Spring Break
Huskies face struggling Scarlet Knights
Brittany Perotti
Issue date: 2/3/09 Section: Sports
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What exactly is it? Does it mean stellar individual performances or an all-around outstanding team effort? Does it mean having a perfect record in the books?
Does it mean all of the above?
For the No. 1 women's basketball team (21-0, 7-0 Big East), tonight's game against Rutgers may test just what it means to be great in the eyes of the public, as the Huskies take on the Scarlet Knights (12-7, 4-4 Big East) at the XL Center at 8 p.m.
And the Huskies could care less about the hype. The fact that UConn is the top-ranked team - the only remaining unbeaten team - and all of the attention that comes with it is the last thing on the players' minds.
"I don't think I've ever been more focused on what my team needs to do and who we're playing and what I have to do to get my team ready than anything else," said head coach Geno Auriemma.
But there is still the rivalry that has developed in recent years.
Almost a year ago, this particular matchup saw a then-No. 1 Huskies team - with a perfect record of 21-0 heading into the game - face its biggest conference rival, then-No. 7 in the country with an 18-3 record.
It was the game that fans would view as a test for UConn, as they traveled to the Rutgers Athletic Center, a place well-known for its ability to intimidate opponents.
It was the biggest upset that no one, except perhaps the Scarlet Knights and their fans, saw coming.
Rutgers - who at the time had won its previous 14 of 15 games - put the pressure on immediately, using the notorious "55 press" as soon as the game began.
By halftime, UConn was hearing deafening chants from the crowd, despite the fact that the Huskies were up by nine while shooting 34.6 percent from the field.
Still, it seemed as though the Scarlet Knights had the momentum, playing scrappy and forcing costly turnovers near the end of the game.
All that mattered at the end of the night was the score when the buzzer went off: 73-71, Rutgers.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Huskies.
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