UConn Women’s Pregame Notes
The UConn women’s basketball team is returning the National Championship for the eighth time in program history as the Huskies face Louisville on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN with Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke, Holly Rowe and Rebecca Lobo on the call.
Following a dominating 83-65 win over Notre Dame in Sunday’s Final Four, the Huskies returned to practice on Monday to prepare for the Cardinals. Head coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn starters started the day with a news conference before the entire team had their final meeting with the media before the National Championship.
Tuesday’s game will be broadcast live on the UConn Radio Network with Bob Joyce and Debbie Fiske on the call. Additionally, the game will be broadcast on the Dial Global/NCAA Radio Network with Dave Ryan, Debbie Antonelli and Krista Blunk on the call.
UConn Shoots for Eighth National Title
Tuesday’s contest will mark the Huskies’ eighth appearance in the NCAA National Championship game and the team is a spotless 7-0 in its previous seven title games. UConn improved to 3-1 in National Semifinals or National Finals in New Orleans with Sunday’s in over Notre Dame.
Kaleena Leads Country in 3FG%
Sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis enters today’s game ranked FIRST nationally in 3-point field goal percentage. Mosqueda-Lewis is shooting 43.5 percent (206-474) from deep in her career at UConn. Sue Bird is the current leader in that category with a career 3-point field goal percentage 45.9 percent.
UConn Has Best NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage All-Time
Connecticut is making its 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance – the third longest such streak nationally. Only Tennessee (32) and Stanford (26) have longer active streaks of consecutive NCAA Tourney bids. UConn is ranked second overall in NCAA Tournament games played (107) and wins (90) and is the all-time leader in winning percentage (.841). The Huskies enter the 2013 NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the seventh consecutive season.
Connecticut as a No. 1 Seed
2013 marks the 16th time Connecticut has been slotted as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the seventh season in a row. The Huskies are 72-9 all-time as a No. 1 seed, including six national championships and 12 Final Four appearances. UConn has won 54 of its last 59 NCAA Tournament games it has played when it is a No. 1 seed. UConn advanced to the Fresno Regional Final after receiving a No. 1 seed in 2007 before falling to LSU, 73-50. The 23-point loss to the Tigers marked the largest margin of defeat for the Huskies in an NCAA Tourney game since 1992.
Auriemma Second on NCAA Wins List
Geno Auriemma moved past former Louisiana Tech head coach Leon Barmore into second place for all-time NCAA Tournament victories in 2006, among women’s basketball coaches. Auriemma, who has tallied 90 NCAA wins, ranks behind only former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who is the all-time leader with 112. Auriemma is second all-time among BOTH men’s and women’s NCAA Division I coaches in NCAA tournament wins, behind only Summitt.
All-Time NCAA Tourney Leaders
(men’s and women’s)
1. Pat Summitt (Tennessee) 112
2. Geno Auriemma (UConn) 90
3. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) 82
4. Tara VanDerveer (Stanford) 68
5. Dean Smith (North Carolina) 65
Includes games through 4/1
The Series vs. Louisville
Connecticut is 12-1 all-time vs. Louisville and has won 12-straight against the Cardinals. UConn’s only loss came in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. The team avenged that loss with a victory over U of L in the 2009 National Championship game.
Reprinted from UConnHuskies.com, used with permission
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