With all due respect to the 19 players who took part in UConn's 74-47 win over Villanova Tuesday night, the festivities at Gampel Pavilion served a bit of a higher purposes.

On a day when word of UConn sophomore Maya Moore being named an first team Academic All-American hit the streets, the brightest and best student/athletes at UConn were honored in a halftime ceremony which included UConn women's basketball players Moore, Tina Charles, Meghan Gardler, Cassie Kerns and Heather Buck.

"I’m very excited," said Moore, the first UConn women's basketball so honored since Jen Rizzotti in 1996. "It’s a great honor. My family pretty much has an education background. Everyone has been a teacher, so education is pretty big in my family so I know that they are really proud of me for this. Hard work has paid off."

Moore's streak of double-figure scoring games was snapped at 28 as she finished with eight points although she was one of three Huskies to pull down at least 10 rebounds.

The victory guaranteed UConn the top seed in next month's Big East tournament and at least a share of Big East regular-season title. But with this being UConn's 17th regular-season conference title, sharing is not high on their priority list.

Kalana Greene went as far as to say with a smirk on her face that she would prefer smacking her elbow against a door - as she did on her way to the post-game press conference - than sharing the Big East regular season crowd.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma set the table for the Huskies after the game by telling them to think about the history that awaits them if UConn beats Seton Hall on Saturday and wins at Rutgers on Monday to complete the fifth undefeated regular season in the program's history.

"I don't like to bring up things that you can't reach out and grab, talking about things that are down the road is not the way I do things," Auriemma said.

"For today, we talked about being a game that gives us an opportunity to do something we have been trying to do since September. It is going to be about we clinched a tie and I don't think anybody in our locker room is doing any celebration for ties so we talked about what's next and what those two games mean. It's right there now, they can feel it, they can sense it. It is a tangible thing and I wanted them to think about that (today) because there is something we can accomplish in those five days that puts them up there with some of the great teams."

Kaili McLaren did not play but it was not because of tendonitis in her knee. It was a coach's decision as Auriemma felt Villanova was a tough matchup for McLaren.

"Kaili is Kaili," was how Auriemma described it.

HARTLEY ENJOYS VISIT
I took the ride to North Babylon High School Monday night to see its gifted junior point guard Bria Hartley play.

Hartley, despite getting off to a slow start, did not disappoint. Hartley finished with 23 points on 8 of 18 shooting (3 for 5 from 3-point range) to go with three rebounds, five assists (I actually had her with eight) and seven steals in a 72-36 win over Ward Melville.

Purely by coincidence, I sat next to Hartley's father during the game. I had no idea who he was but I always look for the highest possible seat at high school games so I can rest my back up against the wall and as luck would have it, Dennis Hartley had found his seat when I got comfortable next to him. At halftime I introduced myself and he gave me the deal.

She has already taken unofficial visits to St. John's, North Carolina and UConn (Dennis and Bria were in attendance at Sunday morning's shoot around and then had prime seats for the UConn/Notre Dame at the XL Center). Apparently both father and daughter enjoyed themselves very much. Bria posed for photos and asked for autographs.

Dennis said they want to visit the UConn campus either during the Big East tournament (even if it is being held in Hartford) or when UConn is hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

The Hartleys are in no rush as they still want to visit Duke, Stanford, Georgetown, Kentucky and Louisville (preferably taking the last two on the same day or at least on the same trip.

"I am going to take my time, get out there and see a bunch of schools and see what I like," Bria Hartley said. "I want to go to a good school, I want to play for a big school in college and make sure I have a good time doing it. You can't let all that stuff get to you, just enjoy what you have left of high school and make a decision when I am ready."

Dennis Hartley also said Bria is a "legit 5-foot-10 and still growing" and not 5-7 as some of the internet recruiting databases list her. As for her game, she is a classic scoring point guard with a sweet shooting stroke but also a keen passing eye. She could easily have finished with 15 assists had her teammates finished routine shots set up by Hartley's playmaking skills. She can score from the perimeter or drive to the basket but also has an impressive mid-range game set up by a jump-stop in the lane.

Hartley's on-court demeanor is similar to UConn signee Kelly Faris. Even when a questionable call goes against her, she does not cause a ruckus. She merely lets her game do her talking for her. The most emotion she displayed is when she drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer just before halftime.

Hartley said she may not make a decision until the beginning of the next school year.

She seems to have a similar personality to her easy-going father. I've seen and heard plenty of parents of big-time recruits and never seen one who handled themselves like Dennis Hartley. Not once did he scream out in disgust at a call although the way the game was officiated, it would have been easy for him to do it. Both the father and daughter come off as extremely down to earth people who don't take themselves too seriously.

I did find it interested that Bria caught the eye of more than a few Division I lacrosse coaches before figuring out that basketball will be her best option for college stardom. She plays soccer, basketball and lacrosse in high school which is a good move. I personally think too many kids specialize too early in their lives when it comes to sports.

There will be more on Bria in Wednesday's edition of the Register.

Tomorrow I will also throw in a blog on Villanova coach Harry Perretta's opinion on Mercy of Middletown senior Rachel Roberts, who signed with the Wildcats in November but this blog is already long enough and it is time to hit the road.