Here are several recaps from Thursday night's 5-1 loss at No. 15 Wisconsin for the UMass hockey team. The Mass Attack and Badgers will face each other again on Friday night starting at 8 PM Eastern (7 PM CST).

MassLive.com: Wisconsin blitzes Minutemen, 5-1
Daily Hampshire Gazette: Badgers Ice UMass
USCHO.com: Turnbull's Surge Helps Wisconsin Drop UMass
Madison.com: Badgers Start Second Half Right Way

Check out the previews of the UMass-BU Basketball game, Friday at 2 p.m.

In the fall of 2009, University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Derek Kellogg welcomed five freshmen, all of which are expected to play contributing roles now.

That list does not include his two primary low-post players, his leading scorer, his two pure point guards and a new player, Jesse Morgan, who became eligible last week. The task facing Kellogg is one of sorting out a rotation where the problem is not a shortage of players, but perhaps too many.

"I would like a little separation between guys. Right now, there's not a lot of separation between the fourth guy and the ninth,'' he said Monday.

UMass takes a 7-4 record, but a four-game losing streak, into Friday afternoon's home game against Boston University (5-7). Kellogg had hoped to have his players back on campus Sunday night, but blizzard conditions will delay some until Tuesday at the earliest.

After a 7-0 start, UMass has dropped four straight games. There could be a "here we go again" feeling in Amherst, but the Minutemen are staying optimistic.

"There's obviously disappointment that we're not coming away with victories, but at the same token, there's no sense of quit in the guys," coach Derek Kellogg said. "I think they still feel like we can make something happen this season."

One obvious cause of the slide is stiffer competition. The losses have come against BC, Maine, Seton Hall and No. 24 Central Florida.

UMass is a mostly young team, which has led to some inconsistency. But Kellogg is confident the underclassmen will continue to develop.

"All in all, I like where we are as a team and a program," Kellogg said. "My job is to get a consistent effort every single time out from all the guys."

With the Denver Nuggets, Gary Forbes played 16 minutes off the bench and scored six points in a 114-106 loss at the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The New Hampton School took the championship at this weekend's Mercer Invitational Tournament hosted by the Hill School, defeating the Berkshire School, the host Hill, and then the Landon School in the final. Laguerre took MVP honors, averaging just under 20 points per game on the weekend in 32-minute games played without a shot clock.

The tournament is just the latest in what has been a very strong start to the season for the UMass bound guard. Laguerre made an early commitment to UMass just prior to the beginning of this summer's live period and so his performances have tended to fly a little under the radar, but this is a guy who consistently outplays high-major prospects at virtually every stop and has the tools to be an impact addition in the Atlantic 10.

In recognition of its 35th-year anniversary, the Atlantic 10 Conference is unveiling 35 Years of A-10 History. Major accomplishments and features were collected from each year, and in the conference's No. 4 Highlight, the impact of the 1972 enactment of Title IX and the contributions of women's athletics to the Atlantic 10 is the focus.

"Under Sortino's direction, UMass has accumulated 22 Atlantic 10 Conference titles and has never suffered a losing season. Sortino has proven her ability to produce exceptional talent during her 31-years at the helm, coaching 27 All-Americans, 13 A-10 Players of the Year, 16 A-10 Pitcher of the Year picks, eight A-10 Rookie of the Year honorees and 116 all-conference selections."

The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team will play Central Florida on Wednesday night, a game matching two teams with a combined 17-3 record. The unbeaten visitors include Marcus Jordan, son of Michael. But a sparse crowd is expected, because at UMass home games these days, a sparse crowd is the rule.

UMass officials are more than baffled. They are worried, because basketball is still considered the school's flagship sport, in terms of image and revenue potential.

Morgan is a 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard from Philadelphia, Pa. Lured by the Big East, he initially signed a letter of intent with Seton Hall in nearby South Orange, N.J., in November of 2009, with plans to enter in the fall of 2010.

That is when his mother's reservations about the trouble of the city streets, and his own, kicked in. He never went to Seton Hall, instead spending part of last year at South Kent (a prep school in Connecticut), before enrolling at UMass for the start of the second semester.

Players frequently change their minds after making verbal commitments, but a change of heart after a signed letter of intent is rare. Because of this unorthodox path, Morgan had to sit out all of last year and the first semester of this season, as he squared up eligibility questions and solidified his academics.

"It feels great to be picked. It says the hard work over the summer paid off,'' said Holmes, who moved from middle linebacker to an outside spot this season.

Here are a few stories on Holmes:

• Springfield Republican: AP names Holmes as a first-team All-American

• Boston Globe: UMass's Holmes is FCS All-American

• Boston Herald: UMass' Tyler Holmes an All-American

• Daily Hampshire Gazette: Holmes named All-American

• The Associated Press: Moses, Eachus lead AP's FCS All-America team

Check out CBS 3 Springfield's feature on the UMass Athletic Department spreading cheer at the local Shriners Hospital.

Children spending the holiday in the hospital got a fun surprise today. UMass athletes made their annual trip to Shriners Hospital for Children , passing out toys to the kids. The trolleys they pulled looked a little like Santa's sleigh.

Athletes from several different UMass teams helped give hundreds of toys away. Basketball player, Sean Carter, says it's important to brighten the kids' day.

"These kids enjoy it. There's some things in life they really don't get a chance to do so it helps them know that people care about them," he says.

UMass collected the toys at Minutemen basketball and hockey games. Doctors and trainers from UMass' athletic department donated money to give Shriners Hospital for Children a red Wiii this year.

Jesse Morgan has been looking forward to next week's game, even before he knew who he'd be playing against.

Like every nonqualifier sitting out his freshman season, the first game has been the goal for what seems like an eternity when they first arrive.

But on Saturday, Morgan will have a locker and a University of Massachusetts men's practice uniform, a new pair of sneakers and teammates for the first time in a year. NCAA rules allow Morgan to begin practice as soon as finals end. If he's earned his 2.0 grade point average and his professors turn his grades in quickly, Morgan could make his Minuteman debut Wednesday against Central Florida at the Mullins Center.

"I'm really excited," Morgan said last week. "I've been waiting for a long time."

Former UMass star and Brooklyn native Gary Forbes had a feature story in the New York Daily News.

It wasn't a good omen for Gary Forbes, the Brooklyn product who played his first pro game at the Garden Sunday as a 25-year-old rookie.

Before the Knicks beat Forbes' Nuggets, 129-125, Spike Lee, the denizen of all things Brooklyn, admitted to the Daily News that he had never heard of Forbes, who starred at Banneker High in Fort Greene.

Maybe he should have known him since Forbes' team lost to Sebastian Telfair and Lincoln in the 2003 PSAL city championship game at the Garden. Lee famously chronicled Coney Island's Lincoln High in his film, "He Got Game."

While Telfair jumped from Lincoln to the NBA, Forbes took a meandering journey to the pros, through a pair of high schools, two colleges, Italy, Israel, the NBA Development league and finally to the Denver Nuggets this season.

So much for the importance of UMass hockey scoring the first goal
Kevin Czepiel of Holyoke shines in center of faceoff circle for UMass hockey against Maine
UMass hockey happenings: Post-game notes from Maine game
Former UMass hockey defenseman Matt Irwin is third star in Worcester win
Former UMass hockey defenseman Mike Kostka has big night for Rochester in AHL

I've been teaching at UMass since 1984 and just about every semester I get at least three or four varsity athletes in my classes.

This year, I got to teach a very good wide receiver who is also such a good student that ESPN last month named him to its Academic All-American first team. I refer to Anthony Nelson, a senior from Wellington, Fla., who transferred to UMass last year from Hofstra after Hofstra dropped its football program, and who promptly made an enormous impact with the Minutemen.

"Every day, every game, every practice," Forbes said with a smile. "First one in, last one out. That's what Coach [Travis] Ford taught me.

His 1,128 points put him 28th all-time at UMass, not bad for a guy who played only two seasons. He was the Atlantic 10 Conference player of the year for the 2007-08 season, and helped lead the Minutemen to a berth in the NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden. He still talks to Ford, now at Oklahoma State, two or three times a month.

That would be the preferred rallying cry for the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team, which fell flat in Wednesday's 68-56 loss to Maine, and now faces Seton Hall at the Mullins Center.

Read the Springfield Republican's preview of the UMass-Seton Hall game on Saturday.

The University of Massachusetts basketball team started 7-0, with the help of senior guard Anthony Gurley and contributions from the sophomore class, but perhaps their record wasn't indicative of how good the team really is. The Minutemen have since dropped their last two contests, and will be facing a pivotal point in their non-conference schedule with back-to-back quality opponents coming to Amherst in the coming weeks, where they'll have the chance to prove how serious a threat they are as the conference season approaches.

"Former Dedham High stars Katie Kelly and Sydney Stoll each left Whiting Avenue as the all-time leading scorers in their signature sports. But beyond their knack for producing goals, it was a relentless drive that made them stand apart in Marauder uniforms on the field hockey and soccer pitches."

As the University of Massachusetts campus empties out as students travel to their various destinations, the Massachusetts men's basketball team will play a slew of games over winter break.

The upcoming games will be key for the Minutemen (7-2) who have lost two consecutive games - against Boston College on Dec. 4 and against Maine on Wednesday. Aside from trying to snap its recent losing streak, UMass will also begin Atlantic 10 plays to close out the break.

Here is Herb Scribner's preview of the games in the Daily Collegian.

More remarkable is that the punt coverage team that has gone through a lot more changes with the injuries to the cornerbacks. They are ranked first in the NFL and have gotten a lift from rookie free agent safety Jeromy Miles when he came off the practice squad to be a gunner against the Jets to replace the injured Rico Murray and made two tackles and drew two penalties.

Daryl Traynham's foot, ankles for both Javorn Farrell and Terrell Vinson - they're all healthy enough to play but problematic enough to keep three key players in the University of Massachusetts' rotation well below 100 percent.

After Saturday, the Minutemen will have 10 days between games, allowing coach Derek Kellogg to rest some of his players as they focus on final exams.

Until then he's hoping his players can keep grinding through two more games at the Mullins Center, tonight against Maine (7 p.m.) and Saturday against Seton Hall.

Point guard.

But, as UMass takes a 7-1 record into Wednesday night's game against Maine (2-5), the concerns about this key spot are being erased by three distinctly different players.

"I think the point guard spot is a microcosm of our team. The guys have done a good job, they have all been somewhat effective in their own ways. but there is still a lot of room for improvement,'' coach Derek Kellogg said.

Read the full story in the Springfield Republican.

hey were the circle-on-the-calendar days on the Philadelphia college hoop calendar. Palestra Tripleheaders - the city's six Division I teams all playing each other in back-to-back games at the city's historic old basketball cathedral.

For one Saturday afternoon, no matter what was going on with the Flyers or Sixers, Philly's sports focus was firmly on college basketball.

It could happen in Massachusetts.

For the season, Camby is averaging 6.1 points and 10.8 rebounds for the Blazers. He ranks sixth in the NBA in rebounding.

The "Reading Power Play" allows fans to meet players and The Moose, while also learning about hockey and the importance of reading. The program also rewards kids for reading and selects two grand-prize winners that will win dinner, suite tickets and the opportunity to participate in the ceremonial puck drop prior to Rochester's home game on Sunday, February 13th against the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The second half of "Reading Power Play" enters kids into a grand-prize drawing. Using a hat trick as a thematic vehicle, youth participants fill out a form for every three books they read, which then qualifies them for an entry into the grand prize drawing.

His quest to reach the NBA was completed last month when he was a surprise addition to the Denver Nuggets, and the team's only rookie has seized the opportunity, averaging 6.2 points in 12.7 minutes per game.

Forbes will make his return to the Bay State Wednesday with the Nuggets, looking to show the region that UMass remains capable of producing NBA-caliber players.

The Boston Globe has a great story on Forbes.

"Derek Kellogg and I talk once or twice a week. And, we text,'' said Bruiser Flint, whose Drexel Dragons beat Northeastern 63-58 in Saturday's doubleheader opener at TD Garden.

The first time Anthony Gurley laid eyes on Derek Kellogg, he was convinced good days were ahead for the UMass basketball program.

"You could tell he wasn't just here for the job," said Gurley, a senior guard for the Minutemen who made his way to Amherst via Newton North High School with a brief stop in Winston-Salem, N.C., along the way. "Coach Kellogg has done a great job of putting together a blueprint of a top-25 program and putting us on the rise. I'm very confident in the direction this program is headed."

urley has a scorer's mentality, a focus that frequently resulted in individual play in his first two seasons at UMass. Now a senior, Gurley is scoring more than ever. But he's also become an all-around player, with career-highs in rebounds, steals, field-goal percentage and 3-point shooting. Most importantly, UMass is 7-0 entering tomorrow night's Boston Tip-Off Classic game against Boston College at the Garden. 

"I think I've matured a lot," said Gurley, a Roxbury native and former Newton North star. "My game has expanded. I'm trying to play a more complete game, get my teammates involved more and just play to my strengths."

Though the Massachusetts football team put forth a notable effort and made an impression this season, it came up one win short of advancing to the postseason.

"In the end, it was a disappointing season because we didn't achieve our goal of making the playoffs," UMass head coach Kevin Morris said.

In the first half of the year, it seemed the No. 19-ranked Minutemen (6-5, 4-4 Colonial Athletic Association) were well on their way after 4-1 record heading into the bye week. The lone loss came in a closely-contested shootout against a storied Michigan program on the road, 42-37. Despite dropping the most anticipated game on its schedule, UMass played well enough to raise some eyebrows.

Coach Sharon Dawley will lead her team to only the squad's second home game of the season, as the Minutewomen search for the season's first victory.

"We need to do a better job of making our easy shots. We are getting great opportunities; we just need to finish them" said Dawley of her team's performance early on.

The Daily Collegian's Michael Counous and David Martin discuss the adaptation to Dawley's new offensive strategy, as well as the highs and lows of 2010 thus far.

Bill Wells looks at the first and second place finishes of David and Kevin Johnson at the annual Talking Turkey Thanksgiving Day Race in Holyoke, Mass.

"It's nice, he got me two years ago when I took second" said David of just beating out his brother Kevin this past weekend. Check out the full story from The Springfield Republican

UMass hockey defenseman Michael Marcou ditches superstition with maturity
UMass hockey players will have different schedule with afternoon game
Around Hockey East: UMass gets extra rest for Lowell
What is the matter with these kids these days: Shouldn't a freshman have heard of Dale Rolfe?

"Getting on the road is inevitable. I think this is a good test, a team that's 4-1 that gave us a great game last year. I think it's going to be a heckuva game," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. "They're probably a little older, but we have youthful exuberance. I'm interested to see how we play. I'm anticipating the place will be sold out or close. It'll be a tough road environment."

Here are previews:

• Daily Hampshire Gazette: UMass hoop team finally leaves state

• Springfield Republican:  UMass basketball team hopes to avoid getting trapped at Quinnipiac

• Daily Collegian: UMass competes in first road game of the season

• Daily Collegian: Minutemen put undefeated record on the line against Quinnipiac