The NHL Hartford Whalers left ages ago. The Boston Celtics and Bruins play their home games nearly 100 miles away. So, really, the only things going in Northern Connecticut, sports-wise, are the UConn Huskies men’s and women’s hoops teams. Currently, the ladies are 6th in the country, feasting off Charde Houston’s smooth game and Geno Auriemma’s seamless coaching. Their male counterparts aren’t ranked –in fact, before this past Saturday they’d lost three straight games- but they have enough talent that an NCAA at-large bid isn’t out the question. Nosebleed was at the Hartford Civic Center on January 27 to see the Huskies attempt to stop their losing skid against the fast-improving Providence Friars. Here are the game notes…

-Parking is hard to come by downtown, especially five minutes before tip-off. We find a spot about four blocks from the arena. Every other person walking towards the Civic Center is in an UConn jacket.

-They’re giving out navy and silver pom-poms. Guys reach in the box just as quickly as the ladies do.

-The souvenirs aren’t terribly expensive. Long sleeve tees went for $22 and $30. The shorter ones set up back about $18.

-Our seats are in section 215. Not great, not terrible. Once we got to them –Boy, talk about your Saturday morning workout up all those stairs- the first thing you notice is how absolutely packed the place is. There isn’t an empty seat in the building except for one place—the student section. Seeing as how the girls have a home game going on back on campus today, too, I’m guessing fans had to split up.

-The first half of action is relatively even. Huskies guards A.J. Price and Marcus Johnson aren’t blowing me away with their skills, but they aren’t doing anything to hurt their team either. Providence’s Herbert Hill, however, is impressive as a 6-10 forward who weaves in and out of the paint with ease. A Shawn Marion type, he’s always around the ball. 45-43, UConn at the half.

-The halftime show is kinda weak. The Huskies dance team comes out and does a number to a Daddy Yankee or Sean Paul track. Too stiff to be sexy. Too underdressed to be artistic.

-The second half starts with a laugh—especially if you’re a Friar follower. So, Connecticut has this home game ritual where everyone stands until a Husky makes a field goal. Sounds reasonable, right? Unfortunately, on this day, UConn comes out colder than the 18 degree temp outdoors. They miss lay-ups and threes. They turnover the ball foolishly. It’s all pretty hilarious. Some five minutes tick off the clock until the first UConn player scores. But to the Husky crowd’s credit, only a handful of fair weather fans sit before the shot goes in.

-Because of the rough start, Providence takes a commanding lead. There’s even a sequence where the Friars run the same alley-oop play four straight times –FOUR straight times!- on the Huskies. The 16-0 run is completely deflating. While Huskies big men Hasheem Thabeet and Jonathan Madeldove try to remain a presence in the hole, their careless dropped passes and senseless fouls do more harm than good. Stud Jeff Adrien is the only one in an UConn jersey who came to play. Too bad dude’s 18 points, 10 boards and five assists aren’t nearly enough. Providence, 84-72. But all isn’t lost this Saturday in Connecticut: Auriemma’s girls easily crush Notre Dame 64-47.