The UConn Dynasty Continues

Yeah, the sun rises in the east, the earth circles the sun and the University of Connecticut reaches the Final Four in the women’s NCAA basketball team.

This is 11 straight, after the Huskies’ 94-65 victory on Monday night over defending champion South Carolina. You could see where this was going in the first quarter, when UConn built a 30-12 lead. Losing to Mississippi State last year in the semifinals remained a motivator, the proverbial chip on the shoulder.

UConn generally dominates and that’s the way this one played out. The Huskies shot 58.7 percent from the field, 60 percent on 3-pointers and won the battle of the boards 29-27.

Now it’s on to play Notre Dame, which defeated Oregon 84-74. The other half of the bracket features Mississippi State and Louisville.
Connecticut had won four straight national titles before its unseemly ouster in a 66-64 squeaker against MSU. It also won back-to-back titles in 2009-10 and four of five from 2000-2005.

UConn hasn’t lost more than one game in a season since 2012-13 when it finished 35-4. The Huskies are 36-0 this season and 188-3 over the last five seasons. That is, as we say, pretty darn good.

And maybe too good. A dominant program isn’t bad for a sport but an overwhelming one might be. Coach Geno Auriemma simply suggests that other teams should play better, and that’s precisely what the other contenders for the title have done.

Every team that reached the Final Four was seeded No. 1 and the only one to lose as many as three games was Notre Dame. Yep, they’re playing better.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman