UConn women's basketball

Much of the nation seems to be anticipating Tuesday night’s matchup between UConn and No. 15 Florida State at the XL Center with history at stake. The fact that the Huskies are playing No. 11 Ohio State Sunday for the right to tie the Division record 88-game winning streak assembled by the UCLA men’s basketball team from 1971-74 seems to be the undercard.

ESPN officials said today that Tuesday’s game will be moved from ESPNU to ESPN2 if UConn beats Ohio State. The same officials said today that doing the same for Sunday’s game was not considered. Did I mention that the network also has five hours of UConn programming ready to unload on the public Tuesday afternoon and a Final Four-style pregame show scheduled on site in Hartford?

Maybe few people are giving the Buckeyes a chance because they lost at Syracuse last Saturday and now they, of course, will lose to UConn too. Whatever the case may be, ESPN analysts Doris Burke and Rebecca Lobo today pulled the emergency break on any presumptuous theories that the Huskies will roll over the Buckeyes.

“If I’m ESPN I’m a little bit nervous about Sunday because I just watched (Ohio State) play Oklahoma on the train ride up to Hartford,’’ Burke said. “Here’s the thing you want to know about Ohio State. Do the early departures from the NCAA Tournament, their underachievement in the postseason from the last couple years does it finally give them a little bit of attitude and edge to get after Connecticut a little bit. And I think by personality, Samantha Prahalis has a little bit of an edge to her and a little bit of an attitude along with great basketball skills at the lead guard spot. This kid’s a sensational passer. She sometimes tries to do too much, but she’s a playmaker and wants to make big plays. (Jantel) Lavender is the kind of interior presence against a young Connecticut frontline that will give them major challenges. (Sarah) Schulze is the prototypical role player. They flat out shot the ball great in the second half and made a ton of 3s against Oklahoma. So this is a dangerous team. And now you wonder does the pressure of that 88 maybe comes to bear more than it has in any of the 87 games up until this point. So I don’t think this is a walk.

“Ohio State’s pretty good, ’’ Lobo said. “And they’ve got the pieces that I think it’s going to be a difficult game. I think it’s going to be a game much like the Baylor game that could come down to the last few seconds. I don’t think that it’s a foregone conclusion that Connecticut’s going to be going for the record on Tuesday. This is a really good Ohio State team with a really good point guard and a great post player.’’

Burke was also clear that she believes UConn will lose at No. 3 Stanford Dec. 30 when the streak could be at 90.

“If they are able to win and set the record, I’d be stunned if they beat Stanford at Stanford,’’ Burke said. “Stanford is stacked and they’re incredibly well coached. They’re a terrific offensive team. And with all the changes in roles (at UConn), I definitely think they lose at Stanford.’’

Rich

The Huskies will look to secure a piece of history Sunday when they meet No. 11 Ohio State in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden. They will be searching for their 88th straight win, which would tie the UCLA men (1971-74) for the longest Division I streak in the history of the sport.

How many people will be able to watch the game in Connecticut is another story. The game will air on ESPNU at approximately 2 p.m. ESPNU can be seen in 73 million homes nationwide. It is available in Connecticut on the Comcast, Cox and Charter cable systems, as well as AT&T and Verizon on expanded basic programming and DirecTV.

The folks at ESPN did confirm that if UConn does defeat the Buckeyes, Tuesday’s game vs. No. 15 Florida State at the XL Center will air on ESPN2.

“You have to consider that ESPNU is in 73 million homes and it’s a network dedicated to college sports,’’ ESPN Sr. Coordinating Producer Tina Thornton said. “And this is a huge college sports moment and it’s in a really significant amount of homes. I guess people can say all they want about where we put it, but I believe it’s a great place to put it and a great vehicle to deliver a great game.’’

ESPN/ESPN2 can be seen in approximately 100 million homes nationwide. There was no talk about moving Sunday’s game to either channel.

For those who are wondering … Here is the broadcast schedule for ESPN and ESPN2 Sunday afternoon:
ESPN
2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. 2010 College Football Final
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Billiards (Women’s Atlanta Classic from Duluth, Ga.)
4 p.m. – 5 p.m. 2010 Billiards (2010 Women’s Tournament of Champions from Uncasville, CT)

ESPN2
2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Review
3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 2010 NHRA Thrills & Spills
3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. 2010 World Series of Poker
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. 2010 World Series of Poker

ESPN does, actually, has big plans for Tuesday if the streak remains intact. Trey Wingo, Kara Lawson and Carolyn Peck will be on set at the XL Center for a pregame show that will begin at 6 p.m. Also, ESPNU will air five hours of UConn-related programming from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will be three specific original shows, according to Thornton.

Geno Auriemma will live on SportsCenter today at 5:30 p.m. with Doris Burke.

Rich

UConn-bound recruit Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-foot wing from Anaheim, Calif., is one of 10 players that have been named to the Watch List for the Naismith Trophy High School Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today.

The list of candidates will be cut to five in February. The winner will then be selected and recognized by the Atlanta Tipoff Club at the end of the high school season.

Rich

With the potential to witness history Tuesday at the XL Center in Hartford, UConn fans are on board. Less than 1,000 tickets remain for the game against No. 15 Florida State that could see the Huskies win their 89th straight game. That would break a tie with the UCLA men’s team for the longest winning streak in Division I history.

In order to take advantage of UConn’s Holiday Buy One Get One Promotion, follow this link and type in promotional code “huskies.”

The Huskies will take aim at No. 88 Sunday against No. 11 Ohio State at the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Rich

All-American Maya Moore was named Big East Player of the Week today for the second this season. It is the sixth time she has been honored in her career.

Moore had a season-high 31 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists and tied her career-high with five blocks in 34 minutes in UConn’s 79-47 win over Marquette Dec. 9. It was the eighth time – third this season – that she has scored at least 30 points in a game.

The top-ranked Huskies, who have won 87 straight games, will look to tie UCLA’s record when they meet No. 11 Ohio State Sunday in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Rich

To this point, the questions regarding the streak have been few and far between for the Huskies. They have picked up recently, of course, as UConn closes in on UCLA’s record of 88 straight wins. But most of the questions have come from national pundits wanting to delve into the minds of the players and coaches in an attempt to learn how it is that a program can accomplish something of this magnitude.

The Huskies will be taking direct aim at Win No. 88 when they meet No. 6 Ohio State in the Maggie Dixon Classic Dec. 19 at Madison Square Garden. Now the questions will be will coming from every direction. It’s what people want to talk about. Making history is a big deal, even if there are those who believe it should not be compared to the run made by John Wooden and the Bruins from 1971 to 1974.

And don’t expect UConn coach Geno Auriemma to attempt to shield his players from the wave of questions that will crash down inside Gampel Pavilion late next week.

“I can’t hide it from them,’’ Auriemma said. “I can’t make them think it’s not something that they’re going to have to address at some point. There’s nothing I can do about it. To me, it’s like going to the Final Four and it’s your first time and you’re going to be asked a million times. `Well, what’s this mean to you? How does it feel? How do you think you’re going to handle this?’ So, obviously, next Sunday when we play Ohio State, if we happen to play lousy and they kick our (backside) it’s because we choked and because we froze and we couldn’t handle the big moment and the whole thing caught up to us. So I’ve got all the excuses ready. But I don’t have any of the answers that they can possibly give you. They’re just going to have to figure it out on their own on this one.
“The kids who play here, they’re used to this stuff. It’s not like all of a sudden you guys are descending on them and, `Where did everybody come from?’ They deal with this all the time. Down in South Florida, (Sports Illustrated’s) Jack McCallum, who I’ve known for 25 years, asked them if they knew anybody that played for UCLA. They had no idea. So what kind of answers can they possibly give you? So what’s this mean in the big scheme of things, in the cosmic relevance of the world? Uh … Do you know what the LA in UCLA stands for? `Uh, no.’ So what kind of answers could they possibly give you that you would say,
`Wow that’s very thoughtful, that’s pretty insightful.’’’

The Huskies wish they were playing Ohio State this weekend and not a week from now. But they are currently on a nine-day break due to final exams.

UConn played in the Maggie Dixon Classic Dec. 14, 2008 after having a 10-day break in between games. The Huskies shot a season-low 37.7 percent from the field (7-of-30 3-pointers) and committed 19 turnovers in a 77-63 win over Penn State.

Incidentally, Ohio State will be off for only four days heading into this game. The Buckeyes host South Carolina-Upstate Dec. 14.

“Well, obviously, it would easier if it was in the regular schedule,’’ Auriemma said. “That would be ideal because then you would just be in your normal rotation. The last time we went down to the Garden it was the same thing and we didn’t play that great because we were just coming off finals. We played Penn State and it wasn’t that great. So you never know how they’re going to come out.’’

Rich

No. 1 UConn 79, Marquette 47

TURNING POINT – Marquette managed to hang in there with the Huskies for just over 24 minutes. But leading 49-36 with 15:55 left, UConn scored 21 straight points to transform the game into a rout. The Golden Eagles missed 16 straight shots during a scoreless spell of 8:16. Five players scored for the Huskies during the run, led by seven points from Bria Hartley and six from Tiffany Hayes.
“I think it’s relentless,’’ Marquette coach Terri Mitchell said. “I think Geno (Auriemma) probably gives amazing halftime speeches. It must be the speech. They came out on fire. We talk a lot about wearing our opponents down and that’s how you win consistently over 40 minutes. And I thought they wore us down and I was disappointed in that, that we didn’t stay with them and I think they just kick it to another gear.’’

UNSUNG HERO – Lorin Dixon. She is quietly putting together a nice stretch right now. And she seems to be gaining confidence too. Dixon finished with a season-high eight points (3-of-3 FG), three rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes. She has 10 assists in the last two games and has now played at least 20 minutes in three straight games for the first time this season and the fourth time in her career.

BEST ‘X’ AND/OR ‘O’ – It wasn’t necessarily any particular strategy or play that was drawn up. After watching Moore carrying them in the first half by scoring 22 of their 41 points, many Huskies provided her with some support in the second half. Hartley scored 12 of her 16 points in the half. Hayes had seven points. Dixon had six. Samarie Walker had six of her season-high 13 rebounds. Of course, Moore did her part with nine points and five rebounds.
“Everybody has to come out to a better start,’’ Moore said. “Not just one or two people. And sometimes it takes, unfortunately, a little while to get yourself going sometimes. But it shouldn’t take a whole half. We weren’t communicating on where some of the shooters were. We like to pride ourselves too in knowing that we’re a 40-minute team. We strive to be a 40-minute team, and even though it wasn’t the half that we wanted we responded really well.’’

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS – One of the loudest ovations of the game came after the 5-foot-4 Dixon blocked a shot by Angel Robinson with 12:12 left in the game. It was her third block in as many games this season, 12th of her 112-game career. … Moore has scored in double figures in a career-high 32 straight games. The last time she failed to reach the mark was when she was held to a career-low four points at Marquette Jan. 13, 2010. … Mitchell held court for a considerable amount of time following the game, covering numerous topics in a superb question-and-answer session. She said she did not have to tell her team about UConn’s current 87-game winning streak before the game. “They already knew,’’ she said. “Except our one freshman, she didn’t know. Katie Young was like, `What streak?’ That’s the beauty of a freshman right there. She’s the one who went 1-for-7. She just shot it up. She got in there and she was gunning away. But maybe she did know. But I don’t think so. I think everybody else was more than aware.’’ … Here’s Mitchell on whether UConn is vulnerable in any area: “Maya comes down with the flu,’’ she said. “What would it take? Where would they be vulnerable? Maybe if they focus on the streak more than they focus on winning the game. I have no idea. Maybe the younger players … If I had a good answer for you I would tell you, but I don’t see it right now because we just lost by 30. If it was a closer game maybe I’d give you a better answer.’’ Speaking of Moore: “She’s just unflappable,’’ Mitchell said. “I think what makes her special is that she’s the fiercest competitor out there. Everything is about keeping everybody involved. She’s upbeat. Nothing bothers her. And that’s what I try to tell our players. `You’re playing the best team in the country. You can’t show that things are bothering you.’ Like they don’t show it. They show upset when they make a mistake, but they get right back at it. There’s a hunger.’’…The Huskies will take a few days off as final exams set to begin Monday. The downtime will give Auriemma a chance to get out and do some recruiting. He is going to see Moriah Jefferson, a 5-6 point guard from Glenn Heights Texas, and Breanna Stewart, a 6-4 forward from North Syracuse, N.Y. They are two of UConn’s top targets in the Class of 2012.

LOOKING AHEAD – The Huskies (9-0) will look to tie the Division I record for consecutive wins, which was set by the UCLA men’s team (1971-74), when they meet No. 6 Ohio State in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden Dec. 19 (2:30 p.m.; ESPNU). Mitchell also provided her thoughts on the streak.
“I think to keep your team on task every day and never let them lose sight of what it is that you … everyone wants to beat you so bad,’’ Mitchell said. “I was getting tweets from different parts of the country wishing me good luck. People I’ve never heard from in my entire life. They’re tweeting me, wishing me good luck. And I thought there’s only one reason you’re wishing me good luck because there is that part where people want to see UConn go down. I’m not going to say where they were from, but I was amazed. It’ll all stop now. Nobody cares about me now, but they did for two days. I was getting good luck from all over the country. That’s what I think is most amazing that you know everybody wants … I think there’s some sentiment out there, `John Wooden. Oh, do we want that record to be broken? It’s so special?’ And I’m all like `Yes.’ I wanted to be the one that broke it. Since I didn’t now I want it to keep going.’’

BY THE NUMBERS
3 – 30-point games for Moore in nine games this season
5 – 30-point games for Moore in 116 games over her first three seasons
6 – Opponents that have failed to score at least 20 points in the second half this season

Rich