In their first round matchup in the NCAA tournament, the UCONN women had no problems getting past UMBC as they defeated them by a final score of 82-33. UCONN had five people score in double figures, led by Renee Montgomery's 19 points. Charde Houston added 15 points while Kalana Greene and Ketia Swanier chipped in 12 points each. Tina Charles rounded out the Huskies in double figures with 10 points. UMBC was led by Brittnie Hughes who had 9 points. no comments

The UCONN Women will open up their bid for the NCAA Championship in Hartford vs UMBC (University of Maryland at Baltimore County) on Sunday night. If they win that game, they would face the winner of New Mexico/Wisc. Green Bay. The game is at 9:00 PM and will be televised on ESPN. Since there is a game at 7:00 in Hartford, I'd say the start time is more likely 9:30. Good luck to the Huskies in their bid for the title. no comments

The Big East awards were announced on Tuesday night and the All-Conference teams were announced on Monday. UCONN placed 3 players on the teams. Mr. Everything, Jeff Adrien was named to the 2nd team while Jerome Dyson and Hasheem Thabeet were named to the All-Freshman team. Here is a look at the awards and All-Conference teams:

2006-07 BIG EAST AWARDS Player of the Year Jeff Green, Georgetown Coach of the Year Mike Brey, Notre Dame Rookie of the Year Scottie Reynolds, Villanova Defensive Player of the Year Jerel McNeal, Marquette Most Improved Player Herbert Hill, Providence Sportsmanship Award Brandon Jenkins, Louisville

2006-07 All-BIG EAST First Team *Jeff Green, Georgetown, Jr., 6-9, 235, Hyattsville, Md. *Roy Hibbert, Georgetown, Jr., 7-2, 283, Adelphi, Md. Dominic James, Marquette, So., 5-11, 175, Richmond, Ind. Russell Carter, Notre Dame, Sr., 6-4, 220, Paulsboro, N.J. Colin Falls, Notre Dame, Sr., 6-5, 200, Park Ridge, Ill. *Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh, Sr., 7-0, 270, Emmaus, Pa. *Herbert Hill, Providence, Sr. 6-10, 240, Kinston, N.C. Lamont Hamilton, St. John’s, Sr., 6-10, 255, Brooklyn, N.Y. *Demetris Nichols, Syracuse, Sr., 6-8, 212, Boston, Mass. Curtis Sumpter, Villanova, Sr., 6-7, 225, Brooklyn, N.Y. Frank Young, West Virginia, Sr., 6-5, 215, Tallahassee, Fla. 2006-07 All-BIG EAST Second Team Jeff Adrien, Connecticut, So., 6-7, 238, Brookline, Mass. Wilson Chandler, DePaul, So. 6-8, 210, Benton Harbor, Mich. Sammy Mejia, DePaul, Sr., 6-6, 195, Bronx, N.Y. David Padgett, Louisville, Jr., 6-11, 250, Reno, Nev. Terrence Williams, Louisville, So., 6-6, 220, Seattle, Wash. Jerel McNeal, Marquette, So., 6-3, 185, Chicago, Ill. Levance Fields, Pittsburgh, So., 5-10, 190, Brooklyn, N.Y. Brian Laing, Seton Hall, Jr., 6-5, 215, Bronx, N.Y. Kentrell Gransberry, USF, Jr., 6-9, 270, Baton Rouge, La. Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, Fr., 6-2, 195, Herndon, Va. 2006-07 All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Draelon Burns, DePaul, Jr., 6-4, 220, Milwaukee, Wis. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown, Jr., 6-1, 188, Harvest, Ala. Geoff McDermott, Providence, So., 6-7, 240, New Rochelle, N.Y. Sharaud Curry, Providence, So., 5-10, 165, Gainesville, Ga. McHugh Mattis, USF, Sr., 6-6, 190, North Lauderdale, Fla. Eric Devendorf, Syracuse, So., 6-4, 175, Bay City, Mich. Mike Nardi, Villanova, Sr. 6-2, 170, Linden, N.J. BIG EAST All-Rookie Team Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati, Fr., 6-1, 200, Indianapolis, Ind. *Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, Fr., 6-3, 190, Rockville, Md. Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut, Fr., 7-3, 255, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania DaJuan Summers, Georgetown, Fr., 6-8, 235, Baltimore, Md. Edgar Sosa, Louisville, Fr., 6-2, 170, New York, N.Y. Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, Fr., 6-8, 250, Schererville, Ind. Tory Jackson, Notre Dame, Fr., 5-10, 185, Saginaw, Mich. *Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall, Fr., 6-0, 165, Brooklyn, N.Y. Paul Harris, Syracuse, Fr., 6-5, 228, Niagara Falls, N.Y. *Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, Fr., 6-2, 195, Herndon, Va. Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia, Fr., 6-7, 205, Newark, N.J. *denotes unanimous selection Technorati: Big East, Men's Basketball no comments

A 17-4 run by the Rutgers Scarlet Knights propelled them to a 55-47 victory over the UCONN women to give them their first Big East Tournament crown. This marks the fourth straight time that the regular season champ hasn't won the postseason tournament title. It also ended UCONN's 15 game winning streak. Essence Carson led the way for the Scarlet Knights with 15 points. Matee Ajavon had 11 points and Kia Vaughn had 10 points. For UCONN, they were led by Charde Houston, who had 12 points. Renee Montgomery had 11 points while Tina Charles and Mel Thomas both added 8 points. Notes and Observations:

• The starting five was Montgomery, Thomas, Greene, Charles, and Houston.
• Charles spent the last 10 minutes of the first half with her ass planted on the bench because she got into foul trouble. Of the Huskies who saw significant time in this game, she shot the best making 3 of her 4 shots.
• After scoring 20 points in the semifinals, Greene didn't have one of her better games. She was 3 of 10 from the floor and finished with 6 points. She did have 10 rebounds.
• Ajavon of Rutgers was a ballhog during the game. She was 4 of 22 from the floor.
• UCONN as a team shot 20 of 58 (34%) from the floor. Rutgers wasn't much better as they were 20 of 60 (33%).
• UCONN committed 17 turnovers and Rutgers converted those into 23 points.
• UCONN only got to the line 4 times, making all 4 of them. Coach Geno Auriemma had said for them to beat Rutgers, they had to get to the free throw line and not commit turnovers. As evidenced from the stat sheet, this wasn't the case.
• Greene, Montgomery, and Houston were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Just a really poor effort by the Huskies tonight. They had no offensive flow at all. They didn't get to the line, they couldn't hit a shot to save their lives. To me, it is probably a good thing that they lost now because it will make them more focused as they try to reach their goal of winning the NCAA championship. I don't expect this loss to hurt the Huskies chances of being a number 1 seed in the NCAA's. They should still get a #1 seed and will most likely open up the 1st and 2nd round at the Hartford Civic Center. Technorati: UCONN Huskies, Geno Auriemma, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Big East Conference no comments

Kalana Greene led three UCONN Huskies in double figures on Monday night as they defeated the Louisville Cardinals 76-50 in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament in Hartford. Greene had 20 points on 10 of 13 shooting while Renee Montgomery added 14 points. Charde Houston had another double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds and Ketia Swanier had 9 points and 6 assists. Angel McCoughtry and Michelle Pointdexter both had 9 points to lead the Cardinals. McCoughtry, the reigning Big East Player of the Year spent most of the game in foul trouble and eventually fouled out. Once again, the game was only televised on ESPNU and if you are like most of us in Connecticut, you had to listen to the game on WTIC 1080 AM. Don't fret though Husky fans, you will be able to watch them play on Tuesday night when they face Rutgers. The game will be on espn2 and starts at 7:00 PM. Technorati: UCONN Huskies, Geno Auriemma, Big East Conference, Louisville Cardinals no comments

Charde Houston and Tina Charles both had double-doubles to lead 4 players in double figures, as the UCONN Huskies beat up on the South Florida Bulls by the final score of 74-54 in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. Houston had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists while Charles contributed 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. Kalana Greene had 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting and Renee Montgomery added 10 points for the Huskies. Jessica Dickson led the Bulls with 18 points, while ChiChi Okpaleke had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Nalini Miller chipped in with 10 for the Bulls as well. UCONN now moves on to the semifinals to take on the Louisville Cardinals at 6:00 PM on Monday night. The game will be televised on ESPNU so if your like most of us here in Connecticut, your SOL on watching it. no comments

Roy Hibbert's double-double led 4 Georgetown Hoyas in double figures as the Hoyas defeated UCONN 59-46 to clinch at least a share of the regular season Big East Championship. Hibbert had 18 points and 11 rebounds to along with 3 blocked shots to lead the Hoyas. Jeff Green added 12 points, Patrick Ewing, Jr. added 12 points and Jonathan Wallace rounded out the Hoyas in double figures with 10 points. For UCONN, they were once again led by Jeff Adrien with 17 points and Jerome Dyson added 9 points. Notes and Observations:

• The starters were Price, Dyson, Robinson, Thabeet and Adrien.
• Dyson struggled again from the floor shooting only 4 of 13 from the floor.
• Thabeet saw what it was like to against a big man with talent as Hibbert just totally owned him during the game.
• Craig Austrie played 19 minutes but I swear I didn't see him out there at all. Probably because he really didn't do anything.
• Price struggled as well from the floor shooting 1 of 6. I really think that next year, he will be much better after having a full season under his belt after missing two years.
• This was Georgetown's first win against UCONN since February 3, 1997 when they defeated UCONN 52-51, a dtreak that spanned 11 games before this victory.
• UCONN was 7 of 12 from the line. It's not like those 5 misses really mattered in this game.
• UCONN only had 3 assists in the game versus 15 turnovers. That is atrocious having only 3 assists.

With the loss, UCONN falls to 17-13 (6-10 in the Big East). Next up is a undetermined opponent at an undetermined time on Wednesday in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Those games will be on the ESPN family of networks and also available online at ESPN360. UPDATE 3/4: UCONN will play Syracuse on Wednesday March 7th at 2:00 PM. The game will be televised on ESPN. no comments

On Friday night in Hartford, the Big East Conference announced the regular season awards for women's basketball. Even though UCONN finished 16-0 during the regular season they only won one of the 8 awards. Tina Charles was named Big East Freshman of the Year. It marks the second straight year that a UCONN player has won the award. Renee Montgomery won it last year. Surprisingly enough, UCONN only managed to place one person on the Big East First Team. That was Montgomery. However 3 UCONN players made the Second Team as Charles, Kalana Greene and Charde Houston were picked. Charles and fellow frosh Kaili McLaren made the Big East All Freshman Team. I really hope Charles brought an extra bag with her as she took home a lot of hardware. The good thing about this team is that they don't really care about individual awards. Their number one goal is winning the NCAA Championship. Here is a look at all the winners: BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Angel McCoughtry, Louisville (So.) BIG EAST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Tina Charles, Connecticut (Fr.) BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR - Terri Mitchell, Marquette (11th season) BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Essence Carson, Rutgers (Jr.) BIG EAST MOST IMPROVED PLAYER - Shavonte Zellous, Pittsburgh (So.) BIG EAST SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD - Jenna Rubino, DePaul (Sr.) BIG EAST/AÉROPOSTALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE - Jenna Rubino, DePaul (Sr.) Continue reading to see the Big East All-Conference Teams.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Name	School	Class	Position	Hometown
Charel Allen	Notre Dame	Jr.	G	Monessen, Pa.
Essence Carson	Rutgers	Jr.	G	Paterson, N.J.
Jessica Dickson	USF	Sr.	F	Ocala, Fla.
Krystal Ellis	Marquette	So.	G	Racine, Wis.
Angel McCoughtry	Louisville	So.	F	Baltimore, Md.
Renee Montgomery	Connecticut	So.	G	St. Albans, W.Va.
Christina Quaye	Marquette	Sr.	F	Chicago, Ill.
Olayinka Sanni	West Virginia	Jr.	C	Chicago Heights, Ill.
Kia Vaughn	Rutgers	So.	C	Bronx, N.Y.
Marcedes Walker	Pittsburgh	Jr.	C	Philadelphia, Pa.
Shavonte Zellous	Pittsburgh	So.	G	Orlando, Fla.
ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Name	School	Class	Position	Hometown
Matee Ajavon	Rutgers	Jr.	G	Newark, N.J.
Tina Charles	Connecticut	Fr.	C	Jamaica, N.Y.
Shantia Grace	USF	So.	G	Sarasota, Fla.
Kalana Greene	Connecticut	So.	G	Saint Stephens, S.C.
Charde Houston	Connecticut	Jr.	F	San Diego, Calif.
Chelsea Marandola	Providence	So.	G	Johnston, R.I.
Kieraah Marlow	Georgetown	Jr.	F	Coatesville, Pa.
LaQuita Owens	West Virginia	Jr.	G	Charlotte, N.C.
Allie Quigley	DePaul	Jr.	G	Joliet, Ill.
Kia Wright	St. John's	R-Jr.	G	Copiague, N.Y.
HONORABLE MENTION
Name	School	Class	Position	Hometown
Chakhia Cole	West Virginia	Jr.	F	Marlboro, N.J.
Jazz Covington	Louisville	Sr.	C	Adel, Ga.
Monique McLean	St. John's	So.	G	Newport News, Va.
Nicole Michael	Syracuse	Fr.	G/F	Queens, N.Y.
Elizbieta Mukosiej	Seton Hall	Jr.	G	Bilystok, Poland
Caprice Smith	DePaul	Jr.	F	Maywood, Ill.
ALL-BIG EAST FRESHMAN TEAM^
Name	School	Class	Position	Hometown
Ashley Barlow	Notre Dame	Fr.	G	Indianapolis, Ind.
Tina Charles	Connecticut	Fr.	C	Jamaica, N.Y.
Kendria Holmes	Providence	Fr.	G	Charlotte, N.C.
Carla Jacobs	Cincinnati	Fr.	G	Cleveland, Ohio
Melissa Lechlitner	Notre Dame	Fr.	G	Mishawaka, Ind.
Kaili McLaren	Connecticut	Fr.	F	Washington, D.C.
Nicole Michael	Syracuse	Fr.	G/F	Queens, N.Y.
Epiphanny Prince	Rutgers	Fr.	G	Brooklyn, N.Y.
Brittany Ray	Rutgers	Fr.	G	Bronx, N.Y.
Jania Sims	Pittsburgh	Fr.	G	Newark, N.J.
Erica Williamson	Notre Dame	Fr.	C	Charlotte, N.C.
^ - An extra member has been added to the All-Freshman Team due to a tie in voting

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With the Big East Conference awards ceremony on the horizon Friday night, I thought I would go ahead and announced my awards for the UCONN team this season. The categories I have are Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player. So on to the awards. Player of the Year: For the Player of the Year, I feel as though there are many fine candidates in Tina Charles, Charde Houston, Renee Montgomery, Mel Thomas, and Kalana Greene. So I made the easiest decision possible I could. Since those 5 were the starting 5 for all most the entire season, I have decided that this particular starting 5 is the Random Thoughts Player of the Year.

The starting five of Montgomery, Thomas, Greene, Charles and Houston all averaged double-figures this season. Montgomery led the way with a 13.1 ppg avg, Charles was next at 12.8 ppg, then Greene at 12.3, Houston at 12.2 and Thomas finished with an 11.2 ppg. The last UCONN team to do that was the 2001-2002 team which capped a perfect season with a National Championship. Rookie of the Year: This one is pretty much a no-brainer as no other freshman saw as much as time as Tina Charles. At times, she showed some inexperience during the season as she seemed to disappear at times. But down the stretch, she was one of the main reasons why UCONN finished on a 13 game winning streak heading into the Big East Tournament. For the season, Charles averaged 12.8 pts, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. Odds are Charles will win the Big East Rookie of the Year as well. Most Improved: After playing in 35 of the 37 games last season, starting in three of them, Kalana Greene moved into the starting lineup full-time this season. Her offensive numbers were vastly improved this season from last year. Last season, she averaged 4.2 ppg and only averaged 13.5 minutes. This season was a totally different story. She averaged 28.8 minutes a game while finishing with a 12.3 pts per game average. At times during the season, she was a force to be reckoned with, just dominating on both ends of the court. She is my favorite to win the Big East's Most Improved Player as well. A great season for the Huskies this year. The only thing that will make this season perfect is a National Championship. Good luck to the girls in that quest. no comments

I was perusing ESPN.com last night and came across this article about Charlie Villanueva. Now I will be honest with you, I thought the reason he was bald was because he shaved his head. But that's not the case as Villanueva suffers from alopecia universalis. Alopecia areata (al-oh-PEE-shah air-ee-AH-tah) is a highly unpredictable, autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body as defined by the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. It affects only 1.7% percent of the population. Basically what happens is the white blood cells attack the hair follicles causing hair loss in spots. It usually starts out as spots before turning to complete hair loss. Villanueva was diagnosed with alopecia at the age of 10 and was bald by the age of the 12. Because he was bald at such a young age, he was constantly picked on and ridiculed. This only made him stronger and he took out his frustrations on the basketball court. He was drafted in the 1st round as the 7th pick overall out of the University of Connecticut by the Toronto Raptors. After one season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He is now the national spokesman for the NAAF and also has his own foundation (Charlie Villanueva Foundation), which is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating bullying through programs focused on outlets of self-expression and growth. He also does something called "Charlie's Road Angels Program" which encourages youths affected by the disease to attend games in their towns. For all the bad news we see about the athletes, it is really nice to see a good story about an athlete. I highly encourage you to read the article. Here is the link. Technorati: Charlie Villanueva, Alopecia no comments