Former UConn star Maya Moore had 37 points and 19 rebounds to lead her Shanxi team to an 82-60 win over defending WCBA champion Beijing in the winner take all third game in the semifinals to clinch a spot in the finals.

Beijing won the first game in the best of three series despite 40 points and 10 3-pointers from Moore. Shanxi evened the series with a more balanced offensive attack as Moore's 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists was aided by having three teammates scoring in double figures. In the winner take all game earlier today. Beijing's chances for repeating took a major hit when San Antonio Silver Stars forward Sophia Young was unable to play in the game for Beijing. Shanxi will face Zhejiang in the championship series which starts on Tuesday.

I also checked up on how a couple of Moore's former UConn teammates are doing overseas.

Meghan Gardler is having a huge season with Amicale Steinsel in Luxemborg's Diekirch's League and she is leading the team in scoring (26.2 points per game), rebounding (11.5) and steals (4.0). She is the league leader in both scoring and steals.

Kaili McLaren is a double-digit scorer for Ramat Hasharon in Israel as she is averaging 11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game on a team featuring WNBA guards Alexis Gray-Lawson and former WNBA draft picks LaSondra Barrett and Alysha Clark.

Former UConn guard Tiffany Hayes has agreed to terms to play in Israel with Hapoel Rishon when the WNBA season is over. Below is a link to the official release from the team. The translation to English is not perfect but it gets the job done.

http://www.ibba.one.co.il/General/Article.aspx?id=202191&siteId=6


Here's an unofficial list of where the former UConn players are planning to play this winter
Svetlana Abrosimova, Dynamo Moscow (Russia)
Sue Bird, UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia)
Tina Charles, Wisla Can-Pack (Poland)
Tiffany Hayes Hapoel Rishon (Israel)
Charde Houston, Maccabi Ashdod (Israel)
Asjha Jones Kayseri Kaski (Turkey)
Kaili McLaren, Ramat Hasharon (Israel)
Renee Montgomery, Nadezhda Orenburg (Russia)
Maya Moore, Shangxu Xing Rui  Flame(China)
Diana Taurasi, UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia)

Outside of game results, getting info on what's transpiring in Europe is not always the easiest task. But I can say this, former UConn stars Tina Charles and Diana Taurasi have missed time with their respective teams.

Charles returns after being suspended for two games by the Russian Federation. UConn's all-time leading rebounder had 22 points and 9 rebounds to lead Nadezhda to a 66-64 win over Bourges Basket today.

Taurasi's situation with Fenerbahce is little hazy at the current time. I'm not a big fan of repeating internet rumors without some concrete information to lend some validity to them so I will refrain from doing just that. What I do know is that Taurasi, the leading scorer in the Euroleague, did not play in the Istanbul, Turkey team's 92-81 win over MKB Euroleasing today. When I have more info to pass on, I will certainly do so.

On a brighter note, Kaili McLaren is enjoying quite the season with Apollon Ptolemaidos in Greece. On Dec. 8 she had 30 points, 22 rebounds and five assists in an 82-68 win over Proteas. Three days later she had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 75-69 loss to DAS Ano Liosa. In eight games McLaren is averaging 17.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists and had five double doubles.

Speaking of double doubles, Swin Cash has two straight for DongGuan New Century Club in China as she had 15 points and 12 rebounds in a 90-71 win over Henan on Saturday and on Tuesday had 21 points and 11 rebounds in an 80-60 victory over Liaoning.

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS BEGINS ON SATURDAY
Two future Huskies could be squaring off a week from today if Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis' Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif. team and Morgan Tuck's Bolingbrook (Ill.) squad take care of business at the Nike Tournament of Champions event in the Phoenix area.

Both teams are in the star-studded Joe Smith Division and will open play on Saturday when Bolingbrook plays Santa Monica (Calif.) at 5:30 p.m. (Eastern time). Three hours later Mater Dei faces Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas. If the two teams, currently ranked No. 1 and 2 in USA Today's national poll, earn win three games they would meet at 9 p.m. on Dec. 22 for the division title.

It won't be easy as No. 3 Brea (Calif.) Olinda, No. 5 Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, No. 10 Christ the King of Middle Village, N.Y., No. 14 Memphis (Tenn.) Central and No. 16 St. Mary's of Phoenix are also in Joe Smith Division bracket. The majority of the games in the division will be played at Hamilton High in Chandler, Ariz. although Basha High, also in Chandler, and Perry HS in Gilbert will also be utilized. Here is the tournament bracket scroll down to page 7 to see the division involving Mater Dei and Bolingbrook.

It appears as if all three UConn commits will be signing on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.

Brianna Banks, a 5-foot-9 guard from Newnan, Ga., will be signing her letter of intent at 8 a.m. at a ceremony at Fayette County High School in Fayetteville, Ga.

Banks, who transferred to Fayette County from Northgate High, will be signing alongside three of her new teammates as Kyra King is headed to Brewton Parker College in Mt. Vernon, Ga., Taybreanna Crouch is headed to Clayton State University in Morrow, Ga. and Elem Ibiam will be playing collegiately at the University of South Carolina.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-0 guard/forward from Anaheim, Calif., will be signing her letter of intent in a ceremony at Mater Dei High at 10:45 a.m. Kiah Stokes, a 6-foot-3 forward/center from Marion, Iowa, is expected to sign in a ceremony at Linn-Mar HS after Stokes returns from playing in the first round of the state tournament with the Linn-Mar volleyball program. Linn-Mar will face Iowa City West in the 4A quarterfinals in Cedar Rapids at noon (1 p.m. Eastern time) so it looks like the signing fesitivities would take place in the early afternoon.

UCONN ALUMS LIGHTING IT UP
With UConn's second and final exhibition game a couple days from now, I figured it would be a good time to update how former Huskies are doing with their European teams. I've attempted to find all the former UConn players overseas but it's possible I've missed some and welcome any additions as I plan on providing periodic updates.

Tina Charles (Nadezhda, Russia): Averaging 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals
Kalana Greene (Gorzow, Poland): Averaging 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.
Charde Houston (Good Angels Kosice, Slovakia): Averaging 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks. Had 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists in 76-57 loss to USO Mondeville on Wednesday.
Kaili McLaren (Apollon Ptolemaidos, Greece): Averaging 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal per game. Had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals in 71-68 loss to Panathinaikos Athens on Wednesday.
Renee Montgomery (Maccabi Ashdod, Israel): Averaging 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.7 turnovers a game. In her last game, Montgomery had 32 points, four assists and six steals in 76-68 win over Elitzur Holon on Nov. 1.
Diana Taurasi (Fenerbahce, Turkey): Averaging 29 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals. In 109-92 win over Gospic Croatia on Wednesday, she had 34 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals and was named the EuroLeague Player of the Week.
Barbara Turner (Pankup Ted Kayseri Kolejspor, Turkey): Averaging 12 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks

There figure to be plenty of tears shed, a sense of accomplishment will be hard to miss at the XL Center. And that is before the game against Georgetown when the five UConn seniors are honored before their final regular-season home game. But the legacy of Tina Charles, Jacquie Fernandes, Meghan Gardler, Kalana Greene and Kaili McLaren will be on display after the game as well - assuming UConn takes care of business and beats visiting Georgetown.

When Charles, Fernandes, Gardler and McLaren arrived at UConn, the Huskies had gone two straight seasons without winning the Big East regular-season title which is an eternity at a program like Connecticut's. But a win will give the Huskies a fourth straight outright Big East regular season crown.

"They have a chance to win a Big East championship and what better way to end the regular season - you are a senior, you win the championship," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "For it to happen that way, if it does happen. It is great for them and a great accomplishment."

While a crowd of more than 15,000 is expected at the XL Center, for those not planning to attend CPTV has a full day of coverage planned beginning in a few minutes with the airing of the Geno Auriemma Show. Here's the schedule:

9 a.m. The Geno Auriemma Show (with special guests Bob Joyce and Kara Wolters from WTIC-AM 1080)
10 a.m. UConn Women’s Basketball: A Tribute to the Class of 2010 – a new CPTV original documentary that profiles the college careers of the 2010 Senior Class: Tina Charles, Kalana Greene, Kaili McLaren, Jacquie Fernandes and Meghan Gardler
11:30 a.m. UConn Senior Ceremony – live from the XL Center, Hartford
Noon UConn vs. Georgetown (XL Center, Hartford)
2:15 p.m. (approx.) UConn Women’s Basketball: A Tribute to the Class of 2010 (encore)
3:30 p.m. Witness to Perfection: UConn Women’s Basketball 2009 – CPTV’s full-length documentary on UConn’s history-making, undefeated 2008-2009 basketball season.


SAD TIMES AT MATER DEI
Today, UConn commit Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis will lead her Mater Dei High of Santa Ana, Calif. against Beverly Hills in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section 2AA semifinals. But expect Mosqueda-Lewis and her teammates to be playing with a heavy heart after news that Mater Dei highly-touted softball star Nadia Brianne Matthews apparently committed suicide. The sophomore pitcher had already committed to national power Arizona and those who follow the sport had predicted great things for the talented pitcher/third baseman who drew comparisons to former Brakettes star and Olympic gold medalist Lisa Fernandez.

Matthews did not play on Mater Dei's basketball team which is hardly surprising since a top-flight pitcher like Matthews normally focus all their time on perfecting their craft as did former Masuk High star Rachele Fico, who is now a freshman at LSU. But certainly the Mater Dei basketball players are grieving the stunning loss of the 16-year-old Matthews, who also had a 4.0 grade point average.

UConn fans should be in their glory in the next couple of days.

First up will be the first episode of "The Climb: UConn's Quest for Perfection" featuring some behind the scenes footage of the Huskies. The 30-minute program is set to air on Friday from 3:30-4 and 11:30-midnight on ESPNU.

It will be the first of a four-episode series about the team airing on ESPNU, enhanced by footage shot by UConn seniors Jacquie Fernandes and Kaili McLaren.

Highlights of the first episode will include a look back at the first ESPN's College GameDay at a women's basketball game which occured on Jan. 16 at Gampel Pavilion as UConn played Notre Dame, a piece of UConn sophomores Caroline Doty and Tiffany Hayes, Tina Charles' induction into the Huskies of Honor and a look at the importance the bench is playing in the Huskies' success.

Additional episodes are tentatively scheduled to air on ESPNU on March 5, March 19 and April 2. Air times for each date is 3:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

On Saturday, CPTV is planning plenty of coverages centering around the noon regular season home finale against Georgetown. Here's the CPTV schedule for Saturday:

9 a.m. The Geno Auriemma Show (with special guests Bob Joyce and Kara Wolters)
10 a.m. UConn Women’s Basketball: A Tribute to the Class of 2010
11:30 a.m. UConn Senior Ceremony – live from the XL Center, Hartford
Noon UConn vs. Georgetown (XL Center, Hartford)
2:15 p.m. (approx.) UConn Women’s Basketball: A Tribute to the Class of 2010 (encore)
3:30 p.m. Witness to Perfection: UConn Women’s Basketball 2009 – CPTV’s full-length documentary on UConn’s history-making, undefeated 2008-2009 basketball season.

Speaking of the Georgetown game, about 1,000 tickets are still available.

CPTV sent out a release with a more detailed breakdown of its broadcast schedule for next Saturday when seniors Tina Charles, Jacquie Fernandes, Meghan Gardler, Kalana Greene and Kaili McLaren play their final home game.

Here's the release:

UConn Senior Day on CPTV!
The Day’s Festivities Include the Premiere of the New Documentary,
UConn Women’s Basketball: A Tribute to the Class of 2010
Tune in for All-Day Coverage Saturday, February 27 starting at 9 a.m. on CPTV

HARTFORD, Conn. (February 19, 2010) – It’s one of the emotional highlights of the UConn basketball season: UConn Senior Day; the day when the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team gives their senior players a chance to play their last home game, join their family on the court for a special presentation by Coach Geno Auriemma and offer their official goodbye to the fans.

Tune into Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) Saturday, February 27 starting at 9 a.m. for an entire day of UConn programming devoted to an incredible #1-ranked team and its five extraordinary Seniors: Tina Charles, Kalana Greene, Kaili McLaren, Jacquie Fernandes and Meghan Gardler. As always, CPTV will be there covering all the special moments of the day and offering some unique programming dedicated to the extraordinary 2010 Senior Class.

9 a.m. The Geno Auriemma Show (with special guests Bob Joyce and Kara Wolters from WTIC-AM 1080)
10 a.m. UConn Women’s Basketball: A Tribute to the Class of 2010 – a new CPTV original documentary that profiles the college careers of the 2010 Senior Class: Tina Charles, Kalana Greene, Kaili McLaren, Jacquie Fernandes and Meghan Gardler
11:30 a.m. UConn Senior Ceremony – live from the XL Center, Hartford
noon UConn vs. Georgetown (XL Center, Hartford)
2:15 p.m. (approx.) UConn Women’s Basketball: A Tribute to the Class of 2010 (encore)
3:30 p.m. Witness to Perfection: UConn Women’s Basketball 2009 – CPTV’s full-length documentary on UConn’s history-making, undefeated 2008-2009 basketball season.

Throughout the day CPTV will be offering one-of-a-kind autographed UConn items for auction, including:
• A framed photo of the 2008-2009 UConn Huskies taken right before the buzzer during their NCAA Tournament Championship game
• An autographed poster of the 2009-2010 UConn Huskies
• A commemorative autographed basketball
• A signed program from last year’s Final Four
• A autographed Kay Yow T-shirt

Be sure to tune in for a day of programming devoted to this history-making team and their most experienced players.

Tickets are going fast for the Feb. 27 game against Georgetown at the XL Center. UConn officials announced earlier today that fewer than 1,000 seats are left for the Feb. 27 game.

Before the game seniors Tina Charles, Kalana Greene, Kaili McLaren, Meghan Gardler and Jacquie Fernandes will be honored as it will be their last home game. After the game the Huskies should be celebrating the Big East regular season title unless the Huskies slip up between now and then.

There are plenty of tickets remaining for Saturday's game against Providence, also at the XL Center.

The date when the Reality TV UConn women's basketball style will be introduced has been pushed back from tomorrow to Feb. 26. That's the date when results of the first batch of videos shot by Fernandes and McLaren will be aired on ESPNU. The times have not changed as the episodes are set to air at 3:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

Now for a few other notes, UConn incoming freshman Samarie Walker had 10 points as her Chaminade Julienne of Dayton, Ohio team opened with a 73-25 win over Stivers in the Ohio Division II Springboro Regional. Chaminade Julienne plays Monroe on Saturday. I find the Ohio playoff system a bit bizarre as Chaminade Julienne is the No. 2 seed but has to play a game before meeting the No. 10 seed.

There's a nice piece on the relationship between Bonnie Samuelson, who has been offered a scholarship by UConn, and her younger sister Karlie, who accompanied Bonnie on her unofficial visit to UConn earlier this season, by the Huntington Beach (Calif.) Independent.

In the time to give credit where credit is due, former UConn commit Elena Delle Donne had the top single-game scoring performance in Division I women's basketball this season when she dropped 54 on James Madison Thursday night. Perhaps most impressive is that Delle Donne scored 54 points on 28 shots and was 7 for 8 from 3-point range. However, Delaware lost 88-83 in overtime to James Madison as Delle Donne's teammates were just 11 of 26 from the floor with 17 turnovers. James Madison's Dawn Evans had 38 points despite missing 20 of her 29 shots. Brittany Carter of Memphis had the previous high with 49 points in a 98-83 win over Sacramento State on Nov. 27, 2009.

There's plenty of UConn-related events going on in the coming days to make even the most loyal member of Husky Nation in need of a daily planner.

On Thursday from 8-9 p.m. the latest episode of the Geno Auriemma Show will be televised. It will be called "Geno Live" and will feature Auriemma and assistant coaches Chris Dailey, Shea Ralph and Marisa Moseley fielding live questions from the studio audience hence the word "live" in the title. If you don't have a ticket for the event, you aren't getting one so just tune in at home.

On Friday at 3:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. the first of the segments featuring the video shot by UConn seniors Kaili McLaren and Jacquie Fernandes will air on ESPNU.

Of course, Saturday UConn is back on the court at the XL Center for a 1 p.m. game against Providence.

Going back to Thursday, it will be the date of the postseason openers for UConn signees Lauren Engeln and Samarie Walker.

Engeln, a 5-foot-11 senior guard, leads her Laguna Hills team against Rowland in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Class 2A opener.

Samarie Walker, a 6-foot-1 wing, leads her Chaminade Julienne of Dayton, Ohio squad against Stivers in the first round of Ohio's Division II Springboro Regional.

For those fans who want to sit in and ask questions of a Connecticut basketball coach, Connecticut Sun head coach Mike Thibault, assistant coach Scott Hawk and general manager Chris Sienko will field questions from fans on Monday from 6-8 p.m. at Mohegan Sun's Cabaret Theatre. Questions can also be e-mailed to askthesun@connecticutsun.com.

As Geno Auriemma grabbed the microphone to give out prizes to the kids in the student section, he didn't hide his displeasure for the lack of the artistry in tonight's game.

It isn't often that UConn shoots barely over 30 percent but that was exactly what happened in the Huskies' 66-52 win over St. John's.

Here are some thoughts:

First, Tina Charles was immense with 25 points and 21 rebounds but she appeared to get tired. Something tells me you will see Charles playing more minutes from here on out because it was clear she wasn't accustomed to having to play the whole game. When Charles grabbed four rebounds in a span of 52 seconds she already had a career-high 21 rebounds. With more than 12 minutes to play, it seemed a certainty that she would make a run at the single-game team record of 25 rebounds. But she did not grab another rebound.

It was still quite an eventful night for Charles who became the 12th women's player inducted into the Huskies of Honor, became the first Husky in nine seasons to have a 20 point, 20 rebound effort, was one of eight women's basketball players recognized for attaining a 3.0 or better grade point average in either the fall or spring semestes and picked up her first technical foul at UConn after official Joseph Vaszily ruled she struck a St. John's player in the face.

A couple of surprising things. First, Auriemma is usually good at the sentimental thing (queue the Meghan Gardler start at Villanova) but he did not get seniors Kaili McLaren or Jacquie Fernandes in at all in their final games at Gampel Pavilion.

Even more stunning was that reigning Big East Freshman of the Year Da'Shena Stevens did not start and rather than being punished or any indiscretions, St. John's coach Kim Barnes Arico said it was because of matchups. Not sure I get that explanation. She wanted to get bigger but in doing so sat her leading scorer and rebounder? Well, St. John's did make things difficult for UConn so I guess it's hard to fault her too much for the move.

Speaking of Barnes Arico, I spoke to her for a bit about incoming freshman Keylantra Langley. The results of the interview will be a part of my notebook running in Sunday's edition of the Register including getting her take on how Langley is handling the absence of her former head coach Steve Schuler. Schuler said he was fired even though the Crusaders were 13-1 and ranked fifth in the Register's Top 10 poll.

There were about 200 players, coaches and parents representing several school and travel programs, including squads from Guilford and Madison, taking in Friday's practice at Gampel Pavilion.

UConn likes to let groups come up to take in practice but tend to only have a few dates to play the role of gracious hosts so it is not unusual to see more than one team taking in a practice. But the turnout on Friday was one of the largest I can remember seeing in the eight years I have covered the UConn beat.

"You make it so everybody can come to practice but you can't have them here every day so we pick a few days during the year, they watch," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "The coaches get a kick out of it, the kids get a kick out it and my players get a kick out of it because I have to be laid back. I almost lost it one time."

Auriemma spoke to the assembled crowd for nearly a half hour and when he was meeting with the media, the UConn players introduced themselves to the starry-eyed youngsters in the building.

"When you are playing basketball, playing games you see a big bowl (full) of people," UConn sophomore guard Caroline Doty said. "Here you buckle down, you meet people face to face and little girls looking up to you. A couple parents thanked me for being great role models and look up to me. It puts everything into perspective and how we have to be a good role model for these girls because you never know who is watching.

"I can relate to them, it takes me back when I used to watch UConn back in the day and try to get autographs from Diana or Sue."

Doty said she is feeling fine and her lack of offense in recent games is not of concern to her. As the point guard, she is content throwing the ball to the frontcourt of Tina Charles, Maya Moore and Kalana Greene.

She said she understands why Auriemma is being cautious with her, limiting her time in both practice and games. Doty played just 15 minutes against Rutgers and 18 against West Virginia because she has been bothered by some swelling in her surgically-repaired knee.

"I respect that because it is a long season and you want to make sure everything is going well but once I get in the game, I am feeling great," Doty said. "I don't feel like I am missing that much if he is holding me back, he is making the right moves obviously because Kelly (Faris) had a great second half against West Virginia. You have to (understand) what he is trying to do because in the long run, he is going to know what is best. Hopefully I will be on the court come tournament time and make plays."

UConn seniors Kaili McLaren and Jacquie Fernandes have been given hand-held cameras to shoot footage for four upcoming "day in a life" type of segments which will run on ESPNU.

With starting point guard Caroline Doty being held out of the second half of Monday's practice - which happens to be the portion the media was able to sit in on - because the medical staff thought it was be a good idea to give her surgically-repaired knee a break and Lorin Dixon also playing sparingly when I was out there, it was pretty interesting to see what the UConn coaching staff had up its sleeve.

Kelly Faris looked really comfortable at the point, more at ease with the ball than at any other time I have seen her play or practice this season. Kalana Greene also spent some time with the ball in her hands at the top of the key. Tiffany Hayes was the last of the trio to run the offense during the final drill of the day leading me to believe that the staff believes Hayes is better served playing on the wing.

I spoke to Tiffany after practice about a few topics including the reunion with her former AAU teammates April Sykes, Chelsey Lee and Erica Wheeler, who all play for Rutgers as well as the peaks and valleys she has endured shooting the ball as a sophomore. In the last eight games she has scored in double figures three tiimes but scored two of fewer points four times.

"It has been more up and down than I would like but I continue to work on that, work on my shot daily," Hayes said. "I was hitting them today in practice so hopefully that rubs off and I am able to hit them in the game."

Hayes said she has noticed a big difference in the way opposing teams play her this season after her impressive performance in the 2009 NCAA tournament.

"I hear teams all the time when we play them this year say 'shooter, shooter.' Last year I did not hear that once until maybe the (NCAA) tournament," Hayes said. "In the past, I would hear 'you've got No. 3.' This year I hear more of 'shooter, shooter.' I am glad I am getting a lot more respect this year, I just have to step up and knock down the shots."

Just an update that the Feb. 13 St. John's game at Gampel Pavilion, which I reported a while back could very well be a sellout, has not yet sold out. Before that game, Tina Charles will be inducted into the Huskies of Honor. Just a reminder to those interested in such things that the "Senior Night" festivities will be held at the XL Center for the second straight season. Kalana Greene, Charles, Meghan Gardler, Kaili McLaren and Jacquie Fernandes will be honored before the Feb. 27 game against Georgetown.

Not certain if any recruits will be on hand tomorrow night but I feel pretty confident in reporting that Betnijah Laney out of Smyrna (Del.) High will not be in attendance. The 6-foot Laney who is being heavily - and I do mean heavily - recruited by both Rutgers and UConn and her Smyrna team has a home game against Polytech HS.

UConn senior center Tina Charles will join the UConn greats where a banner with her No. 31 is unveiled as part of the Huskies of Honor program before the Feb. 13 game against St. John's, which is also the last game of the season at Gampel Pavilion.

Charles will join her former teammate Renee Montgomery to become the only active player to be so honored.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma believes that Charles has earned the chance for this prestigious honor.

"Tina is a great kid, the kind of kid you want on your team, a great teammate, a super human being who I always thought always needed a little bit of a kick in the butt every day in practice to reach her potential and hopefully she understands," Auriemma said. "Whether it was the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do, she is going to get exactly what she came to Connecticut for and she is going to down in history as maybe the leading scorer and leading rebounder and who knows (what else)."

Charles and fellow seniors Kalana Greene, Kaili McLaren, Meghan Gardler and Jacquie Fernandes will be honored on "Senior Night" before the Feb. 27 game against Georgetown at the XL Center.

From the what's in a name department, I discovered two summers ago when I was out to the USA Basketball junior national team trials that Notre Dame freshman guard Skylar Diggins' mother's maiden name is Renee Montgomery. When I spoke to Skylar and her mom when UConn was still looking at Diggins, I thought that was a tid bit that might be of interest to the UConn faithful.

For some reason, this year's Cincinnati/UConn game is creating more of a buzz than the last couple of meetings. I'm not sure but it could have something to do with the fact that former UConn player and assistant coach Jamelle Elliott and not J. Kelley Hall is calling the shots.

Elliott is set to dine with Geno Auriemma and his wife Kathy tonight and figures to receive a warm welcome from the UConn faithful for her 16 seasons either as a player or coach at UConn.

"I know they are going to welcome her, it is probably going to be a standing ovation when she comes in and rightfully so," UConn senior forward Kaili McLaren said. "She has been here for half of her life so her coming here and coaching here, it is just going to be crazy."

Speaking of McLaren, she is expecting to play after missing the last game with an injured ankle.

Auriemma - Geno and not Kathy - was mic'd up at practice because there was a crew from ESPN on hand to get some shots of UConn's practice as well as film a promo which will run on the ESPN stations leading up to the first ESPN GameDay women's basketball broadcast on Jan. 16 when Notre Dame plays at UConn. The game is nearing a sellout but is not completely sold out yet. That could happen as soon as tomorrow. Saturday's North Carolina game is a sell out while tickets are going fast for the Feb. 13 game against St. John's.

A recruiting source indicated that Auriemma was out watching Christ the King's Bria Smith play recently. Also, highly-touted junior guard Ariel Massengale out of Bolingbrook, Ill., is expected to be in attendance at Saturday's UConn/North Carolina game.

Finally, UConn signed a contract for a home and home series with Baylor beginning next season with a game at either Gampel Pavilion or the XL Center with UConn playing at Baylor in the 2011-12 season. UConn officials refused to comment on the series because Baylor has yet to return a signed contract. It should happen and a national-television audience will be treated to a showdown of two of the nation's best players in UConn forward Maya Moore and Baylor's 6-foot-8 freshman Brittney Griner. Just imagine if it ends up being the first game of the season and if you happen to be incoming freshmen Stefanie Dolson, Michala Johnson and Samarie Walker or Heather Buck, who will be the only returning true post player, drawing the assignment of slowing down the dynamic Griner.

It seemed a bit odd watching South Florida, normally one of the nation's highest scoring teams, contest to milk the shot clock. Shortening the game was the only way South Florida coach Jose Fernandez thought he could play with the Huskies. Considering how young the Bulls are in the backcourt, it's easy to understand his decision.

I made it a point of asking Fernandez if it is difficult watching a local kid like Tiffany Hayes go off for 22 points against his team. He spoke in glowing terms about Hayes, a player he recruited.

"We recruited Tiffany for a long time," Fernandez said. "I have seen her play since middle school but it is tough to turn down the best team in the country and the playing time she was going to get, the opportunity to win national championships."

I asked Fernandez what he remembered about Hayes, especially the first couple of times he saw her play.

"She played hard, she made plays, she is athletic and played with poise. She is not scared to take the big shot. Not only that, look at what she did lat year as a freshmen when there were some injuries and the amount of time that she played, she's not scared to take big shots and make them."

A few notes from the game:
Maya Moore passed Shea Ralph for the No. 10 spot on UConn's career scoring list and greeting the accomplishment with an indifferent shrug which is no surprise to those who know her.

Kaili McLaren turned an ankle in Sunday's practice and did not play. She spent part of the first half having UConn training Rosemary Ragle working on the ankle leading to the thought that she might get into the game in the second half. She did not.

Caroline Doty was iffy to play because of the flu but toughed it out and played 14 minutes.


Now it is time for the hype to begin for Thursday's game against Cincinnati which will feature the return of former star forward and long-time assistant coach Jamelle Elliott to Gampel Pavilion - this time on the opposing squad.

A few thoughts about UConn's 80-68 win over previously undefeated Stanford.

First, you can't help but be impressed by UConn outrebounding a bigger Stanford team by 14.

Second, when UConn had it going in transition, there's not a heck of a lot you can do. The second-half runs, whether you want to count the 17-3 one of perhaps the 30-6 outburst was classic UConn with playing flying up and down the floor, filling the lanes and scoring at will. It's still early but I can't see any teams running with UConn. The Huskies are just too athletic and skilled at too many different positions.

Third, Kelly Faris lived up to her advanced billing as a cool customer. Sophomores Tiffany Hayes and Caroline Doty seemed to get caught up in the big game atmosphere - Tiffany for the first half and Caroline for the entire game but Faris was rock solid. It isn't often that a freshman can settle a team down but Faris managed to do that when she came into the game in the first half. Her defense was a major reason why UConn ran by Stanford in the second half. It was a good thing that Faris came to play because seniors Kaili McLaren and Meghan Gardler were non factors.

Finally, I was most disappointing in Stanford senior Jayne Appel's lack of a sense of urgency. When things were getting away from the Cardinal, I never got the feeling that Appel was ready to take charge. I know she is still coming back from offseason knee surgery but I don't think it is too much to ask a senior All-American to exert her will on a game when things are going poorly and she just did not do that.

A couple of footnotes:
UConn junior guard Lorin Dixon made her season debut after missing the first nine games with a strained left hamstring. She came into the game with 4:51 to play but only played 51 seconds.

I got the chance to interview Stacy Hansmeyer, Paige Sauer and Kennitra Johnson, who were among the players on hand from the 1999-2000 team which was inducted into the Huskies of Honor. I wish we had more time to speak to more of them.

The Jan. 9 North Carolina game is now a sellout and the Jan. 16 game against Notre Dame is fast approaching a sellout.

I'm in my first year as a voter on the Associated Press poll and I am going on the record as saying I will not be dropping Stanford out of the No. 2 spot when I submit my ballot on Sunday night.

Now comes the fun part.

After watching their team dismantle overmatched teams like Northeastern, Hofstra and most recently Iona, the UConn faithful finally get to see their Huskies get tested when second-ranked Stanford faces No. 1 Connecticut on Wednesday at the XL Center.

When I went to the Nov. 19 Yale/Arizona State game to write about the close friendship between Yale coach Chris Gobrecht and Charli Turner Thorne, her Arizona State counterpart, I took the opportunity to ask Charli about the UConn/Stanford matchup.

Considering that her Arizona State team played UConn in the 2009 NCAA tournament, is in the Pac-10 with Stanford and that she coached UConn's Tina Charles, Maya Moore (who missed the actual tournament but went through training camp) and Tiffany Hayes and Stanford's Jeanette Pohlen and Kayla Pedersen as the head coach of the U.S. team which won the World University Games, I thought she would be a good person to provide a scouting report.

Bear in mind that it was mid-November when I spoke to her and much has changed but here is what she had to say

"UConn without Renee Montgomery, I think that is kind of the question mark. That leadership is hard to replace, that is another great perimeter shooter, that creator and how she run the show. I think depending on how they develop (a point guard) ... UConn's got Tina but Stanford's got Jayne Appel, Nneka (Ogwumike), Kayla, Joslyn Tinkle. I don't know if Geno is going to use his bench more, Stanford might have a little edge on depth and UConn might have a little more star power. That is going to be a great game."

Ironically, when Stanford beat Tennessee the Cardinal only played seven players and Tinkle only played seven minutes. I would consider Lorin Dixon iffy to go but still expect the Huskies to go eight deep with Kelly Faris, Meghan Gardler and Kaili McLaren coming off the bench for the Huskies.

There was no announcement when Tina Charles moved by her former position coach Jamelle Elliott and into second place on UConn's career scoring list midway through the first half in Thursday's 84-42 victory over Vermont.

But Charles could be making her own pronouncement when she gives Elliott, in the midst of her first season as the head coach at Cincinnati, a ring.

"I will probably call her and tell her and she will probably be upset," said Charles, who has 1,059 career rebounds. "It is a great feeling (especially since) Coach (Geno Auriemma) is always telling me I can't rebound."

Auriemma has prodded and pushed Charles to be as dominant a defensive rebounder as she was on the offensive end. It should be noted that the rebound moving her by Elliott was a defensive one.

"I've always said that if Tina applied herself and set her mind to it, she could break every record that there is at Connecticut - scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, whatever she wants to do," Auriemma said. "If you lined up Tina and Jamelle, put them together and brought down a man from Mars down here and say 'Ok, who just passed who?' They'd go 'who?' They may have the same (numbers) but there are two entirely different people.

DOTY KNOCKED WOOZY
The two biggest hits came when UConn's Caroline Doty's head hit the floor late in the first half and when Vermont guard May Kotsopoulos ran head long into a mid-court pick set by Kaili McLaren.

Auriemma showed Doty little sympathy when she walked off the court with him after getting injured or in the post-game press conference.

"They said she landed right on her head," Auriemma said. "To me that is God's way of telling her 'what the (heck) are you doing driving in there with five people standing in the lane. Maya just just threw you the ball in the middle of the floor. Maya's running the lane, Maya just threw it to you and that is two of our players. Where are the other three?' Well, one was running this lane, one was running that lane and the other was trailing on this side. So rather than catching the ball and saying I just got it from here and let me fire it over here and we get a layup or jump shot, no I think we will go this way and drive it through three people and as God read the play, he said 'I'm going to knock you on your (butt)."

The win was UConn's 46th in a row, tying the 1996-98 Tennessee for the third longest in Division I women's basketball history.

Getting teams which not only have the opening for a three-game tournament but also would bypass trips to exotic locations like Cancun and the U.S. Virgin Islands to head to Storrs isn't the easy task in the world. Add in the fact that teams aren't exactly to lining up a UConn team which could have the next two overall No.1 WNBA draft picks and there are no ranked teams joining the top-ranked Huskies.

But it should be noted that Clemson, Hofstra and Richmond are a combined 7-2 (not including Clemson's game against Kennesaw State tonight).

Here's the schedule of the six games being played at Gampel Pavilion between Friday and Sunday

Friday
Clemson vs. Richmond, 5 p.m.
Hofstra vs. UConn, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday
Clemson vs. Hofstra, 5 p.m.
Richmond vs. UConn, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday
Hofstra vs. Richmond, 2 p.m.
Clemson vs. UConn, 4:30 p.m.

Now here's a synopsis of the three visiting teams
CLEMSON (2-1 not including game against Kennesaw State)
Lele Hardy is a 5-foot-10 senior guard closing in on Clemson's record for career steals and is closing in on the 1,200-point mark. One of 50 players named to the Naismith Trophy preseason watch list, Hardy is averaging 16.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals in the first three games of the season. She is one of three Tigers averaging more than 10 points a game while point guard Keyrra Gillespie averaged 9.3 points, 7.3 assists and 37 minutes in the first three games.

Clemson's win over South Carolina is the best result of the season among the three other teams coming to Storrs.

HOFSTRA (2-0)
Shante Evans (14 points, 8.5 rebounds) leads four players in double figures. Unlike the first three teams UConn has played this season, the Pride does not rely heavily on the 3-point shot. Hofstra has attempted 10 3's and had four of them. Nicole Capurso (3 for 9) has attempted all but one of the treys.

Hofstra has two players who started their careers in the Big East on the roster. Asia Jenkins went to Cincinnati as a freshman but did not play while Marie Malone had 10 points and 11 rebounds in 13 games for West Virginia in the 2007-08 season.

RICHMOND (3-1)
The Spiders' best player is a high-scoring Delaware native (and UConn fans seem to love their high-scoring Delaware natives) Brittani Shells, a junior guard from Camden, Delaware who is averaging 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds with 12 assists and 10 steals.

From the familiar name department, I bring you Crystal Goring, the younger sister of one-time UConn recruit Gillian Goring. While Gillian never played a game at Gampel Pavilion, Crystal will get that chance.

Staying on the subject of ex-Connecticut recruits, former UConn forward/center Kristen Phillips, who came in with the same class as Tina Charles, Kaili McLaren, Meghan Gardler and Jacquie Fernandes before transferring to Richmond, will not play this season because she is still being bothered by a foot injury.

Senior forward Kaili McLaren is considered probable to play on Tuesday against Texas. An MRI on her injured right foot showed no structural damage and she is diagnosed with a "sore right foot" according to an update I just received. She is listed as day to day.

McLaren injured her foot in practice on Friday and did not play in Saturday's season-opening 105-35 win over Northeastern.