STORRS, Conn. -- Coach Geno Auriemma has one question for people who are picking his UConn Huskies as preseason No. 1: What the heck are you thinking?Sure, the Huskies have won the past four NCAA titles and are currently on another epic winning streak at 75 in a row. But with Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck all in the WNBA, the Huskies quite obviously are not the same group that went 38-0 last year and won by an average of 40 points.I never said, Well, I think a lot of teams have a chance to win the national championship, and were just one of them, Auriemma said of his preseason stance for the past few years. We knew we were favorites, and we knew why. But now, anyone that picks us No. 1, my first question is Why? Give me your rationale.Well, youve always been No. 1. OK, thats a lazy answer.Uh-huh, its always something with this guy, the master motivator. The Huskies were No. 1 in the WBCA poll and in the espnW preseason poll. They were No. 3 in the Associated Press rankings, getting six votes at the top, behind Notre Dame and Baylor.I wish we were 33, Auriemma said.As if. But if he wants to hear why some of us are voting UConn No. 1, its not out of laziness. Its out of experience. As the saying goes, weve seen this movie before.UConn won three NCAA titles in 2002-04, and then Diana Taurasi went to the WNBA. After that, admittedly, came three years of falling short of the Final Four. But those were still very good UConn teams.In 2004-05, the Huskies went 25-8 and lost to Candice Wiggins and Stanford in the Sweet 16. The next year, UConn was 32-5 and fell to Monique Currie-led Duke in the Elite Eight. Then in 2006-07, the Huskies were 32-4 and lost in the regional final again, this time to Sylvia Fowles and LSU.That 2007 season was the last time the Huskies didnt reach the Final Four. Even in 2012 -- a year after losing Maya Moore and two years after the graduation of Tina Charles, a duo that had led the way in UConns 90-game winning streak of 2008-10 -- the Huskies still got to the national semis.And from 2013-16, they were NCAA champions again. So why are we picking UConn No. 1? Because even without the obvious star right now, the Huskies still have some very talented players and a coaching staff that has more championship experience than you can find almost anywhere in any sport.What the Huskies dont have are all the answers. Who is their emotional leader? Who is the player who gets on everybodys case when its necessary? Who can keep everyone calm? Who will stand tall when they face on-court challenges? Because, unlike recent years when that virtually never happened, it probably will this season.And that includes during their first two games: at No. 12 Florida State on Nov. 14, and at home against No. 2 Baylor on Nov. 17.You cant force leadership on people, said Kia Nurse, one of the most obvious candidates for that role. What happens is the upperclassmen all step up together, and we develop our own leadership traits. We have to figure out how to work together, and make sure thats a presence all the younger guys hear every day.It actually isnt just older players like Nurse, who averaged 9.3 points per game, and fellow junior guard Gabby Williams (8.8) in that role, though -- sophomores Katie Lou Samuelson (11.0) and Napheesa Collier (6.8) need to do it, too.Were trying to do the things we learned from the seniors last year, Samuelson said. All four of us know we have to be really solid every single day we practice or play. Were going to be the ones that disperse the energy throughout the team.All of us knew coming here we would eventually be in this situation. We were fortunate to learn from the three best leaders in the country, I would say. I think its going to keep getting better.The Huskies have three freshmen -- guards Molly Bent and Crystal Dangerfield and forward Kyla Irwin -- being immersed in UConn culture, along with transfers Azura Stevens (Duke) and Batouly Camara (Kentucky). Asked if she could pinpoint what leadership trait from last years seniors that she most wanted to pass on now, Samuelson didnt hesitate.Just how much we all trusted them, she said. Every single day we knew what we were going to get from them in practice. Stewie, Morgan and Mo were just consistently solid every day. Weve been trying to be that same kind of core group to rely on.Samuelson, who sustained a broken bone in her foot in the national semifinal game against Oregon State last April, had to watch the second half of that game and then the championship from the bench. She said shes now at 100 percent.And some classic Auriemma sarcasm was directed her way after the Huskies first exhibition game Tuesday, a 111-39 victory over Indiana of Pennsylvania, so you know she must be doing OK.Im sure any day now, sometime within the next four or five months, Lou will throw a pass, Auriemma said. And well have made some progress.He also joked about whether some magical force had taken over the body of senior guard Saniya Chong because, Right now, shes in a really good place. You got to remember, this kid was really, really good coming out of high school. It kind of got away from her. Hopefully shes got it back a little.It might be fair to wonder if Chong perhaps was just swept along in the tide of greatness that dominated the Huskies. Maybe this season, finally, she -- along with everyone else on the team -- knows that they really can be difference-makers. In fact, they will have to be. Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck cant come to the rescue and take over.Auriemma is intrigued by how his Huskies will deal with that realization.Its hard to know how some people will perform when theres no safety net, he said. And until theyve been in that situation, maybe they dont know. And its our job to help guide them through it. Nike Zoom Training - Zoom Fit Agility Mens Red Black 684988-660 .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Mens 318330-101 Nike Vandal High Supreme White/Deep Royal Blue/White/Gym Red . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. http://www.airzoomaustralia.com/nike-zoom-hypercross-tr-men-s-dark-steel-grey-team-crimson-white-black-684635-061.html .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Nike Zoom Training - Zoom Fit Agility Mens Light Grey/Black/White .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Nike Zoom Training - Zoom Fit Agility Womens Hyper Punch/Ivory/Jade 684984-600 . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the weekends gambling action.Note: Closing lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook and pick percentages are via Wunderdog Sports.FridayArkansas State Red Wolves at Utah State AggiesClosing line: Utah State -9A slow start and an ugly finish ended up costing bettors who took the underdogs in this one.Arkansas State turned it over on two of its first four possessions, falling behind 24-0 at halftime. In the second half, the Red Wolves got back in it by scoring touchdowns on each of their first two possessions. But all that did was set up eventual disappointment for the 31 percent who took them to cover the nine points.Trailing 27-14 entering the fourth, Arkansas States first three drives in the quarter all reached Utah State territory. Those possessions turned out to be a field goal, interception and another field goal (after having the ball second-and-goal from the 1-yard line). That second field goal made the score 27-20 with 7:28 left in the game. Utah State proceeded to go on 13-play, 91-yard drive, which ended with a Tonny Lindsey 1-yard touchdown with 29 seconds left. The touchdown came on first-and-goal with Arkansas State out of timeouts.Final score: Utah State 34, Arkansas State 20 (Utah State covers)SaturdayLiberty Flames at SMU MustangsClosing line: SMU -14.5An overwhelming 92 percent of the action was on SMU to cover the 14.5-point spread. As for the 8 percent who took Liberty, this would turn out to be an ending to forget.Liberty trailed 19-14 with less than a minute to go in the game. At this point, it was hard to imagine a scenario in which the Flames didnt cover. SMUs Josh Williams pushed the margin to eight after his field goal with 47 seconds left. Two plays later, that unimaginable scenario was realized. Libertys Stephen Calvert was picked off by Jordan Wyatt, who instead of going down, returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. The Williams PAT put SMU up 15 with 18 seconds left, which covered the spread by a half-point.Final score: SMU 29, Liberty 14 (SMU covers)New Mexico Lobos at Rutgers Scarlet KnightsClosing line: Rutgers -7.5You couldnt have asked for a better start if you took New Mexico +7.5, as the Lobos jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. That big lead didnt last long, though, as Rutgers scored the next 31 points and led by 10 entering the fourth quarter.Early in the final quarter, Richard McQuarleys touchdown run gave New Mexico its first points in over 33 minutes of game time, and cut thhe deficit to three.dddddddddddd A pair of Rutgers field goals pushed the margin up to nine, as New Mexico now needed a score on its final possession to cover. The Lobos reached the Scarlet Knights 10-yard line, but ended up having to settle for a field goal attempt. Jason Sanders -- who was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals in 2016 -- missed the 32-yard attempt with 43 seconds left. Rutgers ran out the clock and gave the 32 percent on New Mexico a bad beat they wont soon forget.Final score: Rutgers 37, New Mexico 28 (Rutgers covers)SundayIndianapolis Colts at Denver BroncosClosing line: Broncos -6 (-6.5 for most of week), over/under 47The Broncos officially closed as a six-point favorite, but the line was 6.5 for most of the week. By the end of the game, it didnt matter what number you had if you bet the Colts.With two minutes left in the game, the Broncos led 23-20, and faced a third-and-1 from the Colts 17-yard-line. A first down and Denver could run out of the clock, while giving those on the Colts and/or the under, a winning bet. But C.J. Anderson was stuffed for no gain, and instead of going for it on fourth down, Gary Kubiak took the three points and put the game in the hands of his defense. That turned out to be a great decision for the Broncos, but not so much for the 47 percent who took the Colts to cover.On Indys first play of the possession, Von Miller stripped Andrew Luck (who was a perfect 4-0 ATS in his career vs. Denver entering Sunday), and fellow linebacker Shane Ray scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown -- that one play cost both those who took the Colts and the under.Final score: Broncos 34, Colts 20 (Broncos cover and game goes over)Honorable mentionSouth Carolina State Bulldogs at Clemson TigersClosing line: Clemson -53.5If you took Clemson to cover the 53.5-point spread, you clearly felt that South Carolina State couldnt compete. And you were right. But unfortunately, after the Tigers led 45-0 at halftime, both sides agreed to play 12-minute quarters in the second half.In the betting world, a football game is only official if it goes at least 55 minutes. South Carolina State and Clemson would play just 54 minutes, costing those who took the Tigers -- who eventually won by 59 -- a winning bet.Note: Some books paid out winning tickets on Clemson and paid out South Carolina State as no action.Final score: Clemson 59, South Carolina State 0 (No action) Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap China Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Jerseys From China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap NFL Black Jerseys ' ' '