of Spring, Texas.

Sorry for the lateness of the post today. I had some things to take care of in preparation of tomorrow. Funny quick story about that.

My parents are away in Hawaii enjoying Thanksgiving with my brother and some family members. My mom ordered me a turkey dinner for myself from Shaw’s. Now I thought I was getting a turkey breast and the side dishes that all I had to do was heat up.

Well I did get the food to heat up but I actually got a 10 lb turkey that was precooked. Not a breast but a whole dang turkey. Guess I’ll be learning how to carve one tomorrow.

Anyways, it’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they are at Madison Square Garden to take on the LSU Tigers in the semifinals of the NIT Preseason Tip-Off. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Speedy UConn sophomore Kemba Walker emerging as natural leader [SI.com]

Lineup Change. Maybe. Again. [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Armor All [David Borges – New Haven Register]

UConn arrives in New York [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

Driving With Stanley Robinson [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Kemba Walker Through Three [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Calhoun-Johnson Connection [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

18 Three-pointers [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Ater Majok and Alex Oriakhi [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

UConn Can’t Afford To Look Past LSU [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

A Technical Foul For Christmas [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

UConn Coach Jim Calhoun, Opening Remarks at NIT Press Conference [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Back to basketball [TheUConnBlog.com]

Alumni Profile: Rudy Gay [UConn Huskies Basketball]

NIT Season Tip-Off Ends at a Special Place [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn recognizes opportunity to step forward [Connecticut Post]

UConn men’s game day: Wednesday vs. LSU [Connecticut Post]

Games At MSG May Hint At Flavor Of Season [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men Vs. LSU: A Quick Look [Hartford Courant]

Battle on the boards looms large [New Haven Register]

Calhoun will learn a lot about his team tonight [The Day]

UConn men in need of ‘good’ win [Waterbury Republican-American]

3-0 Tigers battle No. 13 Huskies [The Advocate]

Tigers to play UConn at the Garden [The Daily Reveille]

Four undefeated teams float into NYC [ESPN.com]

UConn’s Kemba Walker retraces steps to Manhattan’s Rice High School [New York Daily News]

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