University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Women to Host Long Island in NCAA First Round
3/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Connecticut, the defending national champions, enter the 2001 NCAA Tournament with a 28-2 record overall and a No. 1 seed in the East Region after capturing its eighth straight (10th overall) BIG EAST Championship with a win over top-ranked Notre Dame. UConn will host the No. 16 seed Long Island (16-14) in the first round at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. No. 8 Maryland (17-11) and No. 9 Colorado State (24-6) will face off in the other first round match-up at 9:30 p.m. The Huskies, 31-10, in NCAA play, are making their 13th straight appearance in the tournament. UConn has been a No. 1 seed in six previous trips.
IN THE DANCE
UConn is 31-10 (.756) in NCAA play, and as the defending National Champions, have won their last six tourney games. The Huskies have won seven consecutive first round games: Hampton (2000), St. Francis (1999), Fairfield (1998), Lehigh (1997), Howard (1996), Maine (1995) and Brown (1994). UConn is 8-2 in second round games, 7-1 in the 'Sweet 16', and 4-3 in the 'Elite Eight'. UConn carries a 3-2 mark in the 'Final Four' and a 2-0 mark in the National Championship game (1995, 2000). The Huskies have scored 3,235 points (78.9) compared to opponents' 2,606 (63.5) in 41 tournament games. UConn is 18-2 in NCAA tourney action in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
STANDING INVITATION
This marks the 13th consecutive year that UConn has been invited to the NCAA Women's Basketball Championships. Only five other Division I schools can make that claim: Louisiana Tech, Stanford, Stephen F. Austin, Tennessee, and Virginia.
BIG EAST CHAMPS
UConn captured its 11th regular season BIG EAST title and earned a No. 2 seed in the tournament, which was held at Gampel Pavilion, in Storrs, CT, March 3-6. The Huskies earned a first round bye and defeated Boston College, 78-53, in the quarterfinals. UConn advanced to the semis to face No. 9 Rutgers and handed the Scarlet Knights a 70-45 defeat. Despite the blowout, the game was not without entertainment due to a leak which was caused by the Nor'Easter moving throught the state. The ceiling of Gampel had to be repaired with three minutes left in the first half. Play was suspended for one hour, while the Gampel Engineer (Bill Sehl) was hoisted 130 feet into the air to repair the leak. The game resumed and UConn sailed to the victory. The Huskies moved into the championship game to face No. 1 Notre Dame. In what turned out to be an Instant Classic by ESPN, No. 2 UConn defeated the Irish at the buzzer on a runner in the lane by Sue Bird. In gaining the win, UConn suffered a huge loss with a collegiate career-ending ACL tear to the left knee of All-American Shea Ralph.
UCONN WINS GAME/LOSES RALPH
The second major blow to the University of Connecticut womenÂ's basketball program came with 5:20 left in the opening half of the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game when Shea Ralph went down with a season-ending torn ACL in her left knee. After the injury to Svetlana Abrosimova, Ralph had been one of the Huskies who had stepped it up the most, raising her scoring average from 8.7 prior to AbrosimovaÂ's injury to 10.6 from that point forward. When Ralph went out of the game, the Huskies held a 39-35 advantage. Minus Ralph, Notre Dame began to chip away at the UConn lead throughout the second half finally tying things at 73 with 3:51 left. No team managed to score until Sue Bird nailed a three-pointer with 49 seconds left. Ruth Riley stepped to the line to even things once again with five second left before Bird nailed a jumper with one second left on the clock. The graph below shows what each UConn player had done against Notre Dame prior to the Ralph injury compared to what they were able to do after:
Before SheaÂ's Injury After SheaÂ's Injury FG-FGM 3FG-3FGM R A FG-FGM 3FG-3FGM R ACash 1-4 0-0 1 0 2-10 0-0 5 1 Jones 4-7 0-0 3 0 2-8 0-0 3 0Taurasi 2-2 2-2 1 1 3-12 2-10 1 2Bird 2-3 1-2 1 1 4-9 2-3 3 2Johnson 1-2 1-2 0 2 0-4 0-3 3 3 Williams 0-1 0-0 1 0 2-3 0-0 3 2Conlon DNP 0-2 0-2 0 1Schumacher DNP 4-7 0-0 6 0
CLOSE CALLS
Including Sue BirdÂ's buzzer beater versus Notre Dame, the Huskies have had a few close calls in the last few years. Versus Rutgers at Rutgers in 1998, the Huskies won 56-55. In that game, Svetlana Abrosimova hit a floater in the lane with just under a minute in the game. Rutgers had a shot with four seconds left, but the shot sailed wide giving UConn the victory. Even more recent, and the closest thing to a buzzer beater lately, was on Sunday, March 14, 1999, Tamika Williams (then a freshman) converted two free throws with seven seconds left to give the Huskies an 86-84 win over Xavier in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Gampel Pavilion.
Notes versus LIU
LIU NCAA First Round Opponent No. 16 Seed NR Conference Northeast Overall Record 16-4 Conference Record 11-7 Conference Finish Tied, Third Defeated Mt. St. MaryÂ's, 70-61, in conference championship Regular Season Record 13-14 All-Time Series Games Played 2 Leader/Record UConn, 2-0 First Meeting 1983-84 Last Meeting 1985-86 Last UConn Win 1985, 85-59 Last LIU Win N/A Win Streak UConn, 1 UConn All-Time vs. the Northeast Overall Record 6-1Statistical Leaders
Points
Kim MacMillan 18.7 ppg
Tamika Dudley 16.6 ppg
Rebounds
Tamika Dudley 8.5 rpg
Jessica Brookes 5.2 rpg
Assists
Angelika Stec 4.4 apg
Tamika Dudley 2.5 apg
Steals
Tamika Dudley 2.26 spg
Kim MacMillan 2.10 spg
RALPH AND ABROSIMOVA IN 2000 NCAA TOURNEY
Having already lost Svetlana Abrosimova and now that Shea Ralph has gone out at a critical time in the season, the chart belows shows the percentage of statistics that Abrosimova and Ralph combined for during last seasonÂ's NCAA Tournament run to the national title. The duo ranked first and second in points, assists and free throws: Minutes 30%
Points 31%
3 Pointers 38%
Free Throws 40%
Rebounds 27%
Assists 45%
Steals 37%
BENCH GETS MINUTES
The fact that UConn has been spreading its offense so much this season may prove to be beneficial now that the Huskies leading scorer and fifth highest scorer (Pts/G) will be out for the tournament. In all, there are 11 players on the UConn roster averaging minutes in double digits. No other top 10 team in the country has a bench that a coach relies on so much. There are four teams with nine players getting 10-or-more minutes (Notre Dame, Tennessee, Georgia and Purdue), three with eight (Duke, Oklahoma and La. Tech) and two with seven (Rutgers and Iowa State).
NCAA WINS
If UConn were able to secure a spot in the national title game, it would give the Huskies 11 consecutive NCAA Tournament wins marking the longest streak in school history. At this point, starting with the 1995 tournament and ending with the loss against Tennessee in the Final Four in 1996 the streak stands at 10.
UCONN IN THE TOURNEY AT HOME
Coming in to this seasonÂ's tournament, UConnÂ's NCAA mark is 31-10. With the first two games UConn will play being held inside the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion a look at past tournaments shows the Huskies record in the facility to be 18-2. Connecticut hasnÂ't lost a tourney game itÂ's hosted since Louisville knocked the Huskies out, 74-71, March 18, 1993. Currently, UConn has reeled off 16 straight NCAA wins in Gampel. The Huskies average victory comes by 28.3 points.
FIRST ROUND WINS
The game against Louisville was the last first round game the Huskies have dropped as they are 8-2 in the opening round of competition, including winning the last seven straight. In its first round wins, the Huskies blow out their opponents with the average victory coming by 41 points.
UCONN AND THE TOP SEED
This season marks the third straight and seventh overall that UConn has earned a number one seed. When the Huskies enter the tournament as a top seed they carry a record of 24-4 and a flawless 15-0 record in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
BACK-TO-BACK?
UConn will look to become the third school in the history of the game to win back-to-back national crowns. USC did it first in 1983 and 1984 then Tennessee won three straight in 1996, 97 and 98. The fact that the national title game will be played in the Savvis Center bodes well for the Huskies, as they have only won national titles in facilities that are centers. The schoolÂ's first national title in 1995 came in the Target Center, while last seasonÂ's was won in the First Union Center.
UCONN DEFEATS NO.1
With UConn's win over Notre Dame, the No. 2 team upended the No. 1 team in the final game of the conference postseason. Three times in the history of the program, UConn has entered the NCAA Tournament as the top ranked team in the country, and theyÂ've come away with the national title twice. Overall, a No. 1 ranked Husky team has a tournament record of 15-1 with the single loss coming to Tennessee, 91-81, in the 1997 Midwest Regional Championship (Final 8). In all, the University of Connecticut is 78-5 all- time when the Huskies are topping the polls.
No. 1 vs. No. 2
The BIG EAST Championship game was the 29th matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2 (AP Poll) in the history of the womenÂ's collegiate game and the second time this season. The top ranked team has won on 15 of the 29 meetings. UConn has been involved in six of these games and four in the last two seasons alone, winning on five occasions. When a second ranked Husky team gets the chance to, in all likelyhood go to the top of the polls, they take advantage of it winning in the two games they ever played a number one team when they were ranked second (1/16/95, 77-66, vs. Tennessee, Storrs, CT; 3/6/01, 78- 76, vs. Notre Dame, Storrs, CT). Before UConn defeated the Irish, the last time a second-ranked team toppled the nation's best was Jan. 10, 1999 in Storrs, CT, when Tennessee took care of UConn 92-81. Shown below is a listing of the games that UConn has played in when #1 squares off against #2:
#1 #2 OutcomeJan. 16, 1995 Tennessee Connecticut Connecticut, 77-66Jan. 10, 1999 Connecticut Tennessee Tennessee, 92-81Jan. 8, 2000 Connecticut Tennessee Connecticut, 74-67April 2, 2000 Connecticut Tennessee* Connecticut, 71-52Dec. 30, 2000 Connecticut Tennessee Connecticut, 81-76Mar. 6, 2001 Notre Dame Connecticut Connecticut, 78-76*=Tennessee was tied for No. 2 with Georgia
UCONN AT NO. 2
When the Huskies are the second-ranked team in the country they own a 33-3 record with losses coming at Rutgers (74-70, 2/10/98), at La. Tech (90-76, 1/18/99) and at Tennessee (92-88, 2/1/01). On its home court, the Huskies have never been defeated when ranked second with a 23-0 mark.
FRIENDLY GAMPEL
UConn finished the regular season undefeated at home for the first time since the 1997-98 season. It marked the sixth time the Huskies have gone into postseason undefeated on their home floor. Through the BIG EAST tournament, Connecticut has a home record of 231-25 (210-21 in Gampel) under Geno Auriemma. He has led UConn to 87 percent of the schoolÂ's home court wins.
GAMPEL PAVILION
All-time, UConn is 170-15 in games played in Gampel Pavilion (not including exhib.). In BIG EAST Tournament games, UConn is 20-2, and in NCAA Tournament games, the Huskies are 18-2. Including the St. John's game, the Huskies are 86-5 in BIG EAST regular season games. In non-league regular season games, UConn is 46-6. Since the start of the 1993-94 season, UConn womenÂ's basketball is a stunning 124-3 overall at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
46-STRAIGHT SELLOUTS IN GAMPEL
Since December 31,1997 (82-69 win over Rutgers), the Huskies have had soldout attendances of 10,027 for 46-straight contests in Gampel. UConn is hosting the BIG EAST tournament, which is also an advanced sellout, and most likely will play the first and second rounds at home as well, bringing the streak to 51 straight sellouts.
STEP IT UP? NO SVET!
Ever since the team has been without the services of All-American Svetlana Abrosimova many players were expected to step up. The graph below shows who is making the biggest move in terms of averages over the last 11 games from where they were prior to SvetÂ's injury to where they are now in the order to fill the void in the categories that Abrosimova led the team in. So far with the latest injury to Ralph, Johnson has made the biggest impact with Taurasi coming on strong in the last few games and Conlon doing her part. (Bold shows increase in production.)
First 19 Games Games Played in Since Injury Points Steals Points Steals Cash 12.2 1.2 12.4 0.5Bird 9.6 2.2 9.6 1.8Johnson 4.4 1.3 8.0 2.2Taurasi 9.8 1.1 12.3 1.7Jones 8.6 1.1 8.6 0.7Schumacher 5.8 0.3 6.8 0.4Willams 10.8 1.4 6.6 1.3 Conlon 1.3 0.2 4.6 0.4Valley 3.5 0.7 2.4 0.2Rigby 2.6 0.2 3.8 0.1Czel 1.1 0.3 1.4 0.3
HOME STREAKS STILL STANDING
UConn boasts an 85-game home winning streak (Gampel Pavilion and Hartford Civic Center) against conference opponents. The Huskies have not lost a BIG EAST game at home, regular or postseason, since losing to Georgetown on 2/27/94 (64-62). The St. John's game was UConnÂ's 69th consecutive home regular season BIG EAST win (Gampel and Civic Center). Overall, the Huskies are currently riding a 25-game home winning streak (including HCC games, not including exhibition games) dating back to the Tennessee game of 1999-2000 (2/2/00). The Huskies have won their last 19 games in Gampel (not exhib.) dating back to February 2, 2000.
CONSISTENT HUSKIES
UConn capped an eighth consecutive conference regular season in which they lost no more than one game, marking the 10th overall. Over the eight-season stretch Geno Auriemma has guided the Huskies to a league record of 142-4 (.972) with none of those losses at home and the first of those being to Seton Hall (53-74, 1/5/94).
EIGHT 20 WIN SEASONS
With UConn's victory over Boston College (2/11), the Huskies reached 20 wins in each of the last eight seasons dating back to the 1992-93 squad (18-11).
EN ROUTE TO 30
With a win in the championship game, UConn is currently 9th on the all-time list with most victories in a season (28). With up to six games left on the Connecticut schedule, the Huskies could move into a tie for third with most wins (34) by winning a national title.
CHAMPIONSHIP COMPARISON
Here is an overall comparison of where the Huskies stand at the end of the regular season as compared to the regular season stats from UConn's two title seasons (1995, 2000). (Bold indicates category leader).
1995 2000 2001FG - FGA -% 889-1775/.501 901-1685/.535 884-1733/5103FG- 3FGA - % 138-346/.399 153-367/.417 195-495/.394FT-FTA - % 437-650/.672 439-616/.713 400-578/.692OFF-DEF Reb 392-826 368-794 389-777TOT Reb- Avg. 1363- 52.4 1162- 41.5 1166- 43.2PF-FO 405-6 482-4 503-10Assists 589 581 606Turnovers 465 537 472Blocks 181 124 131Steals 294 352 366Pts. - Avg. 2353 - 90.5 2394 - 85.5 2363 - 87.5
RUNNING AWAY WITH IT
In UConnÂ's last five of six games, runs have been the keys to wiping out West Virginia, St. JohnÂ's, Seton Hall, Boston College and Rutgers. The only game UConn could not get a run off of was Notre Dame, in which the game had six lead changes. The Huskies got things started against the Mountaineers by holding them scoreless for the opening nine minutes of play and by the time West Virginia finally did get on board it was already 19-2. The runs in the St. JohnÂ's game would be even more impressive. A 20-0 run between the 10:07 and 4:57 mark in the first half was a sign of things to come, as the second half began with a 28-0 run that turned into a 46-2 run in the first 15:31 of the second stanza. Combining the three runs against the Red Storm, would give UConn a 66-4 run during 20:43 of the contest. UConn used a 28-6 run from 16:58 to 4:26 in the first half to steal the final game from Seton Hall. The Huskies poured on a 20-4 run in the first half (11:17-3:44) of the quarterfinals to knock Boston College out of the tourney. Against Rutgers, it was over from the start. The Huskies opened the game with a 26-3 run and never let the Knights get closer than 20 all night long.
STIFLING D
In nine of the last 11 games, teams have not been able to manage better than 36.5 percent from the field against UConn, while West Virginia shot a season-low 19.2% (Last year, West Virginia held the season low of 12.7% on 2/3/00). In the first game against Villanova (2/4) the Wildcats went 15-57, after that both Rutgers and Boston College went 17-52, while Virginia Tech hit 13-55. In the last game, Villanova managed just 11-42 from the field. West Virginia was 10-52 overall and had just four field goals in the first half. Most recently, St. John's was 17-of-52 versus UConn (31.5) and Seton Hall was 16-of-47 (34.0). The lack of points for opposing teams starts with the top scorers. Coming into the game with Connecticut, Rutgers had three players averaging double-digits and none of those three got into double figures. Overall, in the last nine games only six (Gottstein- BC, Williams- VaTech, Juhline-Villanova, Kudryavtseva-WVA, Thompson- SJU, Moreno- SHU) of 19 players who typically score 10 or more points have neared their average. The only two teams who shot well against UConn was Rutgers at 51.1% and Notre Dame at 50.9%.
DEFENSE WINS GAMES
In nine of the last 11 games, UConn has held its opponents to under 55 points. Versus Villanova and Virginia Tech, the Huskies held opponents to under 40 points in back-to-back games. The last time the Huskies held back-to-back opponents to fewer than 40 was last season versus West Virginia (35, 1/12/00) and Pittsburgh (36, 1/15/00). This season, UConn held the Mountaineers to 34, St. John's to 44 points, and Seton Hall to 48. Rutgers and Notre Dame were the only exceptions with RU scoring 66 points in the BIG EAST semis and Notre Dame reeling off 76 in the final.
SEASON SUPERLATIVES
With 78 points versus Notre Dame, the team moves to 8th on the schoolÂ's all-time list for points in a season. Currently, the Huskies have scored 2,631 passing the 1990-91 squad which was eighth all-time- 2,578. Furthermore, with 31 field goals on Tuesday night, UConn is 9th on the all-time chart for most field goals in a single season with 983. Unselfish play has also been a key to the season as the Huskies moved into seventh in that category with 666 assists so far. The 1993- 94 was 7th with 649.
MORE TALK OF D
So far this season, the UConn defense has kept 10 opponents under 50 points including seven of the last 11. The four exceptions being Boston College, which netted 53 both times- on Feb. 11 and in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST, Rutgers who netted 66 and Notre Dame with 76. Notre Dame's 76 points was the most scored against the Huskies since Tennessee netted 92 on Feb. 1. Since UConn's loss to Tennessee, Seton Hall became the eighth straight opponent to be held to 53 points or less, the most consecutive under the Auriemma era. Connecticut kept six straight opponents to 53 or less points during the 1996-97 season, starting with Boston College on 11/24/96 and ending at URI on 12/9/96.
UCONN LOSES ABROSIMOVA FOR SEASON
Abrosimova underwent left foot surgery on Wednesday, Feb. 7, to repair a torn ligament and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2000-2001 college basketball season. Following the surgery, Abrosimova will spend approximately six weeks in a walking boot. The normal return to basketball for this type of injury is expected to range in the five-to-six month span. Abrosimova concludes her four- year career ranked No. 5 in career scoring with 1,865 points, carrying a career scoring average of 14.7 ppg. She is No. 3 at UConn in career steals (299), No. 5 in career assists (473), and No. 7 in career rebounding (814).
UCONN LOSES RALPH FOR SEASON
Senior Shea Ralph suffered a collegiate career-ending ACL tear in her left knee in the final minutes of the first half of the BIG EAST Championship game. The senior is waiting to schedule surgery until after the tournament. Ralph, a First Team All-American, was the 2000 NCAA Final Four MVP and BIG EAST Player of the Year. She finishes her career at Connecticut as the winningest womenÂ's basketball player in the program with an overall record of 159-12. Ralph is the sixth all-time leading scorer with 1,678 points and the fifth all-time assist leader with 456 career assists.
LINEUP DAY-TO-DAY
Since the injury to Abrosimova and now adding Ralph to the mix, predicting Auriemma's starting five is like trying to predict the weather in New England. Auriemma shook the lineup a bit inserting three new starters against Villanova in the first meeting, including two first-timers. Diana Taurasi and Kennitra Johnson both made their first career starts in UConn's first meeting versus the Wildcats. KJ had a solid game finishing with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and grabbing three steals, while Taurasi had seven points, three assists and four rebounds in the affair. Williams made her first start of the season versus 'Nova and had 10 points and eight rebounds. With the recent injuries to Taurasi and Williams, UConn had another new mix start the game versus West Virginia. Since the Tenn. game, UConn has seen seven different starting lineups (including senior night) in 11 games. The Huskies have won with all seven lineups.
YOUTH MAKES TOURNEY IMPACT
UConn's Diana Taurasi led the Huskies to their quarterfinal win with 22 points in 31 minutes of play and netted 17 in 26 minutes versus the Scarlet Knights in the semis. The freshman played most of the second half due to a back injury which sidelined point guard Sue Bird. Taurasi netted 14 points and added three assists before fouling out versus Notre Dame. She earned the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player award averaging 17.7 ppg and contributing 10 assists.
THE DECIDING FACTOR
UConn won a piece of the regular season title thanks to Rutgers shocking the Irish (2/17), 54-53. The win came just three days after UConn had soundly defeated the Scarlet Knights, 70-45, in Storrs, CT. The halftime lead appears to be the key to knocking off either UConn or Notre Dame. ND and Tennessee had it when they defeated the Huskies and the Irish were down at intermission for the first time all season in their game against Rutgers. Also, in each one of the three losses Connecticut and Notre Dame have combined for, they have only hit 11 free throws in each game. UConn was 11- 33 against Notre Dame from the line on 1/15, however, that effort increased greatly against Tennessee as the Huskies went 11-15 on 2/1. Notre Dame was 11-22 from the free throw line against Rutgers. Shown below are the what UConn was able to do against Rutgers compared to what Notre Dame did within a 72-hour time span:
TOT-FG 3-PT FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK SUConn 25-51 14-28 6-9 8 29 37 15 70 21 18 4 6UND 20-50 2-5 11-22 16 23 39 18 53 14 13 6 3
OUT WITH A BANG
In the last three seasons, including this year, UConn has finished strong in their final games of the year. The Huskies clobbered Providence in the last regular season game last year with a 102-68 win in Providence, and when the juniors were freshmen two seasons ago, the Huskies dismantled Syracuse, 105-43 in Syracuse. UConn ended the 2000-2001 with an 83-48 victory over the Pirates.
SNIPERS
The Huskies shot an astounding 80.6% in the second half versus St. John's (including 7-of-8 from three-point line), to end the game at 72.6% overall (45-of-62), an NCAA season-high mark. UConn shot 71% versus Hampton in the first round of the 2000 NCAA tournament. The NCAA record for single-game field goal percentage with a minimum of 36 field goals made is 73.7%- Florida Int'l vs. Canisius, Jan. 2, 1992 (42 of 57).
'TREY'MENDOUS SHOOTING
Versus Virginia Tech, UConn set a new school record for three pointers made in a game with 14 trifectas. On the same note, Virginia Tech was shutout from long range going 0-15. UConn has shutout an opponent from behind the arc one other time this season as Miami went 0-7 on December 5, 2000. UConn followed up the Virginia Tech game with a repeat record-setting performance nailing 14-of-28 threes against Rutgers. The Huskies finish the regular season first in the conference in three-point field goals made (195), second in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.394) and second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.246). The Huskies are currently shooting .391 (218-558).
IT'S A TEAM THING
Despite leading the BIG EAST in scoring offense (87.7 ppg) by an 11- point margin (next is ND at 76.4), the Huskies do not boast a single player in the top 10 in the league in scoring. Swin Cash is ranked 15th averaging 12.2 ppg. Despite leading the league in field goal percentage at .507 (983-1937), the Huskies do not have a single player that even fits the BIG EAST criteria for the category, which calls for a minimum of 5.0 made per game. Minimum aside, 12 players on the UConn roster are shooting better than the 10th- ranked player in the category, and two players on the UConn roster are shooting better than the leader Ruth Riley (197-314, .627). Tamika Williams leads UConn in shooting hitting 76.6 percent of her shots from the field (111-145). Of the top players, Cash is behind Williams shooting .551 (136-247)- this would be second on the list, but she averages only 4.5 field goals per game. Despite leading the league in rebounding (42.7 rpg) and rebounding margin (+10.1), the Huskies only have one rebounder in the league's top 20. Cash is seventh on the list and is leading the team with 6.9 rpg. Despite leading the nation with the most Naismith Player of the Year finalists (Bird, Ralph and Abrosimova), the Huskies have only had two BIG EAST Weekly Awards (Cash was Co-Player and Taurasi was Co-Rookie).
TEAM EFFORT
Despite not having a single individual ranked in the national statistics as of Monday (3/5), UConn is ranked in the Top 10 in seven different team categories. The Huskies are No. 1 in scoring margin (33.7), No. 2 in scoring offense (88.0), No. 3 in field goal percentage (51.0), No. 4 in win-loss percentage (.933), No. 2 in field goal percentage defense (33.8), No. 3 in rebound margin (9.8), and No. 3 in scoring defense (54.3).
GIVING A HAND
The Husky offense, known for its scoring, is one of the most unselfish teams in the country. UConn's assist to basket ratio is an astounding 67.7%. The Huskies average 22.2 apg. UConn had its worst assist effort versus LaTech when the Huskies only helped out on 11 of 30 field goals, but bounced back against Syracuse assisting on 24 of 30 hoops. UConn dished a season-high 33 assists versus Georgetown to finish the game with 33 assists on 38 field goals (86.6%). UConn had 20 assists on 22 field goals in the first half alone (90.9%). Six different players have led the Huskies in assists in 28 games this season. UConn point guard Sue Bird is the team leader with 148 assists (4.9 apg).
A FOUL AFFAIR
This season, UConn athletes have already fouled out over twice as many times than they did all of last season combined (11 in 2001, 4 in 2000). A look at UConnÂ's fouls shows the Huskies have had a difficult time adjusting to the NCAAÂ's point of emphasis this season of cleaning up "rough play". UConn has been whistled for 560 fouls in 30 games an average of 18.7 per contest, up from 17.1 a year ago. In both of UConnÂ's losses this year, the Huskies have recorded 30-or- more fouls. These were the only two times that Connecticut has done so this season.
THE TENNESSEE 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.
WIN-STREAK HALTED
UConnÂ's winning streak of 30 straight games which dated back to February 2, 1999, was halted on Jan. 15 versus the Irish. The streak moved UConn past Miami (Fla.) for eighth on the all-time list. Two other Connecticut streaks also rank inside the top 10, a school best 35 straight from 1994-96 and 33 from 1996-97.
MORE STREAKS FALL
Notre Dame ended UConn's regular season BIG EAST winning streak at 28 dating back to a 78-66 loss to Boston College in Chestnut Hill on Jan. 23, 1999. Notre Dame also ended UConn's regular season game winning streak on the road at 19 dating back to 2/13/99 when they suffered an 82-77 loss at Old Dominion.
HEAD COACH GENO AURIEMMA
Head Coach Geno Auriemma is in his 16th season at the helm for the Huskies. Entering the NCAA tourney, he is 421-97 (.813) 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 11 regular season BIG EAST titles and 10 league tournament championships, including the last seven consecutive titles in each regular season and postseason.
THE BIG 400
When UConn defeated Illinois, it was the 400th career win for UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. His record is currently 421-97 (.813). 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 Villanova head coach Harry Perretta collected his 400th victory in a 60-55 win over Temple. Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame became the third to join the club this season with her 400th win over Miami. Auriemma and McGraw join Perretta and RutgersÂ' C. Vivian Stringer to give the BIG EAST four current head coaches on the 400-or-more win list.
WINNINGEST COACH
Entering the NCAAs, head coach Geno Auriemma is currently the third winningest coach all-time by percentage. He boasts a winning percentage of .813 (421-97). Pat Summit, whose team is currently 29- 2, is second at .834 (757-152) and the leader is Leon Barmore of LaTech (26-4 so far this season) with a current clip of .868 (547-82).
HUSKIES HANDLE ELITE TEAMS
After the Notre Dame game, the Huskies are 45-11 overall versus ranked opponents over the past five seasons and are 23-11 versus Top 10 opponents in that span. All-time, UConn is now 62-29 versus ranked teams and 30-19 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).
A GOOD OMEN
ConnecticutÂ's victories over Louisiana Tech (Jan. 7) and Tennessee (Dec. 30) marked only the second time in as many seasons that the Huskies have beaten both teams in the same season. Prior to the Huskies doing it last year, the last team to beat both the Lady Techsters and Lady Vols in the same year was Purdue, in 1998-99. The Boilermakers went on to win the national championship as did the Huskies last year.
CPTV- ALMOST AUTOMATIC
Through the BIG EAST quarterfinals, the Huskies post a 139-2 record when playing on CPTV. UConnÂ's only two losses on the network have been at Rutgers in 1998 (74-70) and at Syracuse in 1996 (62-59). UConnÂ's debut on CPTV came in 1993-94 when they picked up four games. The following season, the network showed a total of 16 games en route to UConnÂ's 35-0 season. The 1995-96 season produced 18 games, 1996-97 showed 22 games, 1997-98 included 18 games, 1998-99 had 20 games and last season the Huskies played 22 games on CPTV.
HOT TICKET
UConn's game versus Villanova in The Pavilion attracted a record high women's basketball crowd of 6,229. The Conte Forum was sold out (8,606) for a BC women's game the first time this season when the Huskies came to town. The UConn- Tennessee game drew 24,046 fans to Thompson-Boling Arena, a season-high for a women's basketball game and the fifth highest crowd ever at Boling Arena. UConn's game versus Pittsburgh drew the largest crowd ever for a women's game at the Fitzgerald Field House as 3,418 people came to watch the game. The 11,418 fans that came out to the Joyce Center on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, was the first sellout crowd in the history of women's basketball at Notre Dame. 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 2,024 at Syracuse was a season-high and the tenth highest crowd number in Manley Field House history. 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.
UCONN BASKETBALL - AN ADVANCE SELLOUT
ConnecticutÂ'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) was an advance sellout.
THE BENCH FACTOR
Overall, UConn's bench is outscoring opponent reserves by a 984-509 margin. Williams is leading UConn off the bench averaging 9.7 ppg, but made her first start of the season versus Villanova. With Svetlana Abrosimova Shea Ralph on the sideline, UConn's bench is a bit smaller and the lineup fluctuates often. Only three times season has the bench been outscored, the first was during the December game against Miami (31-17), the second was on Jan. 27 vs. Syracuse (28-26), and the third was versus Boston College (21-20). BC freshman Janelle McManus hit for 20 of the Eagles' 21 bench points. UConn's bench outscored Georgetown reserves, 43-15 (one hoop shy of GU's total offensive output), and the entire Providence team with a 60- 49 point effort. UConn's bench outscored the entire St. John's team, 51-44.
COULDN'T HAVE BEEN SCRIPTED BETTER...
Despite the career-ending injury to Abrosimova, UConn's senior night couldn't have been scripted better. The four seniors that started each had a memorable game. The team scored a season high 118 points, the second highest point total in school history. Christine Rigby led all scorers with a career high 21 points, while Marci Czel chipped in a career high nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the three- point line. Shea Ralph finished with 19 points (7-of-9 shooting) and tied her season high in assists with seven, while Kelly Schumacher had 12 points, a season high six blocks and tied her season high of eight rebounds.
CASH- TONIGHT ON 20-20
In UConnÂ's game against West Virginia on 2/20 Swin Cash led the team with 20 points and 20 rebounds. Cash became the 13th player in school history to record 20-or-more rebounds in a game and the first to do it in five years. The last time a Husky notched over 20 in both departments was Nov. 19, 1995, when Kara Wolters scored 29 points and grabbed 20 boards. Rebecca Lobo did it twice in the same season and three times in her career with 24 points and 23 rebounds against Seton Hall (2/6/93). The next year she had 24 points and 20 rebounds against Georgetown (2/2/94) and 32 points and 21 rebounds against Boston College (2/16/94). Before that, Renee Najarian had 26 points and 21 rebounds against Drexel (11/28/87). The last time a Husky had above 20 rebounds, but was unable to reach 20 points was when Peggy Walsh had 25 rebounds against Pittsburgh (2/19/86). To her credit, she did tie the school rebounding record in the effort.
THE TAURASI FACTOR
Freshman sensation Diana Taurasi pumped in a career-high 24 points against No. 3 Tennessee on 9-of-16 shooting (6-of-9 from three-point) in only 27 minutes of play and finished with 14 points versus No. 1 Notre Dame in 29 minutes of play. The freshman averages 10.6 ppg (third highest on the team), 2.9 apg, 2.8 rpg and made her first career start versus Villanova (2/18). She is 60-of-145 (first in three-pointers made) from behind the arc this season (.414). She is second on the team in turnovers, however, with 66 (2.2 topg), leads the squad in fouls with 73 (including UConn's only player technical of the season for unsportsmanlike conduct) and first in games fouled out with four.
UCONN'S DIAPER DANDY
Freshman sensation Diana Taurasi broke into the top ten list for assists by a freshman and blocks by a freshman. She has 86 assists so far this season passing Laura Lishness at the 10th spot with 75 assists as a freshman. Taurasi is tied for 7th on the blocks list for freshmen with 23, with Paige Sauer and J. Weideman who have 23 blocks apiece.
FRESHMEN LEAD WAY
When the UConn freshmen are mentioned, all consider Diana Taurasi the leader of the pack. However, with Taurasi out versus West Virginia, UConn's other two active freshmen led the Huskies for the first time this season. Freshman Maria Conlon netted a career-high 16 points on a team-leading four three-pointers and 5-of-7 shooting. Freshman Morgan Valley tied for the lead in assists with a career high five assists on the night. Conlon followed up her season high performance with nine points on three-of four shooting from the three-point line versus St. John's.
SCHUEY'S BLOCK PARTY
With a season high six blocks against St. John's, senior Kelly Schumacher moved into fourth on the all-time blocks list at UConn. The center has 169 career blocks passing Peggy Myers (162) for fourth place. Kara Wolters ('97) is third with 370 blocks.
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. She scored a career- high 20 points versus Pittsburgh on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor and swatted four shots. She hadn't had a career-high performance since her nine blocked shots versus Tennessee in the 2000 NCAA title game. Schuey followed up the Pittsburgh game with a 10-point performance against Miami on 5-of-8 shooting. Only one other time in her career has Schuey posted back-to-back double-figure scoring: her freshman season versus MIami (10) and Maine (19). The double-figure scoring streak ended against Syracuse when she finished with only two points in 11 minutes, however, she dropped off even more versus Tennessee with no points in five minutes of action. In the three games prior to St. John's, she had 10 points and 12 rebounds. On senior night, she finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. In the postseason she has 29 points in three games.
STEADY FLOW OF CASH
Swin Cash has been UConnÂ's most explosive player on the boards. The junior forward leads the team with 207 total rebounds (6.9 rpg). Cash had her most impressive double- double of the year and 11th career, with 20 points and 20 rebounds versus West Virginia (2/20). 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 had her ninth career double-double, third of the year, versus No. 8 LaTech with 14 rebounds and a game-high 19 points andhad her 10th career double-double (fourth of the season) with 15 pts. and 10 rebounds versus Syracuse. The forward is second in scoring averaging 12.4 ppg (behind Abrosimova). She has reached double-figure scoring in a team leading 22 of UConn's 30 contests. She led the team with eight rebounds and had 14 points during her homecoming at Pittsburgh.
AID FROM ASJHA
Asjha Jones started her first game of the regular season, and first since her freshman year, against Pepperdine on Nov. 21, and was reinserted into the starting five versus Rutgers. She is averaging 8.6 ppg for UConn. She has already recorded a career-high of five assists versus Washington, and a career-high five steals versus Holy Cross. She led UConn in scoring over Villanova with 14, making her the sixth different player to lead (or tie) the team in scoring. Jones was held scoreless twice this season, most recently against Boston College where she finished 0-for-7, and she played a total of six minutes against Tennessee with no points and fouled out of the contest. Only one other time in her career did she play less than six minutes which was freshman season versus Villanova (1/22) when she saw action in only two minutes.
JONES- POSTSEASON PLAYER
Asjha Jones improved her scoring by three points per game in the 2000 tournament as she finished the regular season averaging 8.7 ppg, and finished the tourney action with 11.8 ppg. She averaged 14.0 ppg during the 2000 Final Four to earn Final Four All-Tournament team honors. Jones finished the 2001 regular season averaging 8.4 ppg and 5.0 rpg, and was named to the 2001 BIG EAST All-Tournament team averaging 10.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg.
WILLIAMS BACK ON THE MARK
The junior forward led the league last season with a .714 clip (115-161) and is currently shooting 111-of-145 in 30 games (.766) to lead the team. Williams scored a season high 23 points versus Tennessee on 10-of-13 shooting in 33 minutes of play. She has been perfect from the floor in seven games this season, including a 7-for-7 performance against Pepperdine, and most recently was 5-of-5 versus St. John's and 5-of-5 versus Boston College in the BIG EAST quarterfinals. She made her first start of the season versus Villanova (2/18) and collected 10 points and eight rebounds. Since that start, however, and in the three games prior to St. John's, the forward has scored a combined eight points, including none versus VaTech, and nine total rebounds. She is 4-for-8 in the last three games before St. John's and sat out versus Villanova with a bruised rib. Against St. John's the junior scored 13 points (perfect 5-of-5 from the floor) and grabbed six rebounds. She capped the season with her ninth career double-double, second of the season, versus Seton Hall with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
BIG RIG
Senior Christine Rigby broke a string of 14-straight free throws versus West Virginia when she was 1-for-2 from the line in the last five minutes of play. Rigby scored a career high 21 points versus St. John's when she made her first career start on senior night. The senior was 8-of-12 from the field and finished 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Overall, she is 29-37 (.784) for her career from the stripe.
SVET AND SHEA IN TOP 20
Entering the NCAAs, Svetlana Abrosimova (1,865) is currently ranked No. 5 in UConnÂ's all-time career scoring list- 268 points behind No. 4 Rebecca Lobo (2,133). Shea Ralph (1,678) uprooted Wendy Davis at No. 6 who had 1,552 career points, and now trails injured teammate Svetlana Abrosimova.
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 1,8656. Shea Ralph 1,6787. Wendy Davis 1,5528. Jennifer Rizzotti 1,5409. Cathy Bochain 1,53410. Peggy Walsh 1,413
ADD WILLIAMS TO LIST- FOUR POINTS TO 1,000
With five points versus Notre Dame, Tamika Williams moves closer to the 18th spot on the all-time scoring list and 1,000 points with 996 career points. She is currently at 19 and is chasing Amy Duran ('99) who has 1,000 points at No. 18. She would become the 19th player in UConn history to record 1,000 career points. Williams is the third current player whose name appears on the list. Svetlana Abrosimova (fifth) and Shea Ralph (sixth) are the other two.
TAURASI HONORED
Freshman sensation Diana Taurasi was honored by her high school, Don Lugo, in Chino, CA, Feb. 9, when her high school jersey, #23, was retired. Hers was the first ever women's basketball jersey to be retired at Don Lugo.
ABROSIMOVA, RALPH EARN MORE ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Seniors Svetlana Abrosimova and Shea Ralph received recognition as All-Americans by Sports Illustrated for Women. Svet was a first teamer, while Shea Ralph was on the second team.
ESPN THE MAGAZINE HONORS UCONN
Three players from UConn garnered nominees for various ESPN The Magazine awards. Sue Bird is a finalist for Point Guard of the Year, Svetlana Abrosimova is a finalist for Swing Forward of the Year, and Swin Cash is the finalist for Power Forward of the Year.
ABROSIMOVA, RALPH, BIRD, AURIEMMA-NAISMITH HONOREES
The University of Connecticut boasts three finalists, the most of any other school, for the 2000-2001 Naismith Female Collegiate Player of the Year. Svetlana Abrosimova, Shea Ralph and Sue Bird are among the 15 finalists. Ruth Riley from Notre Dame is the fourth player representing the BIG EAST. Overall, the BIG EAST has a total of eight players up for Naismith honors (including men's players), the most of any other conference. Geno Auriemma is also one of 20 coaching finalists for the 2001 Naismith Coach of the Year award.
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 ConnecticutÂ's Jennifer Rizzotti and Kara Wolters in 1995.
PHILLY AWARD
On Monday, Jan. 29, head coach Geno Auriemma was honored at the Philadelphia Sports Writer's Association's 97th annual dinner for the 2000 Performance of the Year. He is accepting the honor on behalf of the 2000 National Championship team.
UCONN AND THE ESPYS
The University of Connecticut 1999-2000 womenÂ's basketball team was nominated for an ESPY for College Team of the Year, while Shea Ralph earned a nomination for College Women's Basketball Player of the Year. (Winners were- Catchings for College Basketball Player of the Year, and the Oklahoma Sooners football team for College Team of the Year). Past UConn ESPY winners include Rebecca Lobo as 1995 Female Athlete of the Year and 1995 College Women's Hoop Player of the Year. The 1995 undefeated National Championship Team (35-0) earned the College Team of the Year ESPY.
UCONN VERSUS THE FIELD
Of the 23 scheduled teams UConn will face this year, none hold a winning record against the Huskies. With UConnÂ's win over Georgia, the Huskies moved to 2-1 in that series. The LaTech series was tied at two wins apiece until the Huskies defeated the Lady Techsters to go one game up.
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. UConnÂ'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).
ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE HUSKIES
The University of Connecticut womenÂ's basketball team will have another Â'firstÂ' to talk about this year. Every single regular season UConn game will be televised during the 2000-2001 season. ThatÂ's more television coverage received than any other womenÂ'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 womenÂ'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 womenÂ's basketball games for the 2000-2001 season as well.
LIFE BEFORE 1995
With a win versus Pittsburgh, the University of Connecticut won the 500th game in the history of the program giving the school a record of 500-258, currently 511-259. The majority of the wins have come in the Geno Auriemma era, 418-97. The other 92 wins came under Jean Balthaser (52), Wanda Flora (38) and Sandra Hamm (2).
BACK-TO-BACK LOSSES
With UConn's wins over Old Dominion and Villanova, the Huskies haven't suffered two consecutive losses since 1993, when UConn fell to Providence (87-73) in the BIG EAST semifinals and then suffered a 74-71 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
DOG DAYS AT UCONN
The night the UConn women suffered their first loss in 30 games, the UConn men also dropped a heartbreaker in Austin, TX. The No. 15 UConn men fell, 60-56, against Texas on Monday night, marking the first time since 1993 that both squads had lost on the same day. On March 7, 1993, the UConn men suffered a 70-56 loss at Georgetown, while the women fell in the semifinals of the BIG EAST, 87-73, versus Providence.
INJURY UPDATES AND MISSED GAMES
Senior Shea Ralph suffered an ACL tear in her left knee and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Surgery will be scheduled after the NCAA tournament. Senior Svetlana Abrosimova suffered a torn ligament in her left foot during the Tennessee game (2/1). She had surgery on Feb. 7 will be sidelined in a boot for the remainder of the season. Freshman forward Ashley Battle tore the UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) in her left elbow versus Miami (12/5). She had surgery on Dec. 8, to repair the ligament. Battle has decided to apply for a medical hardship to regain her freshman eligibility. Senior Kelly Schumacher missed six games (11/21-12/10) due to a stress fracture in her right foot. Freshman Morgan Valley is back in action after having arthroscopic surgery on her left knee to repair torn cartilage. She missed three games due to the injury (12/22-1/2). Freshman Maria Conlon missed eight games (12/22-1/18) due to mononucleosis. Tamika Williams suffered a bruised rib in practice on 2/17 and is back in the lineup after sitting out two contests (2/18- 2/20). Diana Taurasi sprained her right ankle versus Villanova (2/18) and is also back in the lineup after having missed one contest. Sue Bird went down late in the first half versus BC in the quarterfinals, and suffered back spasms. She sat out versus Rutgers, but started and played 35 minutes versus Notre Dame.
BIG EAST DOMINANCE
The Huskies have won 11 regular season conference championships (eight consecutive) and 10 tournament championships (eight consecutive) since the 1989-90 season. This brings the program's total to an astounding 21 league basketball titles, a mark rivaled by no other team- male or female. The next best record is 13 by the Georgetown men's program. UConn also represents the BIG EAST in the NCAAs regularly with 13-straight tournament appearances and the only national championship (1995 & 2000) won by a BIG EAST women's basketball team.
2001 BIG EAST HONORS
Senior Svetlana Abrosimova and junior Sue Bird were named to the First Team All-BIG EAST, while junior Swin Cash and senior Shea Ralph earned Second Team honors. Freshman Diana Taurasi was an All- Rookie choice. Taurasi went on to earn BIG EAST Tournament MOP honors, while Shea Ralph and Asjha Jones joined her on the All- Tournament team.
BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS
Junior Swin Cash earned Co-Player of the Week honors this week after her 20-20 performance versus West Virginia. The forward shared the honor with Becky Gottstein from Boston College. Diana Taurasi is the only other UConn player to have received a weekly honor this season- she was Co-Rookie of the Week (1/12).
BIG EAST- BIGTIME
This is the second time in the history of women's basketball, and second time this season, that the No 1 and No. 2 teams in the country are from BIG EAST schools. The only other time the BIG EAST was No. 1 and No. 2 during the regular season in any sport was in men's basketball when St. John's and Georgetown were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, for five weeks during 1984-85 and then flip- flopped the sixth week. Also (AP polls), the BIG EAST is only the third conference to ever have two different teams hold the No. 1 spot in the same year, but it's the fifth time that it has happened. The SEC has done it three times (TN, Auburn- 1987-88 and 1988-89, and TN, Vanderbilt- 1992-93), while the ACC has done it once as well (Virginia, Maryland- 1991-92).
TOURNEY WIN STREAK
UConn currently holds the BIG EAST record for most consecutive tournament games won with 23 (1994-present).
