We are going to have some bumps and bruises along with the way with the team that we have this season, but its the response those

STORRS, Conn. -- Geno Auriemma mightve felt like he had developed multiple personalities this season, and his Connecticut Huskies hadnt even played their home opener yet.The Huskies kept their massive winning streak alive but looked mortal in a two-point win at Florida State on Monday. So as the Huskies raised their latest championship banner high to the rafters of Gampel Pavilion on Thursday, Auriemma and likely the entire state of Connecticut were curious about this latest edition of UConn basketball.After losing perhaps the greatest -- if not the most decorated -- big three that womens college basketball has ever seen in Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck, UConn paid homage to championship No. 11 with perhaps more questions than it has banners entering a showdown with No. 2 Baylor.Im really struggling with what the expectations should be for this team, Auriemma wondered aloud. It has kind of been a real headache-inducing kind of thing for me because I cant figure out what should the expectations be. Should the expectations be, This is Connecticut basketball. Of course you should be in the Final Four and play in the national championship game. And right after I think that, I think, You got to be out of your mind, why would you expect that from this particular group? And then right after I say, Why are you disrespecting these guys?[Then I think] are you going to be like everybody else and expect these guys to not miss a beat? So every day for me has been up and down, up and down, up and down.Auriemma sounds as if hes got as many voices in his head as the tortured Gollum. But college basketballs Lord of the Rings might have his latest freshman gem in Crystal Dangerfield.The 5-foot-5 Dangerfield might have been the smallest player on the court, but no one played bigger as the freshman scored 9 of her 19 points in the second half to lead UConn to a 72-61 victory over Baylor.The third-ranked Huskies (2-0) extended their winning streak to 77 by breaking open a 54-54 tie with 7:27 remaining with a 16-2 run. The surge didnt just finish the Lady Bears (2-1), but it seemed to silence -- for now -- some of the questions about whether this Huskies team can carry on their elite tradition.And Dangerfield did her best to calm some of Auriemmas doubts. The espnW HoopGurlz third-rated recruit in the country buried 8 of 14 shots, including 3 of 5 from behind the arc. She shot her jumper with confidence and spoke afterward the way she shot the ball.She reminded reporters that she has played in big games for USA Basketball, won Tennessee state championships in high school and plenty of other big games in a prolific high school career that included a scoring record of 2,186 points at Blackman High School.A game like that didnt faze me, Dangerfield said after beating Baylor. Big stage. Big game. I love games like this.When UConn struggled in the first half and headed into the locker room at intermission looking vulnerable with a 32-29 lead, Dangerfield was one of the bright spots for the Huskies with 10 points.Baylor, which returned four starters from a 36-2 squad the season before, began to flex its muscle in the paint with a 9-2 run to open the third quarter as Kalani Brown and Beatrice Mompremier set an aggressive tone early out of the break. Baylor, which was led by senior guard Alexis Jones game-high 23 points, led 38-34 and the Gampel Gang grew quiet wondering if the Huskies were in trouble.But Kia Nurse scored on a layup and Dangerfield drilled a jumper to tie the score at 38. A couple of minutes later, Dangerfield assisted Katie Lou Samuelson on a 3-pointer and Gabby Williams on a layup. Then she knocked down a 3 of her own and assisted on two more UConn baskets to give the Huskies a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.Baylor was within four midway through the fourth, but Dangerfield responded with two steals as UConn picked up its defense. Dangerfield added a layup and then pretty much sealed the game with a jumper with 1:10 remaining to push the Huskies up 10.With Baylor touting what some believe is the best recruiting class in the country with three top-40 recruits, including espnW HoopGurlz No. 1 recruit Lauren Cox and No. 8 prospect Natalie Chou, Dangerfield was the best freshman on the floor Thursday.I dont want to say shes as good as any point guard that we have ever had, Auriemma said. That is saying too much too soon. But I think any other freshman in the country right now -- she is as good a guard as there is in the country coming in.Jefferson remains the measuring stick.The last time we saw Moriah, she was the best guard in the country, he said. Crystal coming in, out of high school, was a little further ahead than Moriah coming out of high school. ... Will she be further ahead three years from now? I just hope she catches up.On the night UConn unfurled its latest banner -- so new it still has creases in it -- Auriemma unwrapped what could be his next great talent. Perhaps Dangerfield is the recruiting prize that comes from the first class to ever win four straight national championships, led by a legendary trio that went 1-2-3 in the WNBA draft.Who knows if Dangerfield will reach the same heights as so many other stars in this storied program.One thing seems certain: The freshman doesnt lack any confidence in her game. What did she show Auriemma on Thursday?I wont disappear in big games, Dangerfield said. I just want to attack and be in those situations. I am not going to shy away from it. I feel like I have the experience to do it, so Ill be there.I know there are a lot of people that dont believe in us this year. We want to send a message every night we step on the floor.Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Jerseys China . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. http://www.cheapnfljerseyswholesale.com/ . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. NFL Store Online . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Clearance NFL Shop . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night.The No. 3-ranked and defending national champion Villanova Wildcats look to stay undefeated when they open play in the Gildan Charleston Classic beginning Thursday.Villanova -- which opened the season with a 40-point home win against Lafayette and a clutch three-point road win at No. 15 Purdue on Monday -- will face Western Michigan at 11:30 a.m. ET (ESPN2). The winner of that game will advance to Fridays semifinal round against either UTEP or Wake Forest.Preseason All-America candidate Josh Hart paced the Wildcats with 24 points in the win against the Boilermakers. Hart has scored 37 points in the two victories.Like last season, the Wildcats are receiving contributions up and down the roster anchored by Hart. In addition, guard Jalen Brunson (13.5 points per game), Kris Jenkins (12 ppg), and Mikal Bridges (11.5 ppg) have all been solid. Bridges and Darryl Reynolds have combined to pull down 27 rebounds.Its November -- weve got to get a lot better, Villanova head coach Jay Wright said after the win at Purdue. We really had trouble stopping them on the interior. You just cant simulate that kind of size and skill in practice.Bridges has really stepped forward as a key sixth man thus far.Kris and Josh did it. Kyle Lowry did it, Wright said. We have had a lot of guys in that position. They have had a lot of success. Mikal has watched it all even before he came here and hes really smart. As soon as I told him that hes playing starter minutes, he gets it. Hes really humble. I need to look at mminutes, but hes going to be in the game a lot.ddddddddddddWhen the game is on the line, as well.Western Michigan will enter this tournament with a 1-1 record. It recorded a 90-74 win over Marygrove College and then most recently fell 77-60 at Oakland Monday night.Guard-forward Tucker Haymond scored 20 points against Marygrove and added 12 more against Oakland.They were getting rebounds and getting out on fast breaks off of our missed shots and they got some really good looks on those fast breaks, Western Michigan head coach Steve Hawkins said after the loss at Oakland. We are going to have some bumps and bruises along with the way with the team that we have this season, but its the response those that I am really looking at.Next up is a matchup against the No. 3 team in the country.Were going to look towards the next possession and get ready to take on Villanova, the national champions, on Thursday, Hawkins said.Western Michigan 7-foot sophomore center Seth Dugan swept a career-best 15 rebounds against Oakland. Junior Thomas Wilder led the way with 13 points while freshman Brandon Johnson contributed 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting.The Broncos were picked to finish fifth in the West Division in the preseason voting. The poll was put together by the leagues 12 head coaches and a 24-member Mid-American Conference panel.Western Michigan finished 13-19 last season. ' ' '