Coach Geno Auriemma certainly has his Connecticut Huskies firing on all cylinders of late. The 19-0 Huskies, the only undefeated team remaining in women's college hoops, reign atop the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, receiving all 50 of the first-place votes in the AP Top 25 and all 31 in ESPN/USA Today.
Fresh off of double-digit victories over the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and No. 20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, UConn boasts the nation's best scoring defense, allowing an average of only 48 points per contest. On Sunday, the Huskies used a 22-4 run in the first half, buttressed by a 22-point effort from sophomore center Tina Charles, to create separation from the Fighting Irish.
Although they haven't shown signs of it yet, the Huskies suffered a major setback last Tuesday during their 63-59 victory over the Syracuse Orangewomen, as starting guard Mel Thomas tore her ACL and lateral meniscus, which will cause her to miss the remainder of the year.
The injury comes less than a month removed from guard Kalana Greene's season-ending ACL injury. Auriemma will need consistent superstar production from Charles, as well as help from his reserves if the Huskies want to keep their hopes of a sixth national championship alive.
Meanwhile, the second-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols are coming off an exciting three-point victory over the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils Monday night in which the Vols traveled to Durham and handed the Blue Devils their first home loss of the season. Three-time All-American Candice Parker led all scorers with 17 points, despite only shooting 4-13 from the field.
Parker capitalized at the line, though, hitting 9 of 12 free throws while also grabbing 12 rebounds. Since Tennessee's only loss of the season, a 63-59 loss at the Stanford Cardinal on Dec. 22, the Lady Vols have gone 8-0 with a 24-point average margin of victory. Dating back to last season, Tennessee has won 30 of its last 31 contests, and appears the favorite to bring home yet another conference championship for legendary coach Pat Summit.
As third-best in the nation, North Carolina has ridden the nation's most prolific offense, averaging 89 points per game, to an 18-2 record and a perfect 5-0 mark in ACC play. The Lady Heels needed that offense Saturday night when matched up with the No. 5 Maryland Terrapins. The Heels topped the Terrapins 97-86 in double overtime, a thrilling victory in which UNC scored 18 points in the second extra session. Senior LaToya Pringle led all scorers with a career-high 31; 12 came in the second extra session.
All nine of the Tar Heels' remaining games are in conference, and they look to maintain their position on top of the ACC. Hall of Fame coach Slyvia Hatchell, in her 22nd season, hopes to improve the team's play away from Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are 15-0 at home, but just 3-2 when playing away, although those two losses came at the hands of powerhouses Connecticut and Tennessee.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the runners-up in last year's national championship, has raced out to an impressive 17-2 record under head coach C. Vivian Stringer. The Scarlet Knights have won their last 14 games, allowing only 48.4 points-per-game, good for third best in the country. That stingy defense has become a Rutgers trademark and has certainly not disappointed this season.
Of all title contenders, Rutgers probably has the toughest road remaining. Of their final 10 games, eight of them are against ranked opponents. Included in that stretch are back-to-back games against both UConn and Tennessee.
The Terps round out the top five. Led by head coach Brenda Frese, who is still coaching the team despite being pregnant with twins, the Terps are the nation's only 20-win team, at 22-2. Their loss to UNC on Saturday was their first in the ACC, leaving them with a conference record of 6-1 and in the second position in the ACC standings.
Among the other elite teams, the Terrapins have one of the easier roads down the stretch. With eight games left, only one of their opponents is ranked. That lone ranked opponent is Duke, whom the Terrapins beat by 15 just two weeks ago. Yet if Frese's team wants to make a late-season push, they must play with a little more desire at the defensive end. The past two games, the Terrapins have given up an average of 96 points to their opponents.
