MINNEAPOLIS – It’s one of the most remarkable records in sports. The University of Connecticut women’s basketball program is 11-0 in NCAA championship games, all of them with Geno Auriemma as coach.
On Sunday night, Auriemma’s Huskies will attempt to extend that streak – and add to their record for titles with No. 12 – when they face South Carolina. The 8 p.m. game will be televised by ESPN.
Auriemma always downplays his role in the undefeated mark, saying it’s easy when you have the best players.
“I think for me the approach that’s worked the best is make sure you bring the best team,” Auriemma said. “So I would venture to say that all 11 times that we’ve won – maybe there was one time – but I don’t think we surprised anybody by winning, because we had the best team. We had the best team all year. We had the best talented players. We played harder than everybody. We were just better than everybody.”
UConn started its streak in 1995 with a title win against Tennessee, which with eight NCAA championships is the only other program with more than three. The Huskies are back in the tourney final for the first time in six years.