A deep Connecticut women's basketball squad readies to make a run

Region: Bridgeport
Head coach: Geno Auriemma
Record: 29-4
Potential matchup with Duke: NCAA semifinals

No team has dominated the women’s college basketball landscape in recent years the way Connecticut has, making it to the past five NCAA Tournament semifinals and capturing back-to-back national championships in 2009 and 2010. The difference this season has been that Connecticut, despite depth throughout its lineup, has not won the few close games the Huskies have found themselves in.

Connecticut zipped past Duke in the second half of the team’s matchup earlier this season for a 30-point victory, but against the other three top teams, the Huskies have had mixed results.

Read more about Duke women's basketball in the 2013 NCAA tournament

An early season game at Stanford proved to be one of the Huskies best outings, holding the then-No. 1 Cardinal to 35 points. But Connecticut’s greatest challenges going into the tournament will be whether the team can overcome the size and experience of Baylor and Notre Dame, both of which beat Connecticut during regular season play. The Huskies narrowly dropped three matchups with the Fighting Irish this season, most recently a two-point defeat in the Big East Tournament championship. Connecticut closed the regular season against Notre Dame in a triple-overtime defeat, and lost to the Fighting Irish by one point in January. When matched up with Brittney Griner and Baylor, the Huskies were unable to contain Griner in both halves of play and fell at home by six points.

The main scoring threat for Connecticut is forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who leads the team with 18.3 points per game. However, the key to the Huskies’ success this season has been consistent play from all positions on the court. With two talented centers in Stephanie Dolson and Breanna Stewart, as well as a bevy of skilled guards including Kelly Faris, Carolina Doty and Bria Hartley, Connecticut has the talent to make a deep run in the tournament.

How Duke beats Connecticut: Keeping the game close and maintaining defensive intensity

How Duke loses to Connecticut: Allowing the Huskies to go on another big run