FORT WORTH, Texas — Notre Dame and the University of Connecticut are regular participants in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament. North Carolina and Vanderbilt have also been there quite a bit, just not on the same consistent basis.
Those four teams, all among only 15 programs that have made the second weekend of the tournament 15 times, play in the Region 1 semifinals Friday at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena.
UConn, the No. 1 seed for not only its region but the entire tournament that began last week with a 68-team bracket, is seeking to repeat as national champion and add a record-extending 13th overall NCAA Division I women’s basketball title. The Big East’s Huskies (36-0) will face No. 4 seed North Carolina (28-7) of the Atlantic Coast Conference at 5 p.m., while No. 2 seed Vanderbilt (29-4) of the Southeastern Conference plays No. 6 seed Notre Dame (24-10) of the ACC at 2:30 p.m. in a matchup of two of the nation’s three top scorers.
“You play, what, 36 games, and you try to put yourself in this situation as often as you can,” said Geno Auriemma, who has been UConn’s coach since 1985, meaning he was at the helm for all of the Huskies’ title runs. “I think every team that’s here knows that this weekend is probably the biggest weekend of the year. I know everybody talks about the Final Four and all that, but getting there is a lot harder than what happens after you get there, I think.”
The Huskies, with AP All-America teammates Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, take a 52-game game winning streak into their record 32nd consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and 33rd overall.