UConn sees parity grow
STORRS — When the UConn women’s basketball team rose to No. 2 in the Associated Press poll this week, it continued a remarkable string of consistency. The Huskies have been ranked either first or second in the country every year since the 200607 season.
Even the mastermind behind that run, Geno Auriemma, finds it hard to believe.
“That’s a statement. I’m not sure what that statement means, but it’s not possible. That’s not really true,” the UConn coach said Saturday with regards to his team’s ranking. “We’re just there because we haven’t lost yet. Everybody else happened to lose.
“We ain’t No. 2 in the country.”
Except they are No. 2, at least on paper. The Huskies (80) came into Saturday as one of 14 undefeated teams in the country. Eight of those schools are ranked, including No. 1 Stanford.
How have they gotten to this point? Well, for one, they’ve been immune to upsets. None of the schools they’ve beaten are currently ranked, though Ohio State is receiving votes following a surprising takedown of Louisville. On Monday, the
Huskies will face their first ranked opponent when they visit No. 16 DePaul.
Despite their unblemished record, Auriemma realizes the Huskies are noticeably flawed compared to past seasons. But, in many respects, so is everyone else. As upsets mount, there’s a feeling within the sport that parity is on the rise.
“With each year that goes
by,” Auriemma said, “more coaches and more teams start to feel a sense like, ‘Why not? We can’t we do it? Why can’t we do it?’ ”
Right now, a month into the season, there may not be a clear teamtobeat. Louisville took down preseason No. 1 Oregon, but lost to unranked Ohio State. Defending national champion Baylor lost to South Carolina, who lost to Indiana.
“There’s so much intrigue, right?” Quinnipiac coach Tricia Fabbri said earlier this week. “Before, it’s been a lock to the Final Four. Now, that top10 is interesting. That top10 is interesting. The Florida Gulf Coasts, the Drakes, the Missouri States … I think it’s really interesting for women’s basketball. I love it.”
Oregon, Oregon State and South Carolina sit behind UConn in the current poll. Baylor, Louisville, Florida State, NC State and UCLA round out the top10. Meanwhile, midmajors like Missouri State (No. 20) and FGCU (also receiving votes) are on the rise.
Auriemma — whose team has been ranked a for 491 consecutive weeks, including 267 straight in the top10 — said the sport’s shifted ever since the 201516 Final Four, where UConn was joined by nontraditional powers Syracuse, Oregon State and Washington. The Huskies went on to claim their fourth straight national championship and 11th overall, but have not won since. Three different schools (South Carolina, Notre Dame, Baylor) have won titles over the last three seasons.
“People looked around and said, ‘Why can’t we do that?’ So, you’re starting to see that start to happen. You go around the country, and we’re not going to automatically preseed,” Auriemma said. “You go, ‘Well, it’s only reserved for those people.’
“It’s exactly what needs to happen more and more each year — more and more.”