The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Geno recalls birth of rivalry
ORLANDO, Fla. — This time 25 years ago, life was a lot easier for Geno Auriemma.
The spotlight wasn’t as magnified because UConn hadn’t grown into the powerhouse it is now. The Huskies had been to a Final Four, but were still chasing the first of their record 11 titles.
“Times were different then,” Auriemma said following a 59-52 victory over UCF on Thursday. “Things were simpler back then.”
“Fun,” a reporter interjected.
“Things were fun back then,” Auriemma replied. “We could win a game and not be asked, ‘How come you suck?’ ”
And then everything changed on Jan. 16, 1995, when UConn beat Tennessee 77-66 in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown at sold-out Gampel Pavilion.
In addition to kick-starting the rivalry that would define women’s college basketball for years to come, that game helped fuel the Huskies’ rise to prominence.
“That day was just a unique day because we didn’t know it was coming, we didn’t know what we were doing other than playing in a big game,” Auriemma said. “After we won that game, we had no idea what was going to happen.”
The Huskies beat Tennessee again later that season, 70-64, to capture their first national championship. The schools played 20 more times between 1996 and 2007 before Tennessee ended the series amid allegations of recruiting improprieties. They’re slated to renew acquaintances Thursday in Hartford.
Auriemma, now in his 35th season, had a chance to reflect more on that remark
able day over dinner this week with Nykesha Sales. The former UConn star is currently in her fourth season as an assistant coach at UCF.
“She’s just so much fun to be around,” Auriemma said. “She was 18-years-old 25 years ago. She was a freshman at UConn. A lot’s happened in those 25 years. That day, as it was happening, none of us exactly knew what was happening.”
Home sweet home: The Huskies might need a roadmap to find their way back to Storrs. Sunday’s game against Tulsa (noon) will be their first at Gampel Pavilion since Dec. 8 and only their fourth at home since the new year.
“It’s been a lot, it’s been a lot,” Auriemma said. “There just isn’t enough time when something goes awry, you just don’t have enough because you’ve got game after game after game after game.”
Fortunately, that’s about to change. The Huskies will play six of their next seven games at home, with the only road contest during that stretch coming next Saturday at East Carolina.
Auriemma believes it’ll be a good opportunity for the Huskies to get into a rhythm and regain their “mojo.” His players agreed.
True outlier: Thursday was only UConn’s second AAC game decided by single digits since entering the league in 2013-14. The Huskies had won their previous 125 conference games by an average of 40.1 points.
CLOSEST AAC GAMES FOR UCONN
3 points: Tulane, 63-60, Feb. 18, 2017
7 points: UCF, 59-52, Jan. 16, 2020
10 points: Cincinnati, 65-55, Feb. 2, 2019
10 points: South Florida, 57-47, March 3, 2019
12 points: Memphis, 68-56, Jan. 14, 2020
“It’s a positive being at home,” junior Megan Walker said. “It doesn’t happen often, so we just need to take advantage of it.”
Dangerfield joins a select ‘class’: Senior point guard Crystal Dangerfield was one of 30 nominees for the Senior CLASS Award. To be selected, candidates must excel in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition.
The list of finalists will be trimmed to 10 players in February and the winner will be announced at the Final Four in April.