Huskies Travel to Top-Ranked Tennessee in Anticipated Match-Up

KNOXVILLE, TN (February 3) -- One of the most anticipated women’s college basketball games is finally here as the fourth-ranked (Associated Press) Connecticut Huskies travel to Knoxville, Tenn. to take on the top-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols on Thursday, February 5. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. and will be televised live on espn2 with Sean McDonough calling the play-by-play action and Ann-Myers Drysdale calling the color.

The Huskies are riding a five-game winning streak entering Thursday’s clash with the Lady Vols. UConn’s current five-game winning streak is the longest of the year since opening the season with nine straight wins. The Huskies hold a record of 16-2 overall. Tennessee is riding an 11-game win streak while owning a record of 18-1 on the season.

"The good thing about the times we have played Tennessee is that we played them both ways as a favorite and an underdog. That's according to the polls,” said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. “If you asked our players whether they were the favorite or the underdog for Thursday and you probably wouldn't get the same answers. It is how people perceive it. To me, it's how the players perceive it that is important. I don't like this underdog status, because it signifies that it would be a big upset if we win."

Thursday’s game with Tennessee will mark the 18th all-time meeting between the storied programs and the first in Knoxville since February 5, 2002. The Huskies are 11-6 all-time against the Lady Vols, all in the Pat Summitt Era. UConn is only one of three schools to hold a winning record in the all-time series against Tennessee and Summitt, with the teams having played the Lady Vols more than once. The other two teams that hold a winning record over Tennessee are Belmont (4-2) and Union, Tenn. (3-0). UConn is also one of only five teams to have recorded double-figure wins all-time against Tennessee and one of only three teams to accomplish the feat since Summitt took over the program’s reigns in 1974. Louisiana Tech (17), Georgia (13) and Connecticut (13) all had wins over the Lady Vols since Summitt has been coaching, while Maryville (15) and Tennessee Tech (12) earned this feat in the program’s overall history.

"It should be a great game. It will be a great atmosphere,” said Summitt. “The last time we played them, we played close, but we didn't have the final say. It's important that we play better defense. We didn't defend well in the national championship game."

Entering Thursday’s game, Auriemma and Summitt are in a virtual tie for the highest all-time winning percentage among NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches. Auriemma is currently 517-101 overall for a .83656 winning percentage, while Summitt boasts an 839-164 career mark for a .83649 percentage.

The Huskies are 2-1 against ranked teams this season and are 6-1 on the road only losing to Notre Dame on January 13. The Huskies will be playing the nation’s No. 1 ranked team for the seventh time in their history when they face Tennessee on Thursday. UConn is 3-3 all-time in previous contests when playing the nation’s top ranked team.

Senior Diana Taurasi continues to lead the squad in scoring averaging 17.4 points per game. She also has a team-best 4.39 assists, 1.61 steals and 1.00 blocked shots per game while shooting .820 percent from the free-throw line (50-for-61). Entering Thursday’s game, she is two 3-pointers shy of tying Wendy Davis’ UConn career record. Taurasi currently boasts 277 career 3-pointers over 27 games, two shy of Davis’ UConn record total of 279 over 127 games. Taurasi has scored double-figure points in 31 of her last 32 games.

Taurasi has enjoyed the rivalry between UConn and Tennessee. The guard has averaged 23.0 points per game over six career games against the Lady Vols. Since Taurasi’s arrival in Storrs in 2001, the Huskies are 5-1 in the match ups with the Lady Vols, with the Huskies only loss coming on February 1, 2001 in Knoxville (92-88).

"I think Diana just likes playing in big games. As for Tennessee, I just think the more at stake the better she seems to play,” said Auriemma. “That's been the case her whole career here. Tennessee is obviously a big game and we played them, in Diana's career, at moments when a lot was at stake. I don't think it is anything else but that."

Sophomore Ann Strother will look to build on her solid outing in UConn’s 82-49 rout over St. John’s on January 31. She scored a career-high 27 points and collected 10 rebounds. Strother scored 19 of her 27 points in the first half and hit seven three-point shots on 7-of-13 shooting. Her seven three-pointers represented a career-best effort, and she recorded her first double-double of the season and third of her career as she snared 10 rebounds. She is averaging 11.4 points per game and has started in 56 consecutive games for the Huskies.

The Lady Vols only loss this season came on December 28 when they dropped a 70-60 decision at home against Texas. UConn will mark Tennessee’s 10th ranked opponent this season, giving the Lady Vols an 8-1 record against those opponents. The wins came over Notre Dame, Louisiana Tech, Rutgers, Stanford, Oklahoma, TCU, Duke and Auburn.

Junir Shyra Ely leads the Lady Vols with an average of 14.5 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Guard Shanna Zolman is the only other Tennessee player averaging double-figure points at 12.1. She also has made a team-best 28 3-pointers. The Lady Vols will be playing without starting point guard Loree Moore, who is out for the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury at Duke on January 24.

"Obviously, they are very talented. Ashley Robinson, out of high school, every one thought she was the best high school player in the country. Her and Diana were ranked at the top. When Shyra Ely came out, everyone said she was the best player in the country,” said Auriemma. “Not surprising that the two of them have found a level where they can play to their ability. Without Kara Lawson and Gwen Jackson, more has been put on them. More is expected of them. What challenges do they present? I was reading ESPN.com and it said that we have more talent than anyone in America. I think we should be able to match-up pretty well with them."

Summitt is in her 30th season at the helm of Tennessee program and owns a record of 839-164 over that span, the most wins in NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball history. During her tenure, Summitt has directed the Lady Vol program to six NCAA titles.

"I think our program is one of the best, if not the best, in the nation, year in and year out,” said Summitt. “I don't think anyone passed has passed us by. We're still getting good recruits and going to Final Fours and playing in national championship games. I don't think anyone has passed us by."