From a basketball standpoint, I was intrigued by how the U.S. would match up with Australia's bruising 6-foot-8 Elizabeth Cambage.

Tina Charles had the first crack at her while Asjha Jones and Jayne Appel also took turns on the Aussie's rising star. Cambage led Australia with 18 points and seven rebounds but the U.S. outrebounded Australia 47-30. That was a far cry from the exhibition game between the teams on July 11 at Mohegan Sun when Australia outrebounded the U.S. 40-27 en route to a 15-point win.

"That is one of the things we have to emphasize," U.S. and UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "If we are not going to have the size that some of the teams have, then we have to be a little quicker than them and a little tougher than them."

Cambage, who more than one WNBA insider I have spoken to believe will be the No. 2 ovrall pick in April's WNBA draft behind Maya Moore, certainly impressed everybody on the U.S. side with how much improvement she has made even since the July friendly.

Obviously Moore's star is also on the rise. The only active college player in the U.S. player pool led the U.S. with 16 points. Kara Lawson added 15 and Tamika Catchings had 12 for the U.S.

Among those in attendance where the entire UConn team as well as commit Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, 2011 recruiting target Sara Hammond and 2012 players Moriah Jefferson and Michaela Mabrey, who are guards from Texas and New Jersey respectively. Jefferson is the highly-touted prospect who is the No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2012 according to Peach State Hoops. I didn't know as much about Mabrey. What I did discover is she transferred from St. John Vianney to Manasquan High last year.


I figured I would pass on what I am hearing in terms of the schedule. Twice in the last two days I've heard that there will be a Big East game in early December with the game at South Florida the early favorite to be the Big East opener within a couple days of the UConn football team's game at USF. That game is Dec. 4. For those looking ahead to the California trip being for wins No. 88 and 89 in a row if UConn manages to navigate its way through some challenging early games, obviously a game at USF would make the game at Pacific No. 89 in a row and the Stanford contest for No. 90. I'm also hearing that the schedule is in the hands of the power brokers at UConn but won't be released until Friday (Sept. 17) giving the school and Big East time to cross all the t's and dot all the i's.