Die Macht » lineup, Syracuse will be hard-pressed to win

Melbourne netball coach Simone McKinnis is expecting to form a fierce rivalry with cross-town rivals Collingwood, who poached Vixens skipper Madi Robinson.The Vixens on Friday unveiled their squad for next years new national netball league, with Malawian goal attack Mwai Kumwenda and former Diamonds midcourter Khao Watts the new faces.Kumwenda, who spent the past three seasons at the Mainland Tactix, scored 321 goals to be named player of the tournament at last years Netball World Cup in Sydney.She will be joined in the circle by Tegan Phillip, who is back on deck after suffering a serious knee injury in a pre-season practice match.As well as Test star Robinson, the Vixens lost a wealth of experience in Geva Mentor, who has joined the Sunshine Coast-based new start-up side while they axed veteran Karyn Bailey.McKinnis said she believed her new-look side would still be a force and in the shuffling of players amongst the Australian teams felt her team had come out well.Theres a lot of experience thats gone but theres changes across the competition and I think in managing to keep this core group together weve done exceptionally well, McKinnis said.Weve got some of the best young talent coming through in Australia.Theyre going to be dynamic, fearless and bloody super competitive.As well as Robinson the Magpies boast a star-studded line-up with Diamonds Sharni Layton and Kim Ravaillion on their roster.McKinnis believed the battle for supremacy in Melbourne would be a good thing for the game.I hope so because thats one of the stories of sport and that sort of rivalry will drive the interest, she said.Meanwhile, the Adelaide Thunderbirds have bolstered their defensive line-up by signing England captain Ama Agbeze and Jamaica skipper Malysha Kelly.Agbeze is the second England captain to join the line-up, with most capped English player, Jade Clarke, already named in the side.Thunderbirds coach Dan Ryan believed the versatile defender would have a big impact on the side.Ama is an outstanding athlete with years of experience on the world stage under her belt, Ryan said.She adds firepower and leadership to our defensive unit and offers great versatility to the team, with her ability to cover all three positions in the backline.The Thunderbirds will announce their final two athletes next week.Air Force 1 Off White Fake . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Air Force 1 White Outlet . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. http://www.airforce1storesale.com/fake-air-force-1-black-outlet.html .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Air Force 1 Womens On Sale . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Air Force 1 Blue Store . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- As members of the Big East Conference, the Syracuse Orange and Connecticut Huskies played some of the most memorable games in college basketball history at Madison Square Garden.But as they return to the Garden for a 7 p.m. game Monday, the Orange and Huskies will be more concerned about finding their identity than making history.Syracuse, now in the Atlantic Coast Conference, entered this season with six new players among its top nine. After a 4-0 start against low- and mid-major teams, the Orange lost by a combined 31 points to 20th-ranked South Carolina at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and 17th-ranked Wisconsin at the Kohl Center.This past Saturday, Syracuse nearly blew a 24-point second-half lead against North Florida at home before hanging on for a 77-71 win.Other than seniors Rodney Purvis and Amida Brimah, UConn is relying on freshmen and sophomores who have been mostly inconsistent.The Huskies, now in the American Athletic Conference, opened this season with losses to Wagner and Northeastern -- the first time since 1968-69 that UConn lost its first two games of the year.The Huskies (3-4) rebounded with wins over Loyola Marymount and Chaminade in the Maui Invitational and Boston University, but they also lost to Oklahoma State and 23rd-ranked Oregon in Maui.UConn is down to eight scholarship players because of season-ending injuries to freshman point guard Alterique Gilbert (shoulder), freshman forward Mamadou Diarra (knee) and sophomore swingman Terry Larrier (knee). Larrier and Gilbert had combined to average nearly 24 points per game.Sophomore point guard Jalen Adams leads the Huskies in scoring (18.8 points per game) and assists (5.4 per game), and Purvis is averaging 11.3 points per game.We just have to try and get better, coach Kevin Ollie said after the Huskies held on to defeat Boston University 51-49 this past Wednesday. Weve got eight guys and were going to continue playing with those guys. Were not making any excuses. But I was very happpy with the win and were finding ways to win.dddddddddddd.Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim shook up his starting lineup against North Florida by sitting senior forward Tyler Roberson (one point, eight rebounds against South Carolina and Wisconsin), inserting freshman shooting guard Tyus Battle, moving fifth-year transfer Andrew White from shooting guard to small forward, and shifting sophomore Tyler Lydon from small forward to power forward.The results were mixed, as White and Battle combined for 45 points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field, but the Orange bench -- Roberson, fifth-year transfer John Gillon and freshman Taurean Thompson -- combined for one point, five rebounds and one assist in a combined 30 minutes.You have to be able to score. It wasnt even a decision (to bench Roberson); you cant play 34 minutes and score a point and keep your job, Boeheim said. You just cant do that unless youre doing something unbelievable and that wasnt the case.Roberson averaged 8.5 rebounds per game last season but is down to 5.4 per game this season. With its smaller starting lineup, Syracuse will be hard-pressed to win the rebounding battle as North Florida and its three-guard lineup outrebounded the Orange 41-33.With each teams respective flaws, its unlikely the Orange and Huskies will be able to duplicate Big East Tournament Madison Square Garden classics such as Syracuses 127-117 victory in six overtimes in 2009 or UConns 76-71 overtime win in 2010 when Kemba Walker had 33 points and 12 rebounds.But its still Connecticut-Syracuse at the Garden, and thats enough for those who remember they heyday of the Big East.Ive been watching that rivalry ever since Ive been playing basketball, said Orange center DaJuan Coleman, who grew up in Syracuse. Its going to be a fun game and weve got to bring our A game because Im pretty sure its going to be a big game for them. ' ' '