Connecticut Huskies
American (32-1, 18-0)
The beat rolls on for the Connecticut Huskies as they are the consensus number one seed and have been insanely consistent. They have not lost back to back games since the 1992-93 season. They also have bounced back from an early loss at Stanford to dominate everyone else as they are beating opponents by an average of 42 points per game including a resounding 87-62 win over South Carolina on February 9th.
Big Wins: 12/6 at Notre Dame (76-58), 12/29 Duke (83-52), 2/9 South Carolina (87-62)
Bad Losses: 11/17 at Stanford (86-88)
Coach: Geno Auriemma
Why They Can Surprise:
Connecticut doesn’t surprise anyone with their dominance of the women’s college basketball landscape on an annual basis. Junior forward Breanna Stewart sets the tone with her ability to take over games at both ends of the court. Senior forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis can be lethal when she gets rolling from behind the three-point line and her senior leadership can’t be underestimated in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The trio of junior guard Moriah Jefferson, freshman guard Kia Nurse, and redshirt sophomore forward Morgan Tuck don’t get the publicity of Stewart and Mosqueda-Lewis, but they have been very vital to the continued dominance of the Huskies. The lockdown defensive ability of Connecticut has been historic this season. Teams have struggled to shoot over 30 percent on a regular basis and that is why the Huskies are in the driver’s seat to once again win another national championship.
Why They Can Disappoint:
It will be very fascinating to see if somebody can give the Huskies a battle like BYU did in the Sweet 16 last year, as the Cougars actually had a 35-34 lead with 17:34 left in the second half. Connecticut stepped up to that challenge in that game to roll on to the National Championship and they are going to have to do it again in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The Huskies, outside of the South Carolina game, have basically had two months off to get ready for the NCAA Tournament. Thus, as long as Connecticut stays healthy and does not have a sluggish half in the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight. Then they should avoid getting upset before the national championship game.
Probable Starters:
Moriah Jefferson, Junior, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 4.8 apg, 2.7 spg
Kia Nurse, Freshman, Guard, 10.5 ppg, 3.2 apg
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Senior, Forward, 15.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.8 apg
Breanna Stewart, Junior, Forward, 17.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.6 bpg
Morgan Tuck, Redshirt Sophomore, Forward, 13.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.7 apg
Key Roleplayers:
Gabby Williams, Freshman, Guard, 8.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Kiah Stokes, Senior, Center, 4.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.0 bpg
Saniya Chong, Sophomore, Guard, 6.1 ppg, 2.2 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 89.3 (1st in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 47.1 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 53.8 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 29.7 (1, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.6 (8, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 41.0 (1, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.1 (68, 1)
Rebound Margin: 11.9 (5, 1)
Assists Per Game: 21.7 (1, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.4 (18, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA First Round win over Prairie View A&M
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Saint Joseph's
2014 NCAA Third Round win over BYU
2014 NCAA Quarterfinal win over Texas A&M
2014 NCAA Semifinal win over Stanford
2014 NCAA National Final win over Notre Dame
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Idaho
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Vanderbilt
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Maryland
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Kentucky
2013 NCAA National Semifinal win over Notre Dame
2013 NCAA National Final win over Louisville
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Prairie View A&M
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kansas State
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Penn State
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over Kentucky
2012 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Notre Dame
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hartford
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Purdue
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Georgetown
2011 NCAA Regional Final win over Duke
2011 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Notre Dame
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Southern
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Temple
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Iowa State
2010 NCAA Regional Final win over Florida State
2010 NCAA National Semifinal win over Baylor
2010 NCAA National Final win over Stanford
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Vermont
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Florida
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over California
2009 NCAA Regional Final win over Arizona State
2009 NCAA National Semifinal win over Stanford
2009 NCAA National Final win over Louisville
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cornell
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Old Dominion
2008 NCAA Regional Final win over Rutgers
2008 NCAA National Semifinal loss over Stanford
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over UMBC
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over North Carolina State
2007 NCAA Regional Final loss to LSU
*all team stats through 3/5
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
