Today the 2012-13 Preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll was released and the UConn  Huskies are ranked #2 behind unanimous #1 choice Baylor, just like they were in the preseason AP poll. Duke, Stanford, and Maryland round out the rest of the Top 5.

Today UConn All-American Jr. G Bria Hartley and So. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis were selected as 2012-13 Preseason AP All-American Honorable Mentions. Both Huskies were also named to the 2012-13 Preseason Wade Trophy Watch List along with teammate Jr. C Stefanie Dolson.

2012-13 AP Preseason All-America Team^:
Sr. F Elena Delle Donne, Delaware*
Sr. G Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame*
Sr. C Brittney Griner, Baylor*
Jr. F Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Jr. G Odyssey Sims, Baylor
Jr. F Alyssa Thomas, Maryland

* - unanimous selection
^ - 6 players selected due to a tie in voting

With the season less than one week away, the 2012-13 Preseason AP Poll was released today and the UConn Huskies are ranked #2. The defending champion Baylor Lady Bears were the unanimous choice as #1. Led by 6-foot-8 senior center and reigning national Player of the Year Brittney Griner and junior All-American point guard Odyssey Sims, the Lady Bears return all five starters from last season’s 40-0 team. They also return 90.4 percent of their scoring and 86.8 percent of their rebounding. UConn coach Geno Auriemma has a lot of optimism about his team this season that has lost in the Final Four the last two years. He's telling anyone who will listen that his team is "really, really, really good," and he believes they can win it all. The Huskies return four starters, including junior All-American Bria Hartley, junior Stefanie Dolson and sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, and usher in talented freshmen Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson. The Lady Bears and Huskies will play in Hartford at the XL Center on Feb. 18, 2013. The Lady Bears’ winning streak could stand at 65 at the time of the meeting. Duke, Stanford and Maryland round out the top five.

Today the Big East WBB Coaches picked the UConn Huskies as their favorite to win 2012-13 Big East Conference Regular Season Title at Big East Media Day in NYC. It was the 19th time since the 1992-93 season the Huskies were selected as the favorite in the Big East. Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins was chosen as the 2012-13 Preseason Big East POTY (2nd straight season), while Connecticut's Breanna Stewart was unanimously selected as the 2012-13 Preseason Big East FOTY. The trio of UConn's Bria Hartley, Stefanie Dolson, and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis were all selected to the 2012-13 Preseason All Big East Team.

2012-13 Preseason BIG EAST Coaches’ Poll:
1. Connecticut (12) 194
2. Notre Dame (3) 182
3. Louisville 167
4. St. John’s 144
5. Rutgers 143
6. DePaul 138
7. Syracuse 105
8. Georgetown 104
9. South Florida 97
10. Villanova 78
11. Marquette 75
12. Cincinnati 61
t-13. Pittsburgh 31
t-13. Seton Hall 31
15. Providence 25

( ) - First-place votes

2012-13 Preseason Big East Player of the Year:
Sr. G Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame

2012-13 Preseason Big East Freshman of the Year:
Fr. F Breanna Stewart, Connecticut*

2012-13 Preseason All-Big East Team:
Jr. C Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut
Jr. G Bria Hartley, Connecticut*
So. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Connecticut
Sr. G Anna Martin, DePaul*
Sr. G Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown*
Jr. G Shoni Schimmel, Louisville*
Sr. G Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame*
Sr. C Monique Oliver, Rutgers
Sr. G Nadirah McKenith, St. John's
Sr. W Shenneika Smith, St. John’s
Sr. C Kayla Alexander, Syracuse

* - unanimous selection

2012-13 Preseason All-Big East Honorable Mention:
Sr. W Monique Reid, Louisville
Sr. F Laura Sweeney, Villanova

Finally!!!

Today UConn finally received its first verbal commitment from the Class of 2013. During her official visit to UConn this weekend, 5'9 G Saniya Chong (Ossining, NY) chose UConn over Louisville and Ohio State. As a H.S. prospect, she is ranked 75th overall by ESPN HoopGurlz, 72nd overall by Blue Star, and 20th overall by All Star Girls Report. Chong has been a starter since she was a freshman and topped the 2,000-point plateau this season, leading Ossining to its second straight Section 1 Class AA title. As a junior, she averaged 33.3 points, 9.7 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. In 70 career varsity games, Chong has led Ossining to a 61-9 record and averaged 29.4 points, 6.8 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.2 steals per game. Ossining reached the state semifinal, losing to eventual champ Cicero-North Syracuse and star Breanna Stewart, who's now a freshman at UConn. Welcome to Storrs, Saniya!!!

Congrats to former UConn Star, Tffany Hayes!!!

Today the 14th overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream was voted onto the 2012 WNBA All-Rookie Team (voting done by the coaches). Hayes received 9 of the 11 possible votes for the team. I'm guessing a lot of coaches especially the ones who are also GMs were pissed at themselves when writing down Tiff's name on the ballot, thinking about how they passed over her in the draft for some young, unproven "big" who might help them down the road when they have to face the new WNBA MVP Tina Charles, Sylvia Fowles, or incoming rookie, Brittney Griner. Oh well, Atlanta knew what they were doing and kudos to them for realizing her talent and potential. The #1 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft, Los Angeles F Nneka Ogwumike (Stanford) was named the 2012 WNBA Rookie of the Year, as expected. It's the 5th consecutive year the #1 pick was named ROY (former UConn All-American's Maya Moore and Tina Charles accomplished the same feat in 2011 and 2010, respectively).

2012 WNBA All-Rookie Team:
G Samantha Prahalis, Phoenix
G Riquna Williams, Tulsa
G/F Tiffany Hayes, Atlanta
F Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Los Angeles
C/F Glory Johnson, Tulsa

SNY, the official television home of the UConn Huskies Women's basketball program, today announced its on-air talent roster and its exclusive game schedule for the 2012-13 season. The network named former UConn Women basketball greats Meghan Culmo and Kara Wolters as analysts. Meghan will serve as the network's game analyst and Kara as the studio analyst for pre-game, half-time and post-game shows. Joining the veteran UConn voices will be play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon - who recently served as a play-by-play announcer at the London Olympics for NBC - and SNY reporter/anchor Kerith Burke as the sideline reporter. Gary Apple, who hosts SNY's Big East basketball studio shows, will anchor the network's studio coverage alongside Kara Wolters. SNY also announced its UConn Women's 2012-13 game schedule - which will feature 20 live games. All Big East Conference basketball games will be wrapped with comprehensive pre-game, half-time and post-game shows. The network's game schedule will tip-off on November 11th at 1:30pm when the Huskies - eyeing their 17th straight season-opening win - host the College of Charleston Cougars. Prior to the game, SNY will air a special pre-game show featuring in-depth analysis of the upcoming season, including interviews with players and coaches, and highlight key players to watch. As previously stated, SNY will also offer an online streaming package for games airing on SNY. Details regarding the streaming service will be announced shortly.

The University of Connecticut men’s and women’s basketball programs will tip-off the 2012-13 season with 2012 UConn First Night sponsored by Webster Bank on Friday, October 12. Admission is FREE and open to the public. Gampel Pavilion doors will open at 4 p.m. as the UConn volleyball team takes on Cincinnati in a BIG EAST showdown. Meet the 2012-13 men’s and women’s basketball teams as they sign autographs for Husky fans from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. First Night will feature performances from the band, cheer and dance squads, introductions of the players and coaches, a dunk contest featuring the 2011 winner Ryan Boatright and ultimate prize giveaways (more details to come). The show will end at approximately 8 p.m.

3:00 p.m. – FanFest on Fairfield Way
4:00 p.m. – Doors Open and UConn Volleyball vs. Cincinnati
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. - Autographs
7:00 p.m. – Show Begins

For up-to-date information on First Night follow @UConnHuskies and like on Facebook.com/UConnHuskies.