With the success of UConn over the last 20 years (and especially the last six, being the weak AAC), UConn fans have gotten use to their team playing a very challenging non-conference schedule. Because of the extremely weak competition in the AAC, UConn is forced to load up on top ranked opponents in the preseason, because they won't face any during conference play.
That philosophy has worked well for UConn lately. Don't forget that
UConn is the only top 15 team in a non P5 conference. Women's College Basketball Rankings - Postseason
As stated by other posters, the other top ranked programs don't have to load up their OOC schedule with the heavyweights that UConn does. They see multiple top ranked teams during the regular season.
Kim Mulkey and Baylor is consistently chided here in the yard for the embarrassingly weak schedule she consistently crafts every year, but she gets away with it.
She only scheduled 11 OOC games last year (below), all but two were home games at the Ferrell Center on campus. Their only loss was a road game to Stanford that Mulkey did not attend because of a family emergency. In spite of her insistence of playing a "soft" schedule to begin the season, Baylor has done well over this time, and getting deep into the post season, finally winning it all last year.
For years I was critical of her scheduling preferences. That was when I was looking at it from a fan's point if view. Once I began to look at it from a "coach's" point of view, it made more sense. Her goal is two fold at the beginning of the year. To get her freshmen and transfers up to speed as quickly as possible learning how to play "Baylor-ball", and not to lose any games in the process.
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Baylor has become a "destination " for a lot of Texas high school athletes. Mulkey has been able to keep some of the top talent at home. Some folks may not like her coaching or scheduling methods. That's OK, she's not trying to win friends or fans, just championships.
umterps.com
