BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - Hello again from Lauren Greif (aka LG) and the California Golden Bears.

The colder weather of November has rolled in and teams across the country are now well into "game mode" - and this consists of scouting opponents, shorter practices and establishing game-day routines.

Game-day traditions are important because some of us - and this includes me - believe that winning and losing games can depend as much on how game-day rituals go as it does on how we play on the court. You know ... how can I be expected to focus on the game if I don't have my designated game-day spandex on?

Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but I do eat the same meal before each game (peanut butter and jelly), listen to Rascal Flatts, and always make a 3-pointer before I go to the bench before the game starts and before the second half.

As a team, we have a certain taping order with Ann, our trainer; Lex (Alexis Gray-Lawson) and Ash (Ashley Walker) have a special hand shake/salute they do when their names are announced as starters; Tasha (Vital) gets out on the court first before the game and shoots for 10 minutes with her headphones on, and of course we have an on-the-court warmup schedule.

I would tell you more of our team's little idiosyncrasies, but then I would worry that somebody would try to sabotage us ... got to protect the team and not embarrass ourselves too much!!!

As we get ready for our first road trip to the Virgin Islands (nice!), we also get a chance to work on our road routines. Trust me, you don't know who and what your teammates are about until you spend 72 straight hours with them (normal road trip time).

That means eating, sleeping, waiting in airports, choosing TV stations, dealing with wins and especially losses, and singing on the bus together - and it can make you either love your teammates or wish you had spent more time checking them out before signing! No joke!

Fortunately for me, I love my teammates and we really have a good time together. I trust them ... we are always laughing ... and I really respect each of them and the roads they've traveled (often different than mine) to get to Cal.

My coaches can be great fun too and I totally enjoy all the crazy things we come up with to keep busy on the road. And if all else fails, we can always get into a game of "Catch Phase" - and we are good!

So, yes, this is a direct challenge to any team out there - "catch phrase" or b-ball?

Either way, we are ready.

Happy Holidays and catch you later.

P.S. I have to send a shout out to all the great Bear fans who are filling Haas Pavilion and helping us win big games!!

Thanks ... and keep the love coming.

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FRIDAY, Nov. 21:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Today, I wanted to tell you about my wonderful family. Because without their love and support I could not do all the things that I do today.

They are the best support system anyone could have!

My dad is a pastor in Baltimore, which means my mom is a first lady. Baltimore is really a tough city so my dad goes to preach in the jail systems. He works with a lot of ministries, helping the community. My parents have been married for 23 years.

Now, many people might think it was my dad that got me involved in basketball but I actually owe that to my mom. She is the one who signed me up to play in a local league. After the first day I wanted to quit but she encouraged me to go back and try it again. The next day I had a lot of fun and the rest is history!

I am the oldest of three daughters. I have two sisters, Kristina and Joi. Kristina is 17 and is into fashion. She also loves to do hair as well. Joi is 12 and everyone says she is a mini me. We look alike and she also plays basketball. She wants to be like me so she said she is already committed to Louisville. I told her she is a little too young to be making commitments right now (LOL).

My family keeps me grounded and I love spending time with them. They try to come to a lot of games and I love seeing them in the stands.

My grandma Qunis Taylor had surgery on her knee a month ago because she wanted to make sure she was better in time to travel to the games. That meant so much to me that she cares so much.

I am very fortunate to be in a position that I am an inspiration to others. I like reaching out to the community and helping those that are less fortunate. When I have some time I want to go to the children's hospital and visit them. I also help out with a program in Louisville which helps battered women and their children.

Well I guess it's time to go.

The season is just beginning and I will have plenty of stories for you about my second family in the upcoming months.

Take care and God bless

- Louisville senior Angel McCoughtry

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WEDNESDAY, Nov. 19:

NORMAN, Okla. - Hey guys, it's me again, Courtney Paris. Promised I would check in again so here I am.

I was supposed to blog about the start of the season but I have been so preoccupied - well, kind of.

So here is the thing. I am addicted to my BlackBerry. Not to e-mails, not text messaging, not phone calls about nothingness. I'm addicted to Brick Breaker. Oh my gosh that game, I tell ya, is the owner of any free time my thumbs might have.

TK (assistant coach Chad Thrailkill), one of our assistants, had a BlackBerry two summers ago and bragged about how he had gotten 300,000 points and had 90 lives left. No way. I could not believe it and I did not have to because his phone miraculously broke before he could save it.

However, I'm competitive, so naturally every time I go on there I think, "Beat TK, get to 300,000." Crazy thing is, even if I got there and surpassed Coach Thrailkill, I will still be 7,251,110 points behind Umang Kanoria, who is currently at the top of the Brick Breaker leader board.

I am coming for you Kanoria!

Another thing about my phone though and is I get updates about women's basketball news and, man, there have been some strange things happening around the country with powerhouses going down.

I think personally it's a good thing for women's basketball. A little parity never hurts; in fact it shows how much our sport is growing (or how much Candice Wiggins and Candace Parker are missed).

We play Middle Tennessee next, and it should be a challenge not to be the next top team to fall. But right now all I can focus on is making sure my team is getting better every day, so that when the time comes to really do something special, we'll be prepared.

Now back to my game.

Until next time,

Courtney Paris

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TUESDAY, Nov. 11:

STORRS, Conn. - Hello everyone! We had our first game the other day, and it felt so good to get out there and play again. Preseason was great this year. Our UConn team was split into four teams of 4, the team names were Salt and Peppa, Gazelles, 2%, and Bomb Squad. I'm sure you are wondering where these names came from but maybe I will explain that another day. The four seniors picked the teams - playground style.

Every Friday these four teams competed in a challenge. The challenges were things such as flipping big tires, urging (if you don't know what this is, consider yourself lucky), running through obstacle courses, tug of war, etc. At the end of six weeks, which is the length of a preseason, the team with the highest point total won. The winners of the preseason competition were Salt and Peppa, and the members of this team were Matt Gade, our head manager, Tina Charles, Meghan Gardler, and yours truly. Our coaches presented us with a framed collage of pictures, and I'm not going to lie, I felt like I had won a real championship.

Now that I've told the lighter side of preseason, I guess I should mention that we didn't just have challenges for six weeks. During the week we would condition by running Cemetery Hill (the name alone should let you know something about its level of difficulty), stadiums, sprints, and anything else Amanda Kimball, our wonderful strength and conditioning coach, could think of. Well that wraps up my preseason, it was great, but now that the games are starting the real fun begins. Thanks for listening.

- Connecticut senior Renee Montgomery

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NORMAN, Okla. - Hey "y'all," I'm Courtney Paris and, in case you don't know, I play for the University of Oklahoma, which is where I've picked up my new dialogue.

I'm a senior in journalism and I am excited about finishing my last year of college with my twin sister, Ashley. Time has flown and then dragged. I feel like I've been here forever, yet I can't believe it's almost over.

I've done a lot in my college experience - milked a cow, had my first job, bought a home, paid bills, broken records, been challenged on and off the court and met some pretty incredible people.

There's only two things left for me do as a Sooner and those are complete my degree and help lead my team to a national title.

I feel like I have a good chance at getting both.

I'm probably most known to for my double-double streak and while I don't want it to end, one streak I want over is going to the Final Four by myself. This year I want to be in St. Louis with my team. And playing!

- Oklahoma senior Courtney Paris

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hello, my name is Angel McCoughtry and I am a senior forward at the University of Louisville. I am from Baltimore, Md., and enjoy spending time with my family. My team is my second family and we have a great time together!

When I was first recruited by the University of Louisville I had no idea where it was located. Once I got there I loved the campus and people and I ended up choosing Louisville because I wanted to help make them a national power in women's basketball. Last year Coach Walz came to Louisville and helped us to reach our goals with our first Sweet 16 appearance but we aren't done yet.

Expectations are high this season and I can't wait to get started because we have a great team returning and added a lot of talent this year.

- Louisville senior Angel McCoughtry.

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BERKELEY, Calif. - Hey, all you basketball fans. This is Lauren Greif from the Cal women's basketball team and I am excited to be letting you in on some of the behind the scenes action and drama of college athletics and my Cal team throughout the season.

I would like to start by thanking November for finally showing up because, as every college basketball athlete or fan will tell you, the games are exceedingly more fun than the hours and hours of practice. There is no way around it sorry, coach! Our team, as well as the teams from nearly 1,300 Division I, Division II, Division III, and NAIA programs, have been beating up on our own teammates for months. Now, we can finally take out our frustrations with the tedium of practice and put our coaches' yelling to good use, playing other teams. And, if all goes according to plan for us here at Cal, we will be playing others well into March and April!

- California junior Lauren Greif

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - It's that time of the year again! Yes, the most wonderful time of the year!

No, I don't mean Christmas, but college basketball season!

The time of the year when whistles are a basketball fan's equivalent to jingle bells and the squeaking of shoes on the court are way better than any holiday song. Preseason has come and gone (thank goodness) and practice so far has consisted of, "missed block out! on the line!", "middle drive! on the line!" and "no communication! on the line!"

You know, the typical scene for any team's initial weeks of practice.

The anticipation for this season has been like no other for me. As a senior, there is a newfound sense of urgency and determination. It is going to be a great season for the Terps and Terps fans, so get ready! You are in for a show!

So, I am going to need your help. Like many things do, this blog has become a friendly or not-so-friendly competition between my best friend Abby (Waner) and I. (We did not speak for more than two weeks this summer because of a little comment I made about beating her Duke team in the 2006 National Championship game, so you be the judge whether this is a friendly competition or not).

From what I hear she set the standard pretty high with her blogs last year. I am pretty confident that I will give her a "run for her money."

Well, at least I think so.

My "Turtle IQ" could be clouding my judgment. This is where your assistance comes in. All e-mails, letters, phone calls letting me know my blogs are better will be greatly appreciated.

I cannot leave without mentioning the historic election that just passed. Wow! This was my first time being able to vote and what better an election than this one to be a first timer.

I woke up at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, as I wanted to be one of the first in line and have the full voter experience. It was so obvious that I was a rookie voter. I brought every form of identification I had as well as my voter registration verification. This was even after my Dad ensured me that I did not need everything I was bringing.

Hey, I did not want to risk not being able to vote in this historic election!

After I cast my ballot I checked it probably about 50 times to make sure I did not hit a wrong button or read something wrong. I walked away like a little kid with a huge smile on my face, finally realizing what it means to be a part of something bigger than me.

Regardless of whom anyone voted for, we made history and that is something to be proud of!

- Maryland senior Marissa Coleman

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - With the 2008 presidential election coming to a close, 'change' seems to be a key word.

Not only is change happening for America, but change is happening for the Purdue women's basketball team. The style and tempo of our game will be changing this season due to a change in personnel.

I am a fifth-year senior, back from an ACL injury. We have four starters returning, plus Jodi Howell returns from a shoulder injury and a top-10 freshman class.

Our team is expected to do great things this season and only three weeks into practice, I feel as though we are on the right path. We are bonding well on and off the court. Coach Versyp is a big believer in team-building exercises, so we've already navigated a corn maze (this is Indiana after all) and played 'Would You Rather.'

We will be put to the test on Dec. 9 when we have our first exhibition game. You'll have to check back with me later to see if we're living up to expectations.

- Purdue senior Lindsay Wysdom-Hilton

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EL PASO, Texas - I'm Jareica Hughes, the 5-foot-4 point guard and 2007-08 Conference USA player of the year from UTEP. I'm really excited about starting the year and appreciate all of the looks and attention both myself and UTEP is receiving.

We don't have too much free time right now, with handling practices and dealing with classes, but it's still going pretty well. We've done a lot of conditioning, trying to get into shape. We start our season Friday against Kansas State, which is one of the best teams in the country right now.

We're really excited to play them.

After getting more recognition last year with going 16-0 in C-USA, 2008-09 is going to be a brand new challenge for us. We want to play real hard and do the best that we can do.

Seeing my name mentioned by different people across the country is such a blessing. I'm very honored to have that. I've put in a lot of work, and it is starting to pay off.

I look forward to keep working hard and having a great season.

- UTEP junior Jareica Hughes