A daily look at the best in the local sports scene ....


Hillhouse plays host to Wilbur Cross in the first annual Elm City luge competition at Yale Bowl at 4 p.m. Well, they probably could. It might actually be the only thing that would have been played Tuesday.

If, and that's a big if, weather permits, the girls basketball teams from Hamden Hall and Hopkins will play at the Beckerman Center on the campus of Hamden Hall at 4:30 p.m.

Chris Hunn profiles the matchup between Hopkins' Ali Berman and Hamden Hall's Dreisen Heath here

You can also read Heath's girls basketball blog

If you are a student-athlete who competes in a spring sport, or know of someone who might be interested in maintaining a blog for the New Haven Register, please contact Joe Morelli at jmorelli@nhregister.com

Please provide contact information for an English or journalism teacher to use as a reference.

The second part of the Hopkins-Hamden Hall basketball doubleheader would take play at 6:30 p.m. with the boys playing.

The NVL indoor track championships are scheduled for 4:30 at the New  Haven Athletic Center. There are some exceptional competitors in this league from Woodland, Seymour, Holy Cross and Wilby. Those four always seem to have strong showings in state meets.

A daily look at the best of the local sports scene ...

While the focus of this is usually to get people out to watch games in the local area, Monday's best suggestion is to sit in front of the television and watch the second-ranked UConn women's basketball team play host to No. 3 Duke at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

You can follow our own Jim Fuller on twitter during the game at www.twitter.com/nhrjimfuller and read his preview of the game here

Have cabin fever and need to get your hoops fix in person, head out to the TD Bank Sports Center to watch the Quinnipiac women take on St. Francis, Pa. at 7 p.m. Both teams are 7-2 in the NEC, one game behind Robert Morris. Read about the game here

In high school girls basketball, Coginchaug, which leads the Shoreline Large Division at 12-3 overall, 11-2 in league play, travels to Morgan (11-4, 10-3) for a 5 p.m. game. Chris Hunn's girl's basketball notebook this week talks about the Huskies. You can read his notebook here

A daily look at the best on the local sports scene...

Don't make the trip to Hartford for the UConn men's basketball game against Louisville unless you have a ticket or want to buy one on the streets. The game is sold out. But you can watch the No. 5 Huskies take on No. 23 Louisville at noon on SNY.

Read Dave Borges' preview here.

The No. 2 UConn women travel to play Cincinnati at 2 p.m. on CPTV.

Read Jim Fuller's preview here.

Looking ahead to Monday's showdown with Duke, Jim Fuller has an update on tickets here

Well, Justin Rutty is back, and all of a sudden Quinnipiac's men's basketball team (13-7, 5-4) seems ready to be the team to beat in the NEC. The Bobcats play host to St. Francis of Pa. today at 2 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center.
Read Bill Cloutier's game day capsule here

The Quinnipiac women struggled early, going 3-8 out of conference, but the Bobcats are the hottest team in the NEC right now, with a 7-1 conference record and host co-leader Robert Morris at noon at the TD Bank Sports Center. Bill Cloutier wrote a nice feature on Quinnipiac that you can read here.

The Yale women are 3-0 in Ivy League play after defeating Penn and play host to Princeton (2-0 in league play, 13-3 overall) at 7 p.m. Princeton is receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll. But don't forget, Yale topped Florida State when it was ranked in the Top 20 earlier this year.



The Yale men's basketball team, which lost to Penn Friday night, is at Princeton for a 6 p.m. game.
Bill Cloutier's game day capsule for that game can be found here

Both the Yale and Quinnipiac men's hockey teams are on the  road. Yale plays at RPI and Quinnipiac at St. Lawrence. Quinnipiac plays at 4 p.m., Yale at 7 p.m. For listening and viewing options visit http://www.yalebulldogs.com/ and http://www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/

Guilford's John Moffitt, who recently graduated from Wisconsin, will play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
An offensive linemen, he'll be wearing No. 70. UConn's Lawrence Wilson, a linebacker, will be wearing No. 48.  The game is at 3 p.m. on the NFL Network.

Read more about the Senior Bowl here

In high school hockey, No. 3 Hamden plays at No. 4 Notre Dame-West Haven at Bennett Rink at 3:30 p.m.

In AHL hockey, the CT Whale play host to Portland at 7 p.m.

Greg Langston's buzzer-beating shots against St. Rose and Merrimack have found their way on YouTube and are worth checking out.

Here's the link

The second one is pretty funny. You can hear the emotion of the videographer when the shot is made. I love the fact the kid in street clothes doesn't just jump on the pile the first time, but after he rolls off, leaps up again.

Both of Langston's shots were impressive however. Not the 70-foot variety, but clutch, knowing where you are on the court and how much time you have left types of shots.

Both the Yale and Quinnipiac men's hockey teams are on the road this weekend, but the Quinnipiac women, ranked No. 10 nationally, are home, with a game against Clarkson Friday at 7. Quinnipiac is 16-8-1. If you have not had a chance to get to the TD Bank Sports Center, it's a very impressive place.

If you enjoy track and field events, the New Haven Athletic Center on Sherman Avenue is the place to be starting at 4 p.m., with three SCC Division indoor track meets on tap: Quinnipiac, Hammonasset and Oronoque. The Athletic Center plays host to every major meet in the state, and with good reason.

The Yale women's basketball team tries to improve to 3-0 in Ivy League play when it plays host to Penn at 7 p.m. at the Lee Amphitheater at Payne Whitney. A win Friday would set up quite a showdown with Princeton (12-3, 1-0). Don't forget Yale topped a top 25 team earlier in the year in Florida State.

Looking for something different, Yale plays host to Princeton and Harvard in men's swimming at the Kiphuth Exhibition Pool at Payne Whitney starting at 6 p.m.. You can even double up with women's basketball. The pool was built in 1932. It has 2,187 seats. When you walk in you are in awe. Here's a link to more information on the facility. It might not be something you think about, but if you live in the area, it's one of those places that's worth the trip at least once.

If you're looking for a road trip, Yale's men's basketball team plays at Penn at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs are 2-0 in league play. They play at Princeton Saturday at 6 p.m.

This was one of my favorite road trips. If you love college basketball, you need to see a game at The Palestra. And you need to get there early, walk around the concourse and soak in the history of the building. The Penn fans are super, they really get into it. Get there by 5, and walk over to Abner's for a cheesesteak. It's about a three block walk. Here's a link  Listen, it does not have the same history and feel as waiting in line outside at Pat's, but it's good eats.

You can purchase the opportunity to view the game here

Then either spend the night in Philly or head up to Princeton, a little less than an hour.

Princeton is a gorgeous campus, and pretty easy to navigate. Here's a campus map Check out Nassau Street, where there are some pretty good restaurants.

Jadwin is not the Palestra, but it is a very unique place. You almost get the feeling you are in a ride at EPCOT Center. Here's some photos

A daily look at the best on the local sports scene...

Well, weather is probably going to make a mess of this schedule as well, but if it holds off long enough to get games in, here's what's worth checking out.

Hamden, No. 4 in the boys hockey poll, plays host to Rhode Island power LaSalle Academy tonight at 6 p.m. LaSalle is 7-2 and has split with other Rhode Island powers Mount St. Charles and Bishop Hendricken in its last two games.

Guilford plays Cheshire in a key Division II game at Northford at 4 p.m.

In girls basketball, Torrington leaves the Naugatuck Valley League and tests its 11-1 record at No. 7 Lauralton Hall (8-2) at 7 p.m.

And you can always sit back in the warmth of your own home and watch the UConn women play at Rutgers at 7:30 p.m. on CPTV.

You can head out to see some local high school action and still not miss much of UConn's men's basketball game at Marquette, which tips off at 9 p.m. on SNY

In boys basketball, Xavier (7-4) travels to play Fairfield Prep (8-3) in an SCC Quinnipiac game at 7 p.m. Xavier is 3-1 in the division, Prep is 2-2, tied with Notre Dame and West Haven.
Should be a competitive game as Fairfield Prep tries to snap a three-game losing streak, plus you get to see a game at Alumni Hall. It's old, but it's got character.

Also some rivalry games with Trumbull at St. Joseph, Derby at Ansonia and Stratford at Bunnell, all 7 p.m. games.

And two of the top three area scorers are in action when Wilbur Cross and Gerald McLease (21.4 ppg) play at East Haven and Jimmy Gagliardi (24.6 ppg), also at 7 p.m. Gagliardi has 32 3-pointers in 10 games, though East Haven (3-7) has struggled.

In girls basketball, the top two teams in the SCC Housatonic meet at 7 p.m. when  Lyman Hall travels to Cheshire. Cheshire defeated Lyman Hall earlier this year, 51-44.

There's also plenty of area college men's hoops with Johnson & Wales at Albertus Magnus at 7 p.m., Merrimack at Southern Conn. at 7:30 p.m. and Southern New Hampshire at New Haven at 7:30 p.m.

Former St. Joseph standout Demetrius Jackson plays for SNHU and coach Stan Spirou, who is in his 23rd year.


In women's basketball, Merrimack plays at Southern Conn. at 5:30 p.m. and Southern New Hampshire plays at New Haven, 5:30 p.m.


In AHL hockey both the Sound Tigers and Connecticut Whale are home Tuesday.

Learn more about the Sound Tigers here
The Sound Tigers have a couple interesting promotions.

Looking ahead, you can learn more about the outdoor hockey festival coming to Rentschler Field next month by clicking here

Learn more about the Connecticut Whale here There is a two-for-one ticket package for upper level seats Tuesday.

Just got this release. Seems like a good idea. Division II schools have really put an emphasis on this type of community involvement over the past few years and this fits in very well.

The University of New Haven Department of Athletics and the Southern Connecticut State University Department of Athletics are excited to announce a one-of-a-kind partnership titled ‘Unity thru Hoops.’ The event will focus on promoting diversity and fostering an environment of inclusion around the greater New Haven community.


The events will revolve around the basketball teams’ Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on Saturday, February 5 at 1 p.m. (women’s) and 3:30 p.m. (men’s). In the weeks leading up to the doubleheader, New Haven and Southern Connecticut State student-athletes will visit local schools to introduce students to the ‘Unity thru Hoops’ logo, which emphasizes categories that contribute to diversity; such as race, gender, language, religious beliefs, ability, sexual orientation, age and ethnicity.

Clubs and organizations from both Universities with similar goals are also planning to highlight the diversity of interests and multi-cultural groups on both campuses. On game day, these student organizations will partner and set up information tables in the lobby of Charger Gymnasium to share ideas about unity in a diverse population. Student groups from both institutions will also compete in a variety of dance contests between the women’s and men’s games. A reception for the student organizations, faculty, administrators and special guests will be held following the games.

The 2011 ‘Unity thru Hoops’ partnership begins the annual event which will alternate between the UNH and SCSU campuses every year. The event exemplifies goal five of the NCAA Division II Strategic Plan which states to partner and build collaborative relationships with other organizations to support and enhance the diversity of student-athletes, administrators and coaches at the local, conference and national levels.

A daily look at the best on the local sports scene ...

Somewhat of a Monday Rivalry Day here in high school sports, with the Sheehan boys and girls basketball teams playing host to Lyman Hall in a doubleheader, with the boys tipping off at 6 and the girls at 7:30 p.m.

It's a shame this does not happen more often, where boys and girls teams play doubleheaders at the same venue.

In boys basketball, Branford plays at East Haven at 7 p.m. and

In girls basketball, Stratford plays at Bunnell at 7 p.m.

The Morgan girls basketball team (10-3, 9-2) travels to play East Hampton (10-2, 8-2) in a key Shoreline Large Division matchup. Coginchaug is 10-3, 9-2 as well.

Looking to see one of the top student-athletes in the region compete, check out Virginia-bound Shelton wrestler Patrick Gillen when the Gaels host Law at 7.
Mike Pucci recently wrote a feature about Gillen and the Gaels. You can read that here.

All of the local colleges are off tonight.

Quinnipiac's men's basketball team plays host to Robert Morris Thursday.

The Yale men's basketball team, and both the Yale and Quinnipiac hockey teams are all on the road this upcoming weekend.

A daily look at the best on the local sports scene ...


-- In high school boys basketball, No. 3 Career finally gets to play at Cross after being postponed Friday. The game is a 7 p.m. tip.

-- In high school hockey, No. 4 Xavier travels to play No. 5 Notre Dame-West Haven at 1 p.m. in a game that can be heard on WELI-960

No. 3 Hamden plays host to No. 6 West Haven at 2:30 p.m.

There's some pretty good discussion take place about the high school hockey poll this week.
You can see the complete high school hockey poll here

-- Yale's top-ranked men's hockey team plays host to St. Lawrence at 7 p.m., but that game is sold out. You can get information on how to watch the game online here

-- Quinnipiac plays a late-season exhibition against the U-18 national team. Game starts at 7 p.m.

-- The Yale's men's basketball team plays host to Brown in the second Ivy League game of the season for the Bulldogs. It's youth day and a 2 p.m. tip-off. Children ages 14-and-under will be admitted free, and there will be a post-game autograph session with the Yale players.


Both the UConn men and women play at home today.
The men host Tennessee at the XL Center at 2 p.m. That game is sold out, but will be on CBS.
The women host Pittsburgh at Gampel Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. with tickets still available. That game is on CPTV.

KOLINSKY SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE


Applications must be received by Feb. 7 for the Bohdan Kolinsky Memorial Journalism Scholarship, awarded annually by the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance to a high school senior planning a career in sports journalism. The winner receives $1,000 for the freshman year of college and can qualify for increased aid in subsequent years. The award is named for a longtime Hartford Courant scholastic sports editor who died in 2003. Details and application forms are available at www.ctsportswriters.org.

One of the more popular road races in the state is changing its format so we wanted to pass this press release along.

Also, if you have road races for 2011 you want to get published in the Register and at newhavenregister.com please send to sbarker@nhregister.com

Thanks,

Sean
Due to the overwhelming growth of the Stratton Faxon Fairfield Road Races, race organizers have decided the 31st annual event will take place over 2 days in 2011. The 5K takes place Saturday, June 25th and the Half Marathon on Sunday, June 26th at Fairfield’s Jennings Beach. Last year’s race had nearly 5,000 participants, this year the 5K is capped at 1,500 and the Half Marathon at 4,500. Over 1,000 runners have already entered the races. The event has been hosted from its inception by the Fairfield’s Firefighters.

Steve Lobdell, Race Director, explains “In 2009 we sold out a week before the race and in 2010 we sold out nearly a month before the event. Our plan is that by spreading the Half Marathon and 5K over 2 days we can accommodate more runners and raise more money for charity.”

The Fairfield Road Races are a non-profit organization that, with the help of its participants, has contributed over $1 million to non-profit groups in the past. Lobdell states, "This past year alone $350,000 was raised for the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Giant Steps, John Patrick Flanagan Foundation, Fairfield YMCA and a number of other local charities." Runners can get a free entry into this year’s race by raising money for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

“We are very excited to return as Title Sponsor of the Fairfield races and are proud to support an event that gives so much back to the community,” said Michael Stratton, partner of Stratton Faxon. Sponsoring the race is part of Stratton Faxon's 10% philosophy. That is, that 10% of case fees are set aside to support charitable causes that help better the community or civil jury system.

For event information, visit http://www.fairfieldhalf.org/ or call (203) 481-5933. The Stratton Faxon Law Firm became the event’s Title Sponsor in 2007.

A daily look at the best in the area sport's scene ....

Well, maybe we should have started this in the spring. These snowstorms keep postponing everything and we end up recycling information.

So with another snow storm expected overnight, be mindful some of these could be rescheduled.

But we'll still give it a try.

In high school hockey, No. 1 New Canaan travels to take on No. 3 Hamden today at 4 p.m. If either town cancels school, the game will be made up in two weeks. Read more about this game at Dan Nowak's Spirit Blog

That link will also give you the high school postponements for the day.

In high school boys' basketball, Joe Morelli will be headed to Cross for a key SCC Oronoque game between the Governors and No. 3 Career. For the full Top 10 poll click here

Yale, the No. 1 college hockey team in the nation plays host to Clarskson tonight at 7 p.m.

According to the Yale web site, A limited number of general admission and standing-room-only tickets are available for both games. Call the Yale Ticket Office at 203.432.1400 to order. All reserved seats for both games are sold out.


Basically, if you want to see Yale play before the NCAA tournament in Bridgeport, you'll want to get tickets ASAP. Here's links to the Yale schedule and the game notes

In AHL action for the state, the Connecticut Whale plays host to Hamilton at 7 p.m.

Taking a quick look ahead to Saturday, you'll have UConn men vs. Tennessee at 2 p.m. That game is sold out. The UConn women play host to Pittsburgh at 7 p.m.

Closer to New Haven, Yale plays host to Brown on Youth Day at 2 p.m.

Yale hockey hosts. St. Lawrence at 7 p.m. and Quinnipiac plays host to an exhibition against the US U-18 team.

A daily look at the best in the area sports scene...

Amity, which moved to Division I in hockey this season, hosts No. 4 Xavier in at Bennett Rink in West Haven at 6:30 p.m.
The game features two of the area's top four scorers: Xavier's Kurt Johnson (5 goals, 15 assists) and Amity's Corey Shea (9 goals, 7 asssists).
The game will also be on http://www.sportingnewsct.com/


Quinnipiac's men's basketball team travels to Wagner for a matchup of second-place teams in the Northeast Conference.
Wagner, coached by Danny Hurley and assisted by brother Bobby,  won at Hamden earlier this year, 73-68, so in terms of tiebreakers at the end of the year, this is a key game for the Bobcats.

Wagner has a very nice facility, with an extremely deep section behind the basket. It's a difficult trip from Hamden, about 2 hours, 15 minutes. Not bad on the weekend, but not sure I'd venture on a weeknight, especially with snow in the forecast.

The game will be on WQUN and also available on an internet broadcast for a fee. You can learn more here

The Northeast Conference standings can be found here

Looking ahead, if you were planning on heading to the UConn men's game against Tennessee, the Saturday game is sold out, according to Dave Borges' blog. Also, Dave says there are just limited tickets left for the rest of the season.

A daily look at the best in sports in the region ...

Well, we can make this easy and copy and paste most of Tuesdays.

The weather postponed three of the four games we had picked to Wednesday, with the high school hockey showdown between No. 1 Hamden and No. 2 New Canaan moving to Thursday.

So Wednesday will feature No. 1 Mercy at No. 2  Hillhouse in girls basketball at 7 p.m. Mercy's lone loss was to Hillhouse in the season opener for both.

In boys basketball, Hillhouse travels to Xavier for a 7 p.m. Southern Connecticut Conference game, and in the Shoreline, Valley Regional travels to play defending champion Hyde at 7:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Middle School. These two teams met in the Class S state semifinals last year and also had a double-overtime game in the regular-season. Both games were won by Hyde, which was 27-0 a year ago.

On the college scene, Yale's second-ranked men's squash team travels to take on the greatest dynasty in collegiate sports history, facing No. 1 Trinity at 6 p.m. The Bantams have won 229 straight matches.

Read more about this incredible team here

Yale's women's squash team is ranked second nationally and will play at No. 3 Trinity, also at 6 p.m,

Southern Connecticut's men's and women's basketball teams play host to a NE-10 doubleheader against St. Anselm. The women play at 5:30, the men at 7:30 p.m.

The men are 9-6 overall, 6-6 in conference play. New Haven's Chazz McCarter is averaging 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Owls.

It's also a book drive collection night at Moore Fieldhouse.
New Haven plays host to St. Michael's in a basketball doubleheader at 5:30 and 7:30 at Charger Gymnasium. The men play at 5:30, the women at 7:30.

The games can be seen on NE-10 TV here

The No. 10 Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team's game against the University of New Hampshire, originally scheduled for today at 7 p.m., has been postponed until Feb. 8  at 7 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center due to inclement weather.

Greg Mangano was a big reason the Yale men's basketball team opened Ivy League play with an important road victory at Brown. Monday, he was rewarded by being named the league's player of week. Mangano scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds in the Bulldogs' 69-64 victory.


Six of his points came at a very important point in the game. With Yale holding a slim 60-59 lead with five minutes remaining, Mangano made the Bulldogs' next three baskets to help Yale hold off the pesky Bears. He finished 11-of-17 from the field and added a pair of blocks.

Mangano, a junior, from Orange, leads the league in rebounding (10.2 rpg.) and blocked shots (36) and is fourth in scoring (14.6 ppg.). He has posted double-doubles in each of the last three games.

After leading the Yale University women's basketball team to victory over Brown in the Ivy League opener, freshman forward Janna Graf has earned recognition from the Ivy League for the third time in four weeks for her efforts.


Graf scored a career-high 26 points in Yale's 66-54 win over Brown on Friday. She also had four rebounds and a pair of assists in the victory. On Monday afternoon, the Ivy League announced that it named Graf as its Player of the Week and its Rookie of the Week for her stellar effort. It is the first Player of the Week honor of her career at Yale and her third Rookie of the Week honor in the last four weeks.

A daily planner to the best in sports in the area ...
Well, most likely it’s going to be best to stay inside and dry, but if somehow this storm misses us, there’s plenty to of exceptional high school action in the area tonight.

In high school hockey, No. 2 New Canaan travels to No. 1 Hamden for a 6:30 p.m. game. Hamden has won back-to-back state titles, but word of mouth through some coaches is that this might be New Canaan’s year with a lot of talent and depth.

Read more about this game in Dan Nowa’s blog here

In girls basketball, No. 1 Mercy looks to avenge its lone loss of the season against No. 2 Hillhouse at the New Haven Athletic Center at 7 p.m. Both teams are 10-1. Hillhouse topped Mercy 55-47 in the season opener for both teams.

See the complete girls basketball poll here
In boys basketball, Valley Regional (7-1) gets the chance to prove its the class of the Shoreline when it travels to play defending conference champions Hyde (5-3) at Fair Haven Middle School at 7:30 p.m. Last year these two teams met in the Class S semifinals and during the regular season Hyde won a thriller in double overtime.

You can also check out No. 3 Career (9-0) when it plays host to Lyman Hall (8-2) or travel to Middletown to see Xavier (6-3) take on Hillhouse (6-1) at 7 p.m.

We'll update the postponements for the day at our high school Spirit blog

On the collegiate scene, Quinnipiac’s women’s hockey team, which just cracked the Top 10 nationally, plays host to New Hampshire at 7 p.m. at the pristine TD Bank Sports Center. The Bobcats are No. 10 in the nation and have the highest scoring freshman in Kelly Babstock, who has 20 goals and 20 assists so far this year.

In the AHL, Bridgeport plays host to Providence and the P-Bruins at 7 p.m. at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. For more info on the Sound Tigers, click here
 
And if you are stuck at home looking for things to get your mind off the snow and ice and cold, here are two options coming up that will at the least, make you think about spring and baseball:
 
-- The Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Sports Council will host a Hot Stove Breakfast event featuring sportscaster Ron Darling (former Mets starting pitcher), Dr. Rich Diana (former NFL player for the Miami Dolphins and Red Sox Orthopedic Consultant), and sportscaster George Grande on Wednesday, January 26 at the Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Dr., New Haven.


The Hot Stove breakfast runs from 8-10 a.m. The cost is $25. The event is sponsored by Connecticut Orthopaedic Specialists.

For more information, or to sign up for the event, please log on to http://www.gnhcc.com/ or call 203-782-4342.

-- The West Haven Twilight League will hold a a Hot Stove Luncheon on Jan. 22 from noon to 3 p.m. to raise money for a scholarship fund. The luncheon will be held at the West River Hall, 37 Orlando St. in West Haven. Lunch will be catered by Texas Road House. Tickets are $35 per person.

Speakers at the event will include George Grande, Rich Marazzi, Terry Tata and Frank ‘Porky’ Vieira.

Contact Vin DiLauro at 203-865-3155 or Len Maselli at 203-887-5470 for reservations.

Starting today, we're going to offer what we feel are your best options for sports in the area on a daily basis.

Not a bad day to start, with several good options this Martin Luther King Day.

The Quinnipiac men's basketball team travels to Brown for a non-conference game at 1 p.m. After a horrific loss to Bryant the Bobcats responded with a nice win over a Central Connecticut team you just know was going after the jugular. Brown's a pretty easy ride and you can always get an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. If you don't feel like driving, listen to WQUN-1220 AM

The No. 10 UConn men play host to No. 7 Villanova at Gampel Pavilion in what should be a great battle of extraordinary backcourts. The game is at 3:30 p.m. and will be on ESPN.  Read Dave Borges' preview here


The second-ranked UConn women play at No. 11 North Carolina at 7 p.m. That game can be seen on ESPN2. Jim Fuller previews this game here

There are a handful of high school games today, with the Hillhouse boys playing New York City's Robeson at 11 a.m. in the Big Apple Invitational.

In girls basketball, Chris Hunn picks Morgan at Coginchaug as the game to watch today. Tip-off is 3:30 p.m. in Durham for this Shoreline showdown. Coginchaug is 9-1, 8-0 in conference play, and Morgan is 8-3, 7-2.

Both state AHL teams are off today.

Here's a look at the final Division II ECAC Lambert Poll

1. Mercyhurst - 10-3 (80)

2. Bloomsburg - 10-3 (72)

3. Kutztown - 10-2 (64)

4. California (Pa.) - 10-2 (56)

5. New Haven - 8-2 (48)

6. Edinboro - 7-4 (32)

7. C. W. Post - 7-4 (28)

8. American International - 6-4 (24)

8. Gannon - 6-5 (24)

10. Bentley - 5-4 (8)

Southern Connecticut released its 2011 schedule. The Owls will look to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the last seven seasons this spring. SCSU opens the 2011 season on February 19 with a doubleheader against C.W. Post and Felician in Morehead City, N.C.

Of the team’s 48 games, the Owls will play 15 contests at The Ballpark at Southern Connecticut.

Here's a link to the complete schedule

Five members of the Southern Connecticut  football team – William Chaffin, Willie Epps, Sam-uel Johnson, Richard Kirkland and John Wiechman – have been recognized with year-end honors from the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference as Division II Football All-Stars.


They were also previously honored as All-Northeast-10 Conference selections for their play during the 2010 season.

For the complete release please visit the SCSU web site

The West Haven Twilight League will host its second annual Hot Stove Luncheon on Jan. 22 from Noon to 3 p.m. at West River Hall in West Haven. Lunch will be provided by Texas Roadhouse. Tickets for the event are $35 per person.

Speakers at the event will be:

George Grande – Former Major League Baseball TV play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. Currently serves as the Master of Ceremonies for the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Hosted the very first broadcast of ESPN’s SportsCenter in 1979.

Frank “Porky” Vieira – Former University of New Haven baseball coach. Vieira coached UNH for 44 seasons with an all-time record of 1,127-324-6 including a string of 42 straight winning seasons from 1963 to 2004. He is second among all-time Division II coaches in both career winning percentage and total victories. Under Vieira, UNH produced over 75 professional players, including 10 who advanced to Major League Baseball.

Rich Marazzi – He is considered by many as the country’s foremost baseball rules expert. Currently serves as the rules consultant for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros. Author of five baseball books, columnist for Baseball Digest and ESPN radio host of Inside Yankee Baseball during the baseball season.

Terry Tata – Served 24 years as Major League Umpire. Served as crew chief for 10 years and officiated four World Series.

If you are interested in attending the event, please include your name, address, telephone number and the number of people attending with a check made out to West Haven Twilight League to:

W.H. Twilight League

P.O. Box 7564

New Haven, CT 06519.

Please send in reservations by January 17th.

The University of New Haven basketball doubleheader at Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday, January 11 has been moved to earlier in the day. The women's basketball game will now tip-off at 4 p.m. followed by the men's game at 6 p.m.


The times were moved up one and a half hours due to the snow which is predicted to blanket New England Tuesday night. For complete links to live statistics and live audio, visit http://www.newhavenchargers.com/.
 
The doubleheader between the Southern Connecticut State University and Saint Michael's College men’s and women’s basketball teams on Tuesday in Vermont will now start 90 minutes earlier than previously scheduled. The women's contest will now begin at 4 p.m., and the men's game at approximately 6 p.m.

Dan Nowak had this a while back, but just a reminder of a high school hockey doubleheader this week at Quinnipiac's TD Bank Sports Center.

I've always been a big fan of colleges opening up their arenas for high school athletes to compete.

Remember, you can follow high school hockey now on the Register's page: http://nhregister.com/sports/hshockey/

The next Top 10 poll will be released Wednesday.

Here's Hamden's release:

On Wednesday the Hamden boy’s and girl’s Ice Hockey teams will be playing a doubleheader at the TD Bank Sports Center (Quinnipiac University) as the first annual “Neighbor Night”. The event will feature the boy’s and girl’s ice hockey teams to face off against North Haven High School. The girls hit the ice first at 5:00pm, followed by the boy’s at 7:00pm. General Admission for the event will be $5.00.


Last season, the Hamden girl’s ice hockey team played Guilford High School as part of a female ice hockey festival at the TD Bank Sports Center that also featured team USA Women’s Ice Hockey against ECAC Hockey All-Stars and the Connecticut Polar Bears youth organization against the New Jersey Generals. The Hamden boy’s ice hockey team also hosted Fairfield Prep at the TD Bank Sports Center.

Individuals interested in purchasing tickets should contact the TD Bank Sports Center Ticket Office at 203-582-3905