University of Connecticut Athletics
#1 Women's Basketball Set to Host #2 Tennessee
12/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
THE GAME
The Connecticut Huskies (8-0), ranked No. 1 in the country, face the Tennessee Lady Vols (11-0) who hold a No. 2 ranking. The Lady Vols are in the midst of a tough road schedule after facing the University of Texas in Austin on Dec. 22, and Arizona State in the BankOne Ballpark in Phoenix on Dec. 27. The Arizona State game, which Tennessee won, 67-64, was believed to be the first- ever women's basketball game to be played outdoors. After Tennessee battles the Huskies this afternoon, the Lady Vols travel to New York, NY to face #7/7 Rutgers in Madison Square Garden on Jan. 2.
THE LONG STRETCH
While the Vols have been busy on the road, the Illinois game on Dec.10 wrapped up a six-day stretch in which the Huskies played three games, two of which were on the road. From that point until the New Year begins, Connecticut will have only played two games in 23 days. On the 22nd UConn faced Wake Forest in Storrs, CT, before squaring off against Tennessee today in the Hartford Civic Center.
SERIES SCORING AND RANKINGS
Here are the all-time series scores and rankings:
Jan. 16, 1995 Storrs, CT #1 UC 77, #2 TN 66Apr. 2, 1995 Final Four Champ., Minneapolis, MN #1 UC 70, #3 TN 64Jan. 6, 1996 Knoxville, TN #2 UC 59, #4 TN 53Mar. 29, 1996 Final Four Semis, Charlotte, NC #4 TN 88, #2 UC 83 (OT)Jan. 5, 1997 Hartford, CT #1 UC 72, #8 TN 57Mar. 24, 1997 Midwest Reg. Finals, Iowa City, IA #10 TN 91, #1 UC 81Jan. 3, 1998 Knoxville, TN #1 TN 84, #3 UC 69Jan. 10, 1999 Storrs, CT #2 TN 92, #1 UC 81Jan. 8, 2000 Knoxville, TN #1 UC 74, #2 TN 67Feb. 2, 2000 Storrs, CT #4 TN 72, #1 UC 71Apr. 2, 2000 Final Four Champ., Philadelphia, PA #1 UC 71, #2 TN 52THE SERIES
The Huskies and the Lady Vols have played each other 11 times, all nationally-televised games over the past six seasons- seven times during the regular season and four times in NCAA Tournament play, including twice in the championship game (UConn is 2-0 in that game). With the win in April, the Huskies currently hold the series' edge, 6-5. UConn is 2-2 in home games, 2-1 at Knoxville, and 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament versus the Lady Vols. In games versus Tennessee, current Huskies have averaged the following:
Svetlana Abrosimova 12.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg/5 gamesSue Bird 14.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.7 apg/3 gamesSwin Cash 10.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg/4 gamesAsjha Jones 7.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg/4 gamesShea Ralph 13.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.8 apg/5 gamesTamika Williams 7.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg/4 gamesNo. 1 vs. No. 2
This is the 28th matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2 (AP Poll) in the history of the women's collegiate game. The top ranked team has won on 14 of the 27 previous meetings. Combined, UConn and Tennessee have been a part of 16 of those meetings. On four occasions it has been both the Huskies and the Volunteers who have been battling it out for the top spot with UConn owning a 3-1 advantage in those contests. This will be the fifth time that UConn and Tennessee have met when one team is at the top of the polls and the other is just one spot behind them. There have been three times that a second ranked Tennessee team has tried to topple UConn out of the number one ranking, only once have they succeeded (92-81, Jan. 10, 1999, Storrs, CT). That was the last time a No. 2 ranked team knocked off the No. 1 team.
PERENNIAL POWERS
No other two teams in the country have combined for more wins over the last five seasons than have Connecticut and Tennessee. When added together, the Huskies and the Volunteers had a record of 330-35 coming into this season. On the same note, UConn has won the best winning percentage over the last half decade 166-14 (.922), while Tennessee ranks fourth 164-21 (.886).
PIPELINE TO THE WNBA
A combined 17 players for both teams have been selected to play in the WNBA.
TENNESSEE AT NO. 2
Entering the UConn game, Tennessee is 67-17 when ranked second in the country. Two of those 17 losses have come against Connecticut
COMMON OPPONENTS
A look at common opponents shows that both teams have slammed Illinois and both teams have played one team from the other teams conference as the Huskies defeated Georgia 97-55 in the season opener and Tennessee downed Boston College 72-57. The chart below shows how the two squads handled the Illini earlier this year:
12/10/00 Champaign, IL, UConn 97-55 FG-FGA 3pt.FG FT-FT A R B SUConn 36-65 9-22 16-19 26 41 2 15Illinois 21-54 2-8 11-18 8 26 0 10Highlight: The win gave UConn head coach Geno Auriemma his 400th career victory.'TIS THE SEASON
11/25/00 Lahaina, Maui, Tennessee 111-65 FG-FGA 3pt.FG FT-FT A R B SUT 39-67 7-14 26-33 26 44 7 15Illinois 18-52 0-7 26-35 26 7 0 11Highlight: Michelle Snow became the third player in NCAA women's basketball history to record a dunk.
Coming into today's game, UConn has won 37 straight in the month of December, while Tennessee has won 21. It's been eight years since Connecticut lost to a team from the SEC in December. On Dec. 29, 1992 the Huskies were defeated by Vanderbilt, 57-37, in the Hilton Head Take It To Court Super Shootout in Hilton Head, SC. The Lady Vols have never been defeated by a BIG EAST school in December.
TENNESSEE THEME
This year's theme for the University of Tennessee Lady Vols is Heart of a Champion. Three players off the Lady Vol roster mentioned last February's win against UConn in Storrs as the moment in their athletic career in which they showed the most heart. Four cited losing the 2000 national title as the most heart-wrenching.
AGE VS. YOUTH Four players on the University of Connecticut roster are 22 years or older in age. No member of the Tennessee squad is older than 21. By the time she was 22, Pat Summitt was the head coach for the Lady Vols.
PERENNIAL POWERS
As of Dec. 28, UConn and Tennessee are two of only four unbeaten ranked teams left in the country.
THE TEAMS UConn vs. Tennessee Breakdown:
Overall Series: UConn leads 6-5
In Connecticut: 2-2
In Tennessee: UConn leads 2-1
Neutral Site: 2-2
In Overtime: Tennessee leads 1-0
Longest Win Streak: 3 by both teams
Largest Win: 19, UConn def. Tennessee, 4/2/00
Most Points Scored By UConn: 83, 3/29/96
Most Points Scored By Tennessee: 92, 1/10/99
Least Points Scored By UConn: 59, 1/6/96
Least Points Scored By Tennessee: 52, 4/2/00
EARLY RIVALRY
The December 30 meeting is the earliest the two teams have squared off in the history of the series. The Dec. 30 date bodes well for the Huskies as five of UConn's six wins over the Lady Vols have fallen on days that are even numbers of the games that have fallen on odd days Tennessee has won every time.
AN ELITE CLUB
In the past five years, Tennessee is the only team in the country to have beaten UConn more than once. Connecticut is one of three teams (La. Tech and Georgia) to have defeated Tennessee multiple times. The only teams to have defeated both UConn and Tennessee in the last five seasons are La. Tech, Georgia and Old Dominion.
NATIONAL POWERS
EitherUConn or Tennessee has won five of the last six nationaltitles. The two teams have reached the Final Four a combined16 times.
STREAK BREAKERS
Both the Huskies and the Lady Vols have each other to blame for upsetting record home-winning streaks. UConn's 59-53 victory over Tennessee on January 6, 1996 brought the Lady Vols' Division I Women's Basketball record home-winning streak of 69 consecutive games to an end. Last season, Tennessee evened the score by bringing UConn's 54-game home-winning streak (longest in the nation at the time) to an end by defeating the Huskies, 92-81, on January 10, 1999. The Huskies are trying to avoid a similar fate by carrying a 25-game winning streak and a 13-game home winning streak into today's game.
TOUGH TICKET
When these two teams met in Knoxville, January 3, 1998, they drew a record-crowd of 24,597 fans to the Thompson Boling Arena - currently, the largest crowd ever to view a college women's basketball game.
THE BIG 400
When UConn defeated Illinois, it was the 400th career win for UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. His record is currently 401-95 (.808). Auriemma became the 30th coach in the history of the game to eclipse the 400 win mark, having done it in just 16 seasons. He became the second coach this season to go over 400 as just recently Villanova head coach Harry Perretta collected his 400th victory in a 60-55 win over Temple. Auriemma joins Perretta and Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer to give the BIG EAST three current head coaches on the 400-or-more win list.
WINNINGEST COACH
Entering the Tennessee game, head coach Geno Auriemma is currently the third winningest coach all-time by percentage. He boasts a winning percentage of .808 (401-95). Pat Summit, whose team is currently 11-0, is second at .831 (739-150) and the leader is Leon Barmore of LaTech (9-3 this season) with a current clip of .869 (529-80).
STREAKS
Overall, the Wake Forest game was UConn's 25th consecutive win (since 2/2/00), currently the longest unbeaten streak in Div. I women's basketball. The Huskies are currently riding a 13-game home winning streak (including HCC games, not including exhibition games) dating back to the Tennessee game last season (2/2/00). The Huskies have won their last nine games in Gampel (not exhib.) dating back to Feb. 2. For away regular season games, the Huskies carry a 17-game winning streak dating back to 2/13/99 when they suffered an 82-77 loss at Old Dominion. The Miami game was UConn's 25th consecutive regular season BIG EAST win, since the Huskies suffered a 78-66 loss to Boston College in Chestnut Hill on Jan. 23, 1999.
HARTFORD CIVIC CENTER
Entering the Tennessee game, the Huskies are currently 18-4 in games played in the Civic Center. UConn is a perfect 9-0 in non- league games played in the Civic Center.
BULLETS ABOUT UC AND UT ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
The 2000 National Championship game between UConn and Tennessee collected a staggering 31.1 Nielson rating and a 39 share in the Hartford/New Haven market from 9 to 11:15 p.m. The ratings peaked at 11 p.m. when the number grew to a 36.0 rating and a 57 share. The UConn game also grabbed 88 percent of the basic cable audience for that Sunday.
- During the first regular season meeting on Saturday, January 8, in Knoxville, TN, the UConn women's team vs. 2nd-ranked Tennessee drew a Nielson rating of 18.86 on the WFSB-TV3 telecast. The game doubled the ratings of the NFL playoff game on WTNH-CH8 which drew only a 9.48. In fact, the UConn women had a higher local rating than all four of the weekend's football playoff games.
- In 1999-2000, the Connecticut/Tennessee clash at Storrs, CT on Wednesday, Feb. 2 during rivalry week on ESPN became the first- ever women's basketball game televised live during prime time.
- Connecticut is one of three women's basketball programs to appear on live national television in each of the last 10 years. The Huskies join Stanford and Tennessee in this elite group.
- Connecticut Basketball has received the most extensive national and regional TV coverage of any team in the nation during the last 10 years. UConn has made 217 appearances on television since 1990-91 (nine times in 1990-91, eight times in 1991-92, seven times in 1992-93, 13 times in 1993-94, 19 in 1994-95, 33 in 1995-96, 30 in 1996- 97, 32 in 1997-98, 30 in 1998-99 and 36 in 1999-2000), including numerous live national telecasts on CBS, ESPN and ESPN2.
RANKED FROM THE START
Since 1990-91, the Huskies have been ranked nationally at the start of the season. UConn earned the AP No. 1 spot at the beginning of the 1995-96 season, the 1999-2000 season and at the start of this season. UConn's lowest preseason ranking over the last 10 years was No. 24 by the AP in 1990-91. Since an AP ranking of No. 4 to start 1994-95, the Huskies have not opened the year lower than No. 6 (1997-98).
TRUE INCUMBENTS
Including the week of 12/26, the Huskies have been nationally ranked in the Top 25 for 139 consecutive polls dating back to November 23, 1993 (seven seasons). UConn has been ranked No. 1 in the polls since preseason of 1999 making their stay 27 consecutive weeks at the top; a school record for consecutive rankings.
WIRE-TO-WIRE-TO-WIRE?
UConn's remarkable journey to the national championship in 1999- 2000 started with a preseason No. 1 ranking and ended with the same. The hype currently surrounding this year's squad expects nothing less than a repeat. LaTech is the only school in history to hold the No. 1 spot for two consecutive seasons, 1980-82, when they won back-to-back championships. The last time a team was ranked wire-to-wire was Tennessee in 1997-98. Prior to that season, Texas was ranked No. 1 all through the 1985-86 season. (AP Rankings).
HEAD COACH GENO AURIEMMA
Head Coach Geno Auriemma is in his 16th season at the helm for the Huskies. Entering the Tennessee game, he is 401-95 (.808) overall in his career, and has two national championships at Connecticut (1995,2000). Auriemma is third among active Division I coaches in winning percentage. He was also the first Division I coach (men or women) in basketball history to earn five consecutive 30-plus winning seasons. Auriemma has taken UConn to the 1995 and 2000 National Championship, four Final Four appearances, seven Elite Eights and eight Sweet Sixteen games. During his tenure, the team has also won 10 regular season BIG EAST titles and nine league tournament championships, including the last seven consecutive titles in each regular season and postseason.
UCONN'S LAST GAME- HUSKIES TOP WAKE
STORRS, Conn. (AP) (Dec. 22) -- Svetlana Abrosimova scored 16 points and Tamika Williams had a game-high four steals as No. 1 Connecticut cruised to a 107-52 victory over Wake Forest on Friday.
The Huskies (8-0) harassed the Demon Deacons (7-3) from the opening tip, forcing the visitors into 16 first-half turnovers. UConn, meanwhile, played surehanded ball for most of the period and didn't commit a turnover in the first nine minutes.
Eight players contributed to UConn's opening 27-7 run in the first eight minutes. The overmatched Demon Deacons stumbled into foul trouble early and UConn was shooting bonus free throws with just six minutes gone. The Huskies had a 49-25 lead at halftime.
UConn shifted into offensive high gear in the second period, shooting 76 percent. By the time reserve Christine Rigby banked in a shot to give UConn a 91-43 lead at 6:09, the Huskies had made 14 of their first 17 shots and finished out the period 19-for-25.
Defensively, all but three Huskies had steals as UConn scored 41 points off 28 Wake Forest turnovers. Sue Bird and and Shea Ralph each had three of UConn's 19 steals.
The Huskies got another big boost from the bench. Freshman reserve Diana Taurasi had 13 points and a team-high five rebounds. Kennitra Johnson had 12 points and two steals in just 13 minutes.
It was the first meeting of the teams and a homecoming for Wake coach Charlene Curtis, a former UConn assistant from 1995- 97.
The game also marked the return of UConn center Kelly Schumacher, who sat out six games with a stress fracture in her right leg. The 6-foot-5 Schumacher had NCAA-best nine blocks in last season's title game against Tennessee. In 15 minutes Friday, she scored eight points, had three rebounds and one block.
LOTS OF POINTS- LOTS OF SCORERS
The Huskies, who currently lead the nation in scoring offense averaging 95.0 ppg, boast four scorers averaging double-figures. Abrosimova (16.4), Cash (12.9), Ralph (10.9), and Jones (10.1). Williams is hovering around the double-digit mark averaging 9.9 ppg. All four players in double-digits are currently starting for the Huskies.
TIS THE SEASON FOR GIVING
The Husky offense, known for its scoring, is one of the most unselfish teams in the country. UConn's assist to basket ratio is pretty impressive with 69% of UConn's baskets a result of an assist. The Huskies average 24.5 apg, while the most assists any other team has had against the Huskies was 15 by Wake Forest (Holy Cross had five). Four different players have led the Huskies in assists this season. UConn point guard Sue Bird is the team leader with 43 assists (5.4 apg), but is followed closely by forward Svetlana Abrosimova who has dished 38 assists (4.8 apg) so far. Abrosimova also boasts a conference best 4.75 A/TO ratio, with only eight turnovers on the season.
HOT TICKET
The 1,516 fans that packed the Knight Sports Complex in Coral Gables was a sellout and the second highest crowd in history at the Knight Complex. The Huskies drew 6,098 fans to the opening night of the Key Bank Arena in Seattle, WA., when UConn defeated UW, 90-63, setting a precedence for women's games in the arena (the men drew 6,313 the following night). UConn drew record crowds on the road in four different arenas in 1999-2000.
UNOFFICIAL ATTENDANCE LEADERS
As of the release at Dec. 22, the Huskies are second in the nation in home attendance with a total of 52,642 fans in four home games. Tennessee is first with 71,483 fans, however, have played five games in Boling Arena. UConn is averaging 13,161 fans, with the remaining of UConn's games already advanced sellouts, while the Lady Vols report that they average 14,297 fans. UConn held the individual game attendance record for the season with a sellout crowd of 16,294 at the Hartford Civic Center in the home opener versus Georgia, however, the Arizona State/Tennessee outdoor game at BankOne Ballpark drew 16,782 fans to give Arizona State an edge over the Huskies.
Leaders Home Total Att. Gms Avg. Tennessee 71,483 5 14,297UConn 52,642 4 13,161Texas Tech 71,694 6 11,949Iowa State 66,117 6 11,020SW Miss St. 31,330 4 7,832UCONN LEADS VOLS IN TRUE ATTENDANCE
The Tennessee Lady Vol turnstile numbers (actual fans in building) actually average 7,663 per game, however, overall attendance is reported from tickets 'sold'.
THE BENCH FACTOR
Overall, UConn's bench is outscoring opponent reserves by a 253- 136 margin. Williams leads UConn off the bench averaging 9.9 ppg. For the first time this season, the UConn bench was outscored (31- 17) during the December game against Miami. The last time an opposing bench bettered that of the Huskies was during last season's BIG EAST Conference Tournament final against Rutgers. Thanks to a 13-point effort from Usha Gilmore, the Scarlet Knights' bench edged UConn's, 22-20. Most recently, UConn's bench outscored Wake Forest reserves, 51-16. The bench was one point shy of Wake Forest's total offensive output (52 points), and was led by Diana Taurasi's 13 points. Every player who saw action in the Wake game scored at least four points.
"HAIRY" START
Much has been made about the appearance of Svetlana Abrosimova's hair, including an SI feature story, but have the longer locks impacted her performance? So far this season, she has led UConn in points in four of eight contests with a team leading 131 points. She is also topping the squad in steals (22) and second in assists with 38. The chart below shows her combined average of the past three years with the shorter do' seven games into a season along with where her averages stand at this point in 2000:
Pts. 3Pt. FT Reb A Stl2000 16.4 1.1 2.3 5.3 4.8 2.81997-99 15.4 0.7 2.9 7.0 3.3 2.6HOT SHOOTING SVET
Senior two-time All-American Svetlana Abrosimova opened the year with a bang. The forward scored a game-high 18 points, dished a game and career-high 11 assists, and grabbed a total of seven rebounds, all without a turnover, en route to being named the ESPN/Tip-Off Player of the Game in UConn's season opener versus No. 3 Georgia. She saved her best shooting performance for Washington, going 10-of-11 from the floor and pulling down six rebounds. She led the team in scoring in four UConn games, and has scored in double-figures in all eight contests, and she hasn't cooled off yet. Overall entering the Tennessee game, the forward is 52-of-77 (.675), from the floor.
IT'S NOT SVET'S TURN
Abrosimova's season turnover totals have dropped steadily since her freshman year, and five times in her career did she finish a game with no turnovers, including three times already this season- Georgia, George Washington and Holy Cross. So far on the season, Svet has only eight turnovers in 198 minutes of play. She is currently leading the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio with an astounding 4.75 assists per turnover.
STEADY FLOW OF CASH
Swin Cash had been UConn's most consistent player on the boards until faltering against Illinois and Wake Forest, when she finished with only two and four rebounds, respectively. Despite those low numbers, the junior forward still leads the team with 52 total rebounds (6.5 rpg). Cash opened the year with her seventh career double-double over then-No. 3 Georgia and had the second of the season and eighth of her career versus Miami with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Cash, a starter, is also leading the team in blocks with 12 total.
AID FROM ASJHA
Asjha Jones started her first game of the regular season, and first since her freshman year, against Pepperdine on Nov. 21. She is currently third in scoring for the Huskies averaging 10.1 ppg. She has already recorded a career-high of five assists versus Washington, and a career-high five steals versus Holy Cross. In just eight games, the forward/center has had 15 steals and 16 assists. Last season she finished the year with 20 steals and 33 assists.
WILLIAMS ON THE MOVE
Tamika Williams picked up from where she left off last year with a stellar 7-for-7 shooting performance versus Pepperdine, a 5-of-7 game against Washington, and has been a combined 16-of-21 in the last six games. The junior forward led the league last season with a .714 clip (115-161) and is currently shooting 33-of-44 in seven games (.750) to lead the team. Williams scored a season high 15 points versus Pepperdine.
KJ IS A-OK
After sitting out the first half against Wake Forest, Kennitra Johnson proved her worth scoring 12 points in just 13 minutes of play in the second half. She was 5-of-6 overall and perfect from behind the arc hitting her only 3-pt. attempt. She also added three assists, two steals and a block in her short stint of action. Wake was UConn's first game after exams, and it's obvious KJ breathes a sigh of relief once exams are finished. Last season, the Huskies hosted UCLA right after exams and KJ was 6-of-8 from the floor, including a perfect 5- of-5 from behind the three-point arc.
THE SCHUEY FITS
After sitting out six games due to a stress fracture in her right foot, Kelly Schumacher got her first taste of action in 240 game minutes against Wake Forest. The senior played 15 minutes contributing eight points on 2-of-3 shooting and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. The center, who set a NCAA record for blocks in a championship game with nine versus Tennessee in Philly, finished with only one block on the night.
BLOCK PARTY
In tribute to Schuey's return, the Huskies threw a block party swatting a season-high 10 shots versus Wake Forest. The 10 blocks were the most since UConn's 11-block performance in the 2000 championship game versus Tennessee. Six different players joined the fun led by Swin Cash who had three. Jones and Taurasi each had two.
ABROSIMOVA AND SHEA STILL CLIMBING
Entering the Tennessee game, Svetlana Abrosimova (1,729) is currently ranked No. 5 in UConn's all-time career scoring list- 404 points behind No. 4 Rebecca Lobo (2,133). Shea Ralph (1,473) entered the top 10 passing Peggy Walsh (1,413 points) a few games back at No. 9. Cathy Bochain holds the No. 8 spot with 1,534 points.
HERE IS THE UCONN ALL-TIME TOP TEN SCORERS UP-TO-DATE:1. Nykesha Sales 2,1782. Kerry Bascom 2,1773. Kara Wolters 2,1414. Rebecca Lobo 2,1335. Svetlana Abrosimova 1,7296. Wendy Davis 1,5527. Jennifer Rizzotti 1,5408. Cathy Bochain 1,5349. Shea Ralph 1,47310. Peggy Walsh 1,413ONE TOUGH GAME AFTER ANOTHER
The 2000-2001 season is going to provide another tough schedule for the Connecticut Huskies. The Huskies will face six schools ranked in the preseason top 12 in both the AP and ESPN polls, including No. 2 Tennessee who they will face twice. The Huskies will also see action against No. 22 (ESPN) Boston College and No. 24 (ESPN) Illinois, while George Washington, Pepperdine and Virginia Tech all received votes between the two polls. UConn will play 11 schools who competed in the NCAA tournament last season, including two 1999-2000 final four teams (Tennessee, Rutgers), two final eight schools (Georgia, LaTech), two sweet sixteen schools (Notre Dame, Old Dominion), three second round schools (Boston College, George Washington, Illinois) and two first round teams (Holy Cross, Pepperdine). UConn adds ACC school Wake Forest to the schedule as well as Virginia Tech, the newest member of the BIG EAST conference.
UCONN VERSUS THE FIELD
Of the 23 scheduled teams UConn will face this year, none hold a winning record against the Huskies. With UConn's win over Georgia, the Huskies moved to 2-1 in that series. LaTech and Wake Forest come the closest though. The LaTech series is tied and the Wake Forest meeting will be the first between the two in the sport of women's basketball.
ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE HUSKIES
The University of Connecticut women's basketball team will have another first' to talk about this year. Every single regular season UConn game will be televised during the 2000-2001 season. That's more television coverage received than any other women's team in the nation, ever. Along with the national games telecast by Fox, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS, UConn will have the rest of the games in the 2000-2001 season televised by Connecticut Public Television. CPTV has been covering the UConn women's program since the 1993-94 season. During the past six years, 106 UConn games have been televised regionally by CPTV. WTIC Radio will broadcast all the women's basketball games for the 2000-2001 season as well.
UCONN BASKETBALL AN ADVANCE SELLOUT
Connecticut's entire 16-game home schedule (14 regular season games, 2 exhibitions) in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,027 capacity) and the Hartford Civic Center (16,294 capacity) is an advance sellout.
UCONN TO HOST 2000-2001 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
The University of Connecticut will serve as host for the 18th BIG EAST Women's Basketball Championship, March 4-7, 2000, at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs... UConn has hosted the 13-team tournament on five previous occasions: 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, and 1997... Connecticut was awarded the 2000 and 2001 tournaments by a vote of conference Directors of Athletics... The 2001 league championship will be held March 3-6.
ABROSIMOVA, RALPH EARN ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Seniors Svetlana Abrosimova and Shea Ralph received recognition as preseason First-Team All-America members by The Associated Press. Abrosimova and Ralph are the fourth pair of teammates, second from Connecticut, to make the preseason team since it started in 1994, following Catchings and Semeka Randall last season, Catchings and Holdsclaw in 1998 and Connecticut's Jennifer Rizzotti and Kara Wolters in 1995.
BIG EAST DEBUTS A NEW LOOK- WELCOME THE HOKIES
The BIG EAST Conference will continue its 16-game regular season league schedule during the 2000-2001 season and invites Virginia Tech into the mix... Each team will play three conference opponents twice (home and away) and will have five additional league home games and five road games... The Huskies have drawn home-and-away games with the following teams: Miami, Villanova, Syracuse... UConn will host Georgetown, Providence, Rutgers, St. John's, West Virginia... The team will travel to Boston College, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and Virginia Tech.
HUSKIES HANDLE ELITE TEAMS
The Huskies ended the Georgia game 38-9 overall versus ranked opponents over the past five seasons and are now 19-8 versus Top 10 opponents in that span. All-time, UConn is now 54-28 versus ranked teams and 26-17 against Top 10-ranked teams. The Huskies finished the 1999-2000 season 16-1 versus ranked opponents and an astounding 10-1 vs. Top 10 foes. Four of the nine occasions that the Huskies reached the century mark in 1999-2000 were against ranked teams. UConn boasted an average margin of victory of 20.0 points over ranked opponents (and a margin of defeat of 1.0 points).
INJURY UPDATE
Senior center Kelly Schumacher (stress fracture in her right foot) is back and playing pain-free. Freshman forward Ashley Battle tore the UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) in her left elbow versus Miami. She had surgery on Friday, Dec. 8, to repair the ligament. She will be sidelined for 8-10 weeks. Freshman Morgan Valley is day-to-day after having arthroscopic surgery on her left knee to repair torn cartilage. Freshman Maria Conlon is battling mononucleosis and is out for two weeks.
