Memphis heading to Big East in 2013 - CBSSports.com
The Tigers will join the Big East with three other Conference USA members – Houston, SMU and UCF – for the 2013-14 school year. The Big East also will add Boise State and San Diego State as football-only members in 2013 and Navy in 2015.

The New Haven Register Blogs: UConn Men's Basketball Blog: Geno Likes Memphis, Now Wants Temple
"I don't know much about Memphis's football program, but from a purely basketball standpoint, I think we're doing a great thing," he said. "All the talk the last couple of months and years has been about the football thing, the football thing, the football thing … We’re adding a team that’s as much about basketball more than it is a football move. It strengthens an already strong conference."

UConn may look it, but Huskies not dead yet - CBSSports.com
The Huskies are now 15-8 overall and 5-6 in Big East play with a road game against 23-1 Syracuse in the Carrier Dome up next. Freshman Andre Drummond was abysmal last night, Jeremy Lamb hasn't lived up to expectations some put on him prior to the season and Shabazz Napier has been an enigma. Alex Oriakhi was relegated to bench duty for much of the season, a move I still feel has hurt this team in a variety of ways. It certainly doesn't appear promising for this group of Huskies, but if there's one thing I learned last year is that some teams can come back from the dead.

Three UConn Football PLayers Headed To NFL Combine - Hartford Courant
UConn receiver Kashif Moore, defensive tackle Kendall Reyes and kicker Dave Teggart are making the trip to Indianapolis where they’ll spend the week, Feb.22-28 at Lucas Oil Stadium, which just hosted Super Bowl XLVI, trying to impress NFL folk for a job.

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Jim Calhoun has beaten cancer three times. Once, during a bike race, he hit a pothole, flipped over his handlebars, broke some ribs and responded by getting back on his bike and finishing the race. To date, he has returned not one dime of his salary to the state of Connecticut, because he'd like to retire one day. The point is, Jim Calhoun "doesn't get defeated by things," and spinal stenosis is on the list of things he will not get defeated by, according to a report from Andy Katz:

"There's no question [I'll be back]," Calhoun said by phone. "I've talked to the people at UConn and president (Susan) Herbst. I just want to get a resolution on my back."

However, he will not be back in time for Saturday's game at Syracuse, meaning the Huskies will once again be in the hands of George "what's a timeout" Blaney. That might not bode well since Syracuse is, you know, good, but Blaney does have experience beating top five teams when filling in for Calhoun -- two years ago he led UConn to a win over then-No. 1 Texas. And no, I don't remember how that season ended, why do you ask?

Lamb off, UConn loses at No. 24 Louisville - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin
Freshman Ryan Boatright led the Huskies (15-8, 5-6 Big East) with 18 points. Fellow freshman Andre Drummond went scoreless, missing all six shots. "He had a freshman night," Blaney said of Drummond’s performance.

UCONN MEN: Huskies crumble in second half, get blown out by Louisville- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut
The second half of Monday’s game was simply the worst 20 minutes of basketball UConn (15-8, 5-6 Big East) has played in quite some time. The Huskies couldn’t do anything right — getting badly outrebounded on both ends of the floor, failing to grab loose balls, misfiring on one shot after another, making a parade of bad passes and allowing more passes to bounce off their hands than New England Patriots receivers did the night before.

Jeff Jacobs column: UConn offense struggles against Louisville, and team quits in second half. - Courant.com
Yet here's a less emotional, more analytical point to consider. If UConn doesn't do something about its offense, it's going nowhere. The ball movement is not good. The inside-outside game seems nonexistent.

Without Calhoun, rudderless UConn drifting out of NCAA picture - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com News, Scores, Stats, Schedule and RPI Rankings
But I am not an optimistic man, and this didn't feel like merely one bad game. It felt like I was watching a team that's leaderless and heartless and -- with Jim Calhoun on an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons -- in no position to get things turned around. It felt like I was watching a team that has quit in every way possible. The Huskies looked selfish and disinterested. They might've been pissed off but they didn't seem pissed off. They seemed apathetic.

Defending champ UConn in danger of missing NCAA tourney | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Quality wins over Florida State, Harvard, Notre Dame ensure the Huskies would make the field of 68 if the season ended today, but a difficult upcoming schedule suggests it's no guarantee they do a month from now. UConn still has two games against Syracuse and home games against Marquette and surging Pittsburgh, meaning that even getting to 9-9 in the Big East will be challenging.

The New Haven Register Blogs: UConn Men's Basketball Blog: Worst 20 Minutes I've Seen from UConn
"I’ve never given up at any time in my life," said Boatright, about the only Husky to show up on Monday with a game-high 18 points, five assists and four steals. "I’ve been in bad situations and pressure situations and real low points in my life, and I’ve never given up … If I’ve got to be the one to take that role, then I’m going to do it."

Louisville crushes UConn, 80-59 - BostonHerald.com
With Jim Calhoun still out, the Huskies’ performance could not have made him feel any better. They rallied, appeared to handle the Cardinals’ press, and led briefly midway through the first half, but were outscored 35-10 over the last minute of the half and the first 14 minutes of the second. Unable to make shots from any distance, particular three-point range, where they missed 13 of their first 15 attempts, the Huskies’ poor offense was able to ignite the Cardinals’ running game. Louisville eventually built a 30-point lead.

If you're like me and were more than ready to overreact to a two-game UConn winning streak that came against teams missing a key player, I have some bad news: Gorgui Dieng is expected to play tonight, so UConn is going to have to earn this one.

Louisville is probably my least favorite Big East opponent. Their press is frustrating to play against (and UConn's lack of depth in the backcourt isn't going to help) and when they get into the halfcourt they switch to an annoying zone. If UConn struggles to break the press and continues to falter from outside-- both are real possibilities since the Cardinals have one of the top 10 defenses in the country according to Ken Pomeroy -- this could be a long night.

UConn will once again be starting their three-guard lineup, which I'm all for, and the trio will be joined by Andre Drummond and Tyler Olander, whose starting spot is a reflection of his passing skills and zone-breaking ability.

This is also game two without Jim Calhoun, the Huskies traditionally do well under George Blaney in short bursts, but the longer Calhoun is away from the team the more likely it is that everything will go to pot. Let's hope enough of Calhoun's magic influence is still with the team.

The optimist in me is staying focused on the positive attitudes on display against Seton Hall and is hoping against hope that this is the start of UConn being what we all hope they could be. The realist in me looks at Louisville and sees a talented and aggressive team that has won four in a row after a rocky start to their Big East schedule. A win would be great, especially with a road trip to Syracuse looming.

The game tips off at 7 from the KFC YUM! Center. ESPN and ESPN3 will have your tv coverage, and we'll be discussing it in the comments here. Join us. Go Huskies.