During the last five years, the struggle for supremacy in women's basketball has been a tug-of-war between two storied programs led by the two greatest coaching icons in the game today.
But these days, Geno Auriemma and his Connecticut Huskies are desperately fighting a losing battle.
Since Rebecca Lobo and the 1995 Huskies squad cut down the nets to complete their perfect season, UConn has failed to make it back to the National Championship game, while Pat Summitt and Tennessee have been crowned champions three years running.
But after rolling through a 27-4 regular season and capturing the Big East title, Connecticut appears to have gathered enough firepower to climb back into the throne-a climb that will begin in earnest tomorrow night in Gampel Pavilion against St. Francis in a first-round matchup of the Mideast Region.
"Every year, it always comes down to the same thing-how you play," UConn senior guard Amy Duran told the Hartford Courant. "It's about being prepared and knowing every day that it could be your last game."
Big East player of the year Svetlana Abrosimova and gunner-extraordinaire Shea Ralph spearhead an explosive Huskies offense that averaged an NCAA-leading 92.2 points per game, including 13 games where the Huskies scored over 100 points.
Although Connecticut suffered through a stretch when it dropped three of four games and lost Ralph and Duran to injuries, the Huskies have stormed back with a vengeance after regaining their services. Connecticut enters the NCAA tournament fresh off a three-game romp through the Big East tournament that culminated in a 21-point win against Notre Dame, the fourth seed in the West Region.
But there's even more good news for UConn fans. The second seed in the Mideast Region, ACC champion Clemson, has the lowest RPI ranking among the two seeds in the tournament. The Tigers (24-5), however, reeled off seven straight wins to close the season, including two wins against Duke en route to the ACC Championship.
The All-ACC first team backcourt tandem of Itoro Umoh and Amy Geren lead a Clemson squad long on talent and savvy but short on experience. The No. 2 seed is the highest in Clemson history.
"[The No. 2 seed] really is special," Clemson coach Jim Davis said. "But it doesn't give me anything to cry about."
For their second-place finish in the premier conference in women's basketball, Georgia (23-6) was awarded the third seed in the region. The twin backcourt of Kelly and Coco Miller led a team that did almost everything right this season, except beating Tennessee, who handed the Bulldogs three of their six losses.
Iowa State (22-7) hosts the other home site in the region. The Cyclones, however, do not own a win against a team receiving an eight seed or higher.
Perhaps the most eye-catching fact about the region is that the top four seeds are all coached by men.
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