Back... just in time.

As the leftovers make their rounds and the eggnog begins to wear off, remember that the Mirror Sports Blog is the place to be for round-the-clock coverage of the Stags in-state showdown against second ranked Connecticut tonight at XL Center in Hartford (still feels odd to type that, doesn't it?)

If you are among the unlucky few who can't make the trip (or are still at holiday family parties - myself included), pull up Santa's rocking chair and listen to Bob Huessler/follow Tom Cleary on our 'Cover it Live' tonight. I know that's what I'll be doing.

In the meantime, here are a few links for this evening:

• Double the coverage from the CT Post. When we last left the Stags twelve days ago, Peanut Johnson and Greg Nero each recorded a double-double, as Fairfield edged Drexel. A few days earlier, "Late game" Lyndon drained a three in the game's waning seconds to take down Fordham. As William Paxton writes, between monumental finishes, a marquee opponent in the team's opener, and a preseason tourney, the spotlight is nothing new for this team.
• As for Jim Calhoun's take: "This is probably the best in-state team we will face going back the past eight to 10 years and they have seniors and juniors in their lineup that are experienced and have played against us in this environment, so they will not be intimidated."
• An even more revealing quote from Calhoun in Mike Anthony's game story in the Courant: "(Fairfield) is a classic trap game". Anthony points out that, following the game against the Stags tonight, UConn has four games against Big East opponents, including a three-game road swing against West Virginia, Cincinnati, and St. John's. Couple that with the overtime win over Gonzaga - a definitive moment for this team - and maybe there's something to this trap game thing. That is, if Fairfield is up to the task...
• Game Notes: The Hartford Courant; Fairfield SID
  

More to come.