Big News in the Big East, and Murray Breaks Through

Murray wins U.S Open

• Just a few months ago, Andy Murray seemed destined for a career as a second tier tennis player, someone who was just good enough to be the last opponent in a given tournament for the truly great trio of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. But during the Olympics, the Brit won a gold medal and now he's won his first major, the U.S. Open, beating Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic respectively in the finals of each event.
• The finale was a thrilling back and forth affair full of drama as Murray took the first set in a 22 point tiebreaker that was the longest in U.S. Open finals history. The second set saw Djokovic visibly thrown off by the gushing winds and losing badly. Djokovic, however, would come back and win the next 2 sets to force a decisive 5th set, but in the final set of the tournament, Murray proved that he had what it took to finish a big win, winning 6-2.
• Murray lost his first four Grand Slam event finals, something only his coach, Ivan Lendl, had ever done before. In his previous 3, Murray only won a total of 1 set.

ND on the Move

• Notre Dame is moving from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) starting with the 2013 sports season. The Fighting Irish will stay independent for football (like they have for their entire history) but will play all other collegiate sports against the ACC.
• Notre Dame has agreed to play 5 games a season against ACC opponents, which will bring a boost to the conference’s football prowess, while still allowing Notre Dame to play (and make a lot of money off of their exclusive TV deal) up to 7 other opponents each year.
• Notre Dame’s defection from the Big East will continue the devolvement of the Big East. Notre Dame’s basketball program has long been a competitive one that added bulk to the Big East’s roster of basketball teams. In a few short years, the league is down to only two of its previous powerhouses, one of whom just took a hit….

Calhoun retiring

• University of Connecticut head basketball coach Jim Calhoun is expected to announce his retirement on Thursday. Calhoun, who is 70, leaves the game after winning 873 games and three national championships. Calhoun has had a number of health issues including three different bouts with cancer, and a spinal issue that caused him to miss games last year.
• For all his greatness on the court, Calhoun has had a spotty record off of it. In 2010 the UConn program was accused of a number of major rules violations, and was academically banned from this upcoming year’s NCAA tournament.
• Calhoun leaves in his wake a number of great NBA players, including Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen and Ben Gordon. He also leaves behind a large charitable effort in which the UConn Health Center’s Cardiology Center is named after him.