Posts Tagged ‘UConn’

Conference realignment may be picking up once again. On Sunday, CBS Sports’ Brett McMurphy reported that informal discussions were taking place between VCU, George Mason, and the Atlantic 10 conference for a possible move in 2013. VCU and Mason, of course, have both made the final four in the [admittedly infrequent] years that the CAA has received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament. Adding to the fodder was Duquesne’s president, after firing coach Ron Everhart:

Duquesne president Charles J. Dougherty mentioned the A-10′s plans for expansion in an email he sent to his board of trustees explaining his decision to fire basketball coach Ron Everhart. The email was obtained by CBSSports.com. “The A10 conference itself is on the verge of a major improvement with the addition of new high quality university programs,” Dougherty wrote. “All of this amounts to an exciting professional opportunity for a new coach.”

On Wednesday, news broke that Georgia State was in discussions with the Sun Belt conferencel. The move would be primarily motivated by GSU’s football program, which since its inception has been thought of as leverage for GSU to move to an FBS-participating conference. A move, reported by McMurphy, would come as early as 2013.

The Sun Belt is strongly considering extending an invitation to Georgia State and the parties have had informal discussions. An invitation could occur in the coming weeks with Georgia State a possibility to be added to the league as early as 2013, sources said.

While Georgia State would compress the conference’s geographic spread, the loss of VCU and Mason on the basketball side would be seismic shifts for competitiveness in the league. Adding to the unease is the sense that Old Dominion and James Madison are beefing up football programs, aiming at the FBS. While most of the discussion is conjecture and speculation, it’s a fascinating glimpse at conference realignment which is still unfolding. Mike Litos, as always, has a calm and reasoned discussion about why a move from VCU and Mason won’t come for at least another few months.

Hockey got a dose of realignment talk on Wednesday as well. UConn, which had recently hired a consultant to evaluate its hockey program, is reportedly applying to become Hockey East’s 12th team in 2013, as reported by College Hockey News:

Connecticut is believed to be the first choice among a large majority of the conference’s athletic directors. It is a natural fit because it is a state school in New England, a la Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Mass.-Lowell and Vermont. And Connecticut’s women’s program currently plays in Hockey East.

A 12th team would move the number of conference game to 22 (teams would play each other twice each season), increasing the non-league games by 5. UConn’s main hurdle is its arena: they currently play at the small Frietas Ice Forum, which holds less than 2,000 spectators, inadequate for Hockey East’s arena standards.

WRBB Sports Basketball, Football, Hockey CAA, George Mason, Georgia State, Hockey East, UConn, VCU

Monday, October 31

7:00 p.m. – CAA Full Court Press

Thursday, November 3

9:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week

Friday, October 4

3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound

6:45 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at Merrimack College Warriors
from Thom J. Lawler Arena in North Andover, Mass.
with Ben Horner and Alex Faust

7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Hockey: Huskies vs. UConn Huskies
from Matthews Arena
with Andy Towne
Available on WRBB Sports Extra

Saturday, October 5

6:45 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. Merrimack College Warriors
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and TBA

WRBB Sports Hockey Merrimack, UConn, women's hockey

Monday’s national championship was one of the lowest-quality games we’ve seen for a national title. As such, the headlines were less about the game itself and more about UConn coach Jim Calhoun, his freshman shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, and a connection to other Final Four participant, VCU – all stemming back from Calhoun’s tenure at Northeastern back in the 1980′s.

Setting the scene: Northeastern held a one-point lead over VCU in the final seconds of its second-round game against VCU in the 1984 tournament. New York Times’ Pete Thamel explains the rest in a piece written before this year’s Final Four began:

Rolando Lamb played at Virginia Commonwealth, and his single greatest athletic accomplishment took place in the N.C.A.A. tournament in 1984. His last-second leaner toppled Northeastern, coached by Calhoun. …

The clock read 0:02. The ball was supposed to go to Calvin Duncan, V.C.U.’s best player. With Duncan covered, it went to Lamb, who caught the inbounds, turned, squared and fired in one motion from about 17 feet to the left of the free-throw line.

As the ball went in, Lamb thought: “Don’t get hurt. Dive on the floor and stay still.” Teammates mobbed him.

Jeremy Lamb watched the shot on YouTube, and it took more than one viewing to sink in that his father made it. The clip shows Calhoun, with thicker, darker hair, stunned, walking slowly off the court. He would win two national championships and make 13 trips into the Round of 16. But not in 1984. Not against Rolando Lamb.

Needless to say, with Jeremy Lamb, Rolando’s sun, having been recruited by Calhoun to play at UConn, the connection was getting plenty of attention a a human-interest story leading into the Final Four, and exploded once UConn won the championship on the heels of smooth shooting from the younger Lamb.

As such, plenty of outlets covered the story, one that still stings for older Northeastern alumni who were either alive or present when the elder Lamb put an end to the Huskies’ NCAA tournament in the Meadowlands that fateful night.

Here’s a sampling of the stories out there:

• Associated Press: UConn’s Lamb helping Calhoun forget past
• Buffalo News: Calhoun repaid for ’84 loss
• Houston Chronicle: Lamb emerges as important cog in UConn lineup
• Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot: Connection runs deep for UConn coach, Lamb family
• Los Angeles Times: UConn’s Jeremy Lamb lifts a generation hex on coach Jim Calhoun
• New York Times: Freshman eases the pain his father caused Calhoun

And for those curious, here is the moment that has generated so much interest, yet again:

Alex Faust Basketball UConn, VCU

Basketball provided two more lasting memories in the month of March, concluding Northeastern’s best season in years:

March 6, 2010 – Double-Overtime CAA Quarterfinal

Northeastern and Hofstra tangle in a thrilling CAA quarterfinal matchup that took two overtimes to decide. For the first time under Bill Coen, the Huskies advanced to Sunday night in Richmond.

March 16, 2010 – Back to the NIT

Northeastern returns to the NIT, matching up and almost overcoming UConn, in front of hundreds of students who made the trip south to Storrs, Connecticut.

WRBB Sports Basketball, The Dog Pound CAA, Hofstra, NIT, UConn

Northeastern has a thrilling comeback to take the lead, but falls short at UConn in the opening round of the 2010 NIT, ending the season.

WRBB Sports Basketball, QuickCast NIT, UConn

Tuesday, March 16

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:05 p.m. – Basketball: Huskies at Connecticut Huskies
National Invitation Tournament – Opening Round
from Gampel Pavillion in Storrs, Conn.
with Jason Lavine and Will Klaynman
TV:

Thursday, March 18

8:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week

Friday, March 19

3:00 p.m. – Baseball: Huskies vs. Bryant Bulldogs
from Friedman Diamond at Parsons Field
with Alex Faust and Chris Tramontozzi

Sunday, March 21

Only available on
1:00 p.m. – Baseball: Huskies vs. Bryant Bulldogs
from Friedman Diamond at Parsons Field
with Andy Towne and Aaron Insler

WRBB Sports Baseball, The Dog Pound Bryant, NIT, Quinnipiac, UConn, Virginia Tech

Northeastern learned its postseason fate on Sunday night when it was announced that the team had been selected as a No. 5 seed in the NIT Postseason Tournament. NU will visit the Connecticut Huskies for a first round game on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m., with the game being televised nationally on ESPN2. WRBB Sports will also have live play-by-play coverage of the game beginning at 6:45 p.m.

Northeastern last visited Storrs, Conn. in the 2007-08 season, UConn 69-60.

WRBB Sports Basketball NIT, UConn

>>> In the world of scheduling Northeastern football, flexibility is the name of the game. Michigan and Connecticut have finalized their agreement to play a home-and-home series during the 2010 and 2013 seasons. Their 2010 game will be on September 4th in Ann Arbor, which conflicts with the Northeastern/UConn game scheduled for September 2nd. As a result, NU will play UConn later in the season on October 9th. [Hartford Courant]

>>> A former member of Northeastern’s mens crew team, Will Miller has been named to the U.S. team competing in the World Rowing Championships. [Patriot Ledger]

>>> Ryan Gibbons may make up to $400,000 as a backup with the Dallas Cowboys this season, according to an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. [Via Diehard Dogs on Twitter]

We also see that ESPN released their schedule for College Gameday (the basketball version). Sadly, Northeastern isn’t on the list. However, if it’s any consolation, there will be an ESPN-sponsored Bracketbuster game at Matthews Arena later this year.

WRBB Sports The Dog Pound Alumni, UConn