Amazing. Impressive. Incredible.

There are plenty of superlatives to use to describe the display of the Huskies in the first half. Trailing 7-2 early on, they displayed an aggressiveness and a killer instinct that teams usually dream about. Purdue is good. But I don't know if they can bounce back if the Huskies continue to dominate as they have in the 35-20 first half.

Prior to tonight's game, the university wil present two banners honoring coach Geno Auriemma's inductions into the Naismith and Women's Basketball Halls of Fame.

It should be a nice moment, although it is being kept short due to the coach's dislike of attention.

Catch the game on ESPN2 and you should get a glimpse.

Big game tonight...No. 9 vs. No. 7.

Finally a game that Huskies fans cam look forward to. That is provided that you are confident in what the Huskies can do and don't anticipate anything less than strong performances (including from the line).

"I'm as anxious as anybody come (tonight) to see what we got," said Geno Auriemma.

It's a nationally televised game on the Deuce (ESPN for the laymen) and the only real test the Huskies will see until January.

Gen Auriemma said after Tuesday's win over Boston University that what he was most impressed by was the play of Ketia Swanier. She really did make her presence felt against the Terriers. She made some great passes -- two stand out -- a bounce pass betwenn defenders into the paint to Kaili McLaren and the between the legs to Mel Thomas, leading to her first basket. She also had a couple timely steals.

Now if she could learn to shoot the three better so Auriemma could let Mel Thomas rest a few minutes a game.

One of the things I like most about women's basketball is the game is more fundamentally sound then the men's game. Boston University is not only proving me wrong, but they are setting the game back to the Stone Age with their horrid play.

Welcome back!

The Huskies return from Italy today, two exhibition (for them) wins under their belts and all the better for the overseas experience.

Tuesday's home contest against Boston University will prove a big test because the ladies may still be dealing with complications from Jet lag. Maybe it is a good thing UConn doesn't face Purdue until Thursday. That game will be the Huskies' first true test of the season.

It's not all about sightseeing in Italy. The Huskies got down to business against one of the best teams in the Italian League Tuesday. The result? A win for UConn.

What I find interesting is that despite Napoli having two decent WNBA players on its roster, the Huskies were better even though they shot poorly from the free throw line and had a large number of turnovers.

There is a reason behind this. Simply put, Europe hasn't caught up with the U.S. in the women's game. You see otherwise with the men. In the women's game, you have the U.S., Brazil, China, Australia, Russia and Japan.

As much as I think their appearance will help foster growth of the game, it will be a while before we start seeing European countries catch up.

Another night, another home game. Its the last before the Huskies depart for Italy. I wish I was going. How bad could a week in Italy watching the Huskies and sightseeing be? As far as I'm concerned, that would be just what the doctor ordered.

Geno is heading back to his hometown for the first time in 45 years. Could you imagine going back to anywhere after that long? I think this is going to be great for him. And the team.

Throughout the course of any season there happens to be some adventure. Or in my case, misadventure. That's what happened to me Monday night following the Huskies' win over Richmond.

I had never been to the Hartford Civic Center before. If someone asked me for directions around the venue, I'd be useless. Even inside, I didn't know where anything was. Thanks to my friend Bob Joyce, the voice of the Huskies, I was directed to the most pressing features: work area and dining area.

Upon my arrival, I parked my car in a lot that closed two hours after the game ends, so I found myself working as fast as possible to make sure I would get to my car before the lot closed.

So as I walked out of the working area, I see a wall painted with "EXIT" and a big arrow. I walked through the doorway and up a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs are several blue doors. I walked through one of these blue doors. The door closed behind me and I saw multiple glass doors before me. All of them are locked.

I turned back around and each of the blue doors are locked as well. So here I was, surrounded by doors that are locked and the clock is ticking on the parking lot where my car is stationed.

I found at the end of the blue doors an office door, which was open. To no surprise, no one was in there.

I tried banging on the blue doors and yelling for help. No one to my knowledge heard me.

Next came the glass doors. I opened a set of doors as far as they can go and I began to yell for help. Hearing music in the distance, I had some hope, but after a couple minutes passed and no assistance, I began to think of an alternative.

That's when Johnny Genius here attempted to squeeze through the glass doors. My bag fit. My jacket fit. My head fit, my arms and torso fit. My legs fit. But my rear end wasn't having it.

This is when thoughts of spending the night at the Hartford Civic Center began to enter my head. If that's not enough to make someone scream, yell, beg and plead for help, I don't know what would.

Finally after what felt like five minutes went by, a security guard popped out of the office and said he had been watching me struggle and waited to assist me until he felt I lost my cool. Thanks, buddy.

He let me out, told me where to exit from in the future, and yes, I made it to my car in time.

I haven't decided if its funny or sad when a player nearly outscores a team. That's the case tonight. Mel Thomas 18, Richmond 26.

It's opening night. The Huskies are 60 minutes from taking the court against Richmond. But what seems to be bigger news -- right now -- is the verbal commitment from Caroline Doty. According to her AAU coach Veronica Algeo, Doty was particularly excited that Geno Auriemma recruited her as a point guard, a position she began learning a couple years ago. Despite the critics saying she couldn't make the adjustment, Doty has been able to prove those critics wrong.

Here we go...the season opener is less than 24 hours away. Pretty exciting, huh? I think so.

What I am hoping is that the saga of Brittany Hunter's knee fades into the background and doesn't overshadow what should be an exciting year.

Just a few things I want you to keep an eye on this season:

* Tina Charles' defensive development. If she becomes half the player on defense that she is on offense, she may be the nation's best player by the end of her sophomore year.

* The emergence of Renee Montgomery as an elite player.

* Who proves to be the most valuable off the bench after Ketia Swanier. With proper conditioning, it should be Kaili McLaren.

For any of you UConn fans out there, I'd like for you to share with me your thoughts on the upcoming season. post a comment here or send me an e-mail. I'd love to hear from you!

It looks like Brittany Hunter is going to try and play on an injured knee. Earlier during camp, her availability for this season seemed in doubt. She started off well, but her condition deteriorated and word around campus was that Hyunter was going to have another surgery. If hunter had decided to go under the knife, she would likely not see the court again until 2007.

Today, the team's trainer issued a statement saying that Hunter will be listed as day-to-day for the rest of her career. Coach Geno Auriemma said Hunter has practiced the last few days and she will sit out tomorrow's exhibition game. The hope is Hunter ready to play in the season opener Monday against Richmond.

Ideally, Auriemma would have started Hunter at center this season, but now that plan has been blown to pieces. Tina Charles will have to play more minutes than Geno would care for her to play.

This should have been posted a few days ago, but...does anyone else think Jonathan the Husky looks like Michael Myers from the Halloween films?

The Huskies come away with the win 101-77 over Team Concept. Charde Houston was impressive. She shot 70 percent (14-for-20), scored 30 points and pulled down 19 rebounds. Geno knows this isn't going to be an everyday occurance because nobody does that game-in, game-out. But you can see the potential for the kind of season people expected last season.

Here we are. It's just minutes away from tip-off and there's a buzz in the building. I heard the student section is sold out. Is it because this is the first court action of the season, albeit an exhibition? Maybe it is because there are five UConn alumn, including Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, playing for Team Concept (Ashley Valley was a late addition)? WHO CARES? It's game time and the Husky faithful are excited for what promises to be an exciting five months. Isn't that what counts?

You know who else is excited?

Me.

A new beginning is the way I look at it. This -- UConn's Women's Basketball -- is new to me. And in the midst of football season, it is night and day from covering the guys on the gridiron. Part of it is the difference in sports, but it is also the atmosphere. The women have a tradition of winning. Despite not having a single player who has appeared in a Final Four, they expect to win. I expect them to win. The fans expect them to win. Needless to say, expectations are high.

I'm excited as the season sort of begins tomorrow night with the exhibition opener against Team Concept. That's a team featuring some names you might have heard of: Maria Conlon, Rita Williams...oh, and Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. Yeah. Nice way to welcome the season.

Anyhow, I hope everyone comes back often and interacts. If it's something you aren't comfortable posting here, you either shouldn't say it or just e-mail me (jperez@norwichbulletin.com).

I'd like for this to be more than just a string of responses. Maybe some of you have an interesting question you'd like a Husky to answer. Let me know. We'll have a lot to cover, so fire away.

See ya around!