HROW?Four times in his career at Iowa, Beathard has thrown for fewer than 100 yards. All four times the Hawkeyes have won, at Wisconsin and Nebrask

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. Nick Lowery Jersey . -- You dont think of Diana Taurasi as the sentimental type -- or at least thats not something she shows externally. But the greeting from the fans in Connecticut, the all-Huskies starting lineup, the crisp and familiar way they played together ... that prompted some thoughts from the warm and fuzzy side.You know, I walked out to shoot before the game, and they were going crazy, Taurasi said after scoring 14 points to lead the U.S. Olympic womens basketball team to an 83-43 exhibition victory over Canada on Friday. And it just makes you think, Its such a special place to play basketball. Because they never forget you.Now, before you non-UConn fans -- especially those who favor an Orange hue -- get your gag reflex tripped, try to pull back the lens and really see the big picture here. So much has been written about Geno Auriemmas program and its 11 NCAA titles, the success of former Huskies in the WNBA, the massive UConn presence and influence on the U.S. national team.And, again, if youre not a UConn follower, you might feel that you overdosed on all this years ago. Understandable. UConn has won the last four national championships. There were six Huskies on the 2012 Olympic team, and there are five on this years squad for the Rio de Janeiro Games. Auriemma has been the national team coach for two editions of the world championship, and will soon preside over his second Olympics.Yet if you are fan of the unique nature of the emotional bonds that sports creates between those who play/coach and those who watch, then this remains a compelling story, regardless of how often its told. Not just because its about excellence, but because it encompasses so many stars of different backgrounds and personalities who have competitive natures that are so much in alignment.It is pretty incredible, said Sue Bird, who started Friday along with fellow guard Taurasi, Breanna Stewart at center, and Maya Moore and Tina Charles at forward. Youre talking about some of the best basketball players in the world. Yes, they happen to come from the same program. A coincidence? I dont think so. But I dont think its anything to necessarily hate on.No, its not -- although some people still will do that. Its part of sports; we get it. But Tennessee grad Tamika Catchings -- like Taurasi and Bird, shes on her fourth Olympic team -- appreciated the vibe from the crowd lauding both its long-ago and recent Huskies superstars.Its awesome, Catchings said. Being here with the UConn [fans], being in Delaware with [Elena] Delle Donne on Wednesday with her crowd ... we go to college, we get four years to experience that, and then we go to our WNBA teams. And its a little bit different.But whenever we come close to where our schools are, the fans show out. And having games in these two cities -- and Madison Square Garden, I think, will be great on Sunday -- its great to have our fans here who supported us through college.Catchings said she did spy a little orange in the crowd, too, at Webster Bank Arena.Hey, we had a couple of Tennessee people in here, she said, chuckling. I said, Oh, you guys have to be brave wearing these orange shirts in here. But its all for a good cause.Indeed, its the cause that the best American womens basketball players have been devoted to for quite a long time now. During halftime of Fridays game, two members of the 1996 Olympic team -- Dawn Staley, now a U.S. assistant to Auriemma, and Lisa Leslie, who was doing television commentary -- were announced on court and received a standing ovation.The fans here were well aware of their USA Basketball history: how the 1996 team trained together on a months-long tour and then took Atlanta by storm, winning the first of what now is five consecutive gold medals.That appreciation of contributors to Olympic glory fits with the mindset that Taurasi was talking about of not forgetting. And when you think about it, thats particularly important to cultivate in womens sports, which is generally less-covered and less-celebrated.You could also say this: Huskies players -- at UConn and long after -- regularly deliver the goods. Friday, the whole U.S. team did that. Auriemma wanted a better effort than the United States had in beating the U.S. select team Monday in Los Angeles and France on Wednesday in Delaware. He got it.The UConn starting five set the tone -- Auriemma has varied the starters over the three exhibition games and probably will again Sunday -- and the Americans were in crush-mode the rest of the way. Canada never got anything going offensively.The UConn player for the Maple Leaf side, rising junior Kia Nurse, had a particularly tough night, going 0-for-3 from the field and being held scoreless. Nurse was part of the Canadian team that beat a Stewart-led U.S. squad in the Pam Am Games final last year, but there was none of that Friday.Nurse, who is coming back from surgery for a sports hernia, said that today was not a good day in regard to how she performed. But she brightened up when asked about the crowd.Connecticut is a basketball state, Nurse said. Its a great atmosphere to play in.There was another link between Fridays game and how it usually feels at Huskies games: It wasnt exactly a nail-biter. UConn fans are used to blowouts, where the action on court is appreciated, but doesnt really produce much of a rush.Thus, affection, not adrenaline, is what the crowd mostly experienced. Thats OK, though, because this entire team is worth that. And to this part of the country, especially, Fridays starting five was perfect.It really is just a different level of family, Taurasi said. Theres just so many layers. And you dont understand the layers until you leave. As Ive gotten older, Ive kept it closer to my heart every day a little bit more. Juan Thornhill Jersey . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. Johnny Robinson Jersey . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/custom...large-366n.html . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The wind whipped at a consistent 25 mph Saturday, making the 37-degree temperature at Illinois Memorial Stadium feel a good 10 degrees colder and making any ball in the air -- punt, pass or kick -- an adventure.But Iowa knows how to handle this kind of game.The Hawkeyes struggled to a 7-0 halftime lead before turning the game over to LeShun Daniels Jr. and the defense on the way to a 28-0 win over the Illini.The shutout was the first for Iowa (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) since a win over Ball State in 2010. Illinois had just 198 yards of offense, had as many first downs -- 10 -- as punts and never pushed inside the Iowa 30.Watching the defense work motivated the offense to put points on the board on a day when they were tough to come by, Hawkeyes quarterback C.J. Beathard said.Theyve been flying around and hitting guys and getting to the ball the last couple of weeks, said Beathard, who was 9 of 17 for just 80 yards and an interception. Theyve stacked a couple of really good games together defensively.Daniels had 159 yards on 26 carries, including second-half touchdowns of 1 and 50 yards that put the game away.Even with quarterback Wes Lunt back from an injured back and starting his first game since early October, Illinois (3-8, 2-6) struggled to deal with the conditions and the Hawkeyes defense.We dropped the balls when we got it to the receivers. It just wasnt a good day for our offense as a whole -- we couldnt get the running game going, Illinois coach Lovie Smith said.The wind was the only reason McCarron dropped deep on punt returns Saturday, joining Desmond King as a second return man to deal with the unpredictable flight of the ball, Ferentz said. And having McCarron back there paid off late in the first half.Standing at his own 45, he waited for the low, wind-driven punt from David Reisner to find him. When it did, he broke right and found little but open space on the way to a 55-yard touchdown and the 7-0 halftime lead.THE TAKEAWAYIowa: Coming off a big win over Michigan, the Hawkeyes struggled through the first half. McCarrons touchdown looked for a while like it might be the games only points. But Iowas defense kept its foot on the Illini for fourr quarters, denying them points even off a pair of first-half turnovers and keeping Lunt to 137 yards and an interception on 19-of-41 passing. Bashaud Breeland Jersey. Illinois: The Illini had first-half chances. But they failed to turn two turnovers and some good field position into points in their last home game of the season. Lost in the final score is a solid effort from a defense that Iowa wore down as the game went on. Iowa had 136 yards at halftime, had turned the ball over twice and, minus McCarrons punt return, hadnt scored.WIND TUNNELThink the stiff wind wasnt a factor? Iowa was so concerned about it that Ferentz chose to play with the wind at his teams back rather than receive the ball to open the third quarter. And the decision paid off. The Hawkeyes forced Illinois into a three-and-out possession to open the half, then comfortably drove 77 yards for Daniels first touchdown and a 14-0 lead.Ferentz remembered making a similar move once, in 2003 against Michigan State.It didnt work out too well up in East Lansing, he said. They promptly drove 80 yards.WHO NEEDS TO THROW?Four times in his career at Iowa, Beathard has thrown for fewer than 100 yards. All four times the Hawkeyes have won, at Wisconsin and Nebraska in 2015 and the past two weeks over Michigan and Illinois.LUNT TO GRANTLunt and Illinois receiver Zach Grant were high school teammates in Rochester, Illinois, just outside Springfield, and won a pair of state titles playing at Memorial Stadium. Grant came into the game with just 17 catches this season, but the connection between the two seniors was one of the few things that worked Saturday. Grant had eight catches for 65 yards and said the connection between the two felt a little like high school again.Now thinking about it, it did a little bit. It was nice to get rolling for sure, he said.UP NEXTIowa: The Hawkeyes close at home against No. 19 Nebraska next Saturday.Illinois: Illinois finishes up at Northwestern next Saturday.---More AP college football coverage: collegefootball.ap.orgFollow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAP ' ' '