UConn falls to worst ranking in 30 years in women's AP Top 25; South Carolina, UCLA stay atop poll
UConn fell to its worst ranking in 30 years when the Huskies dropped to 17th in The Associated Press womenโs basketball poll, The last time the Huskies were ranked this low was the second poll of the 1993-94 season when they were 18th.
Saniya Rivers goes for a career-best 33 points as NC State stuns No. 2 UConn 92-81
Saniya Rivers had a career-best 33 points to go with 10 rebounds and five assists to help North Carolina State stun second-ranked Connecticut 92-81 on Sunday, earning the programโs first win against the Huskies in more than a quarter-century.
Loaded UConn women push for program's 12th national title
UConn comes into this season ranked No. 2, having added the nationโs top recruit, guard Azzi Fudd, to a team that returns last yearโs collegiate national player of the year, Paige Bueckers, and every other starter from a squad that went to itโs 13th straight Final Four.
'It's an honor': The Hall of Fame's class of 2020 enshrined
Kobe Bryant is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame now, along with contemporaries Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, headliners of a group of nine who got their delayed and long-awaited enshrinement on Saturday night, more than a year after being announced as the Hallโs Class of 2020.
UConn's Paige Bueckers is AP women's player of the year
UConn's star guard became the first freshman ever to win The Associated Press women's basketball player of the year award Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)SAN ANTONIO โ Paige Bueckers is in a class all by herself. UConn's star guard became the first freshman ever to win The Associated Press women's basketball player of the year award Wednesday. โItโs amazing, surreal for people to think of me that highly and to be in that position as a freshman,โ Bueckers said. But I donโt think you can.โ___More AP womenโs college basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Maryland's Brenda Frese is the AP women's coach of the year
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)SAN ANTONIO โ Maryland coach Brenda Frese was honored as The Associated Press women's basketball coach of the year Wednesday for the second time in her career. Frese received eight votes from the 30-member national media panel that votes on the weekly AP Top 25. Obviously its going to be one I never forget,โ said Frese, who also was AP coach of the year 19 years ago when she was at Minnesota. When Maryland won the Big Ten Tournament, Frese's father and mother, Donna, were in the stands in Indianapolis. โIt's a memory Iโll cherish for a lifetime.โ___More AP womenโs college basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Emmert promises WBCA he will work to fix 'stark' inequities
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO โ NCAA President Mark Emmert promised the Women's Basketball Coaches Association he will work with coaches to fix the โstark differenceโ between the Division I men's and women's tournaments. He asked Emmert what he could do to make sure those people give women's basketball the same advantages and opportunities. โMaybe thatโs what has to happen in womenโs basketball?โ Auriemma said. "Maybe womenโs basketball has got to separate itself from the other womenโs sports? Yet for the women's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, only โNCAA Women's Basketballโ was in the middle of the court.
1st-timer Arizona joins mainstays in women's NCAA Final Four
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)Arizona has been having fun and playing good basketball, all the way to its first women's NCAA Final Four. The 11-time national champions are making their 13th consecutive Final Four appearance and 21st overall for coach Geno Auriemma. The Cardinal's first Final Four since 2017 is their 14th overall, trailing only to UConn and Tennessee's 18. The Wildcats hadn't even been in the women's NCAA Tournament since 2005, though they would have made it last year with a 24-7 record before the tourney was canceled because of the pandemic. Stanford is in its 34th consecutive women's NCAA Tournament, with Tara VanDerveer in her record 35th overall as a coach.
UConn reaches 13th straight Final Four, beating Baylor 69-67
Bueckers scored 28 points and top seed UConn used a huge run spanning the final two quarters to beat No. 2 Baylor 69-67 on Monday night and reach a 13th consecutive Final Four in the womenโs NCAA Tournament. After a timeout, Baylor fouled Christyn Williams, who missed both free throws to give the Lady Bears one last chance. The Lady Bears (28-3) had won the previous two, including a 74-58 win at Connecticut in January of 2020. The Lady Bears closed the action-packed first quarter with a 20-10 run and trailed 26-24 after one.
Williams, Bueckers lead UConn past Iowa in NCAA Sweet 16
UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) works the ball past Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the first half of a college basketball game in the Sweet Sixteen round of the women's NCAA tournament at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Saturday, March 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO โ The game was billed as a marquee matchup of uber-talented freshmen Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. Williams scored 27 points and Bueckers added 18 to lead No. 1 UConn to a 92-72 win over fifth-seeded Iowa on Saturday in the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament. โI thought we played a great team basketball game," Williams said.
Bueckers and UConn top Syracuse 83-47, advance to Sweet 16
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)SAN ANTONIO โ Once Paige Bueckers and UConn got rolling, Syracuse couldn't stop them and now the Huskies are heading back to a familiar place โ the Sweet 16. 1 seed UConn beat eighth-seeded Syracuse 83-47 on Tuesday night and advance to the regional semifinals of the women's NCAA Tournament for the 27th straight season. The Husky dog was carrying the suitcase,โ UConn coach Chris Dailey said. AdThe UConn players sang โHappy Birthdayโ to Auriemma earlier Tuesday in a video posted on Twitter. โTough kid, she didnโt quit,โ an emotional Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman said.
Bueckers helps UConn rout High Point 102-59 in NCAA opener
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO โ UConn did just fine without coach Geno Auriemma. Bueckers scored 24 points โ the most by a UConn player in her first NCAA Tournament game โ and the top-seeded Huskies routed High Point 102-59 in the first round Sunday. โWe just want to continue to win for him so he can get out here with us,โ Bueckers said. Muhl injured her left ankle in the Big East Tournament opener, but returned for the Huskies' game the next night. โI think that was a little bit of improv from some of the players," High Point coach Chelsea Banbury said.
UConn frosh Paige Bueckers leads women's AP All-America team
The freshman guard has lived up to it so far, delivering record-breaking performances and earning a spot on The Associated Press women's basketball All-American team Wednesday. She's only the third freshman to make the AP team, joining Oklahoma's Courtney Paris and UConn's Maya Moore. โName one player that has taken a team this young to where we are today," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. She became the school's first women's basketball All-American last season. She was joined by Naz Hillmon, who is the first women's player at Michigan to earn All-America honors.
Home advantage: Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Stephen F. Austin nab spots in Texas-hosted womenโs NCAA Tournament
(AP Photo/Ben McKeown)HOUSTON โ Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, and Stephen F. Austin got four of the spots in the NCAA Womenโs Basketball Tournament hosted entirely in Texas. Similar to how the menโs tournament will be played entirely in Indiana this year due to COVID-19 concerns, the womenโs tournament will be held entirely in Texas. 1 seed for the womenโs NCAA Tournament. 1 seed is a is a great honor, obviously,โ N.C. State coach Wes Moore said. Tennessee continued its streak of making the NCAA Tournament all 39 years.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma tests positive for coronavirus
โI didn't all the sudden go on spring break, I didn't go to Florida," he told reporters in a conference call on Monday. I didn't do anything.โThe top-seeded Huskies are scheduled to leave for the tournament in San Antonio on Tuesday. According to federal and state health guidelines, Auriemma must remain in isolation for 10 days and may rejoin the team on March 24. The team's head physician said contact tracing protocols indicated Auriemma did not have close contact with any other team member since Friday. Auriemma said he will be talking to his assistant coaches while they are in Texas, but wonโt be trying to coach from Connecticut.
UConn finishes No. 1 in women's AP Top 25 for 16th time
It's the 16th time that the Huskies have completed the regular season as the top team in the poll. 1 seed in the women's NCAA Tournament when the field is announced Monday night. AdCONSISTENT WOLVERINESMichigan finished the season ranked 16th, marking only the second time in program history that the Wolverines were in the final poll. CONFERENCE SUPREMECYThe Southeastern Conference had six teams in the final poll with No. UNBEATEN LANCERSCal Baptist earned its first vote ever in the women's AP Top 25 after winning the WAC Tournament.
UConn in line for top seed in NCAA women's tournament
(David Butler/Pool Photo via AP)UConn, South Carolina, Stanford and Louisville are in line for the top seeds of the women's NCAA Tournament. The women's basketball selection committee revealed the top 16 teams to this point Monday night. 1 in The Associated Press women's basketball poll earlier in the day, would be the overall top seed. โI would say that for every line we had a healthy amount of debate,โ NCAA women's basketball selection committee chair Nina King said. The two schools were joined by Arkansas, DePaul, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Missouri State, South Dakota State and Washington State.
UConn new No. 1 in AP women's basketball poll
Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma, right, and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, meet before an NCAA college basketball game in Storrs, Conn., Monday, Feb. 8, 2021. 1 in The Associated Press women's college basketball poll. 1 South Carolina in overtime a week ago in a 1-vs-2 matchup. Stanford and South Carolina have the next longest active streaks, with two years. ___More AP womenโs college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
South Carolina returns to top of women's basketball poll
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley confers with forward Aliyah Boston on the sideline during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. 1 in The Associated Press women's college basketball poll. South Carolina, which originally fell from the top spot after losing to North Carolina State, beat the Huskies last season for the first time in eight tries. Here are other tidbits from the poll:MILESTONEMonday marked the 800th women's college basketball poll in the AP's history. Ad___More AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
No. 3 UConn bounces back, rolls by No. 17 DePaul 100-67
Connecticut's Aaliyah Edwards, left, drives to the basket past DePaul's Kiara Dallmann (42) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)CHICAGO โ Christyn Williams scored a career-high 29 points, Paige Bueckers added 22 points and personal-best 10 assists, and No. โItโs just lousy playing basketball this time in their lives,โ Auriemma said. Sonya Morris scored 19 for DePaul, which had won four in a row since a loss at UConn. March 7 and 17, 1993, when they lost to Providence in the Big East tournament and Louisville in the NCAA.
UConn routs Butler 103-35, Auriemma passes Summitt in wins
3 UConn, playing for the first time in 10 days, routed Butler 103-35 on Tuesday night. Tennessee transfer Evina Wesbrook chipped in with 14 points and freshman Paige Bueckers had 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Okako Adika scored 18 points for Butler (1-9, 1-8), despite spending most of the game in foul trouble, and Genesis Parker added 15 points. The Huskies led 25-15 after a quarter, and used a stifling defense to hold Butler to just 20 points the rest of the game. UConn: The Huskies heads to Knoxville for the first time in 15 years to face No.
UConn's Auriemma: Schools need NCAA Tournament this season
โAnd those players that donโt want to play, donโt have to play,โ he said. โAnd those coaches that donโt want to coach, donโt have to coach. โThe NCAA has to have the almighty dollar from the menโs tournament," she said. โMaybe itโs easy if youโre at a Power Five football school and youโre making millions and millions and millions of dollars,โ Auriemma said. ___More AP womenโs basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Unexpected win has UConn fans downing hot sauce for charity
And so, in what has since become a viral video, Jackson, a 2006 UConn graduate who lives in Boston, posted a tweet of himself downing a large spoonful of Black Bison hot sauce, then taking another swig from the bottle, while chanting, "U-C-O-N-N, UConn, UConn, UConn." Another fan tweeted that he believed all UConn fans should follow suit, in penance for doubting their Huskies. Numerous fans began posting videos of themselves taking shots of hot sauce. One hot sauce brand got wind of the challenge and is offering discounts to participants who buy their sauce. โI mean, I'd have to celebrate with some hot sauce," he said.
Unexpected win has UConn fans downing hot sauce for charity
And so, in what has since become a viral video, Jackson, a 2006 UConn graduate who lives in Boston, posted a tweet of himself downing a large spoonful of Black Bison hot sauce, then taking another swig from the bottle, while chanting, "U-C-O-N-N, UConn, UConn, UConn." Another fan tweeted that he believed all UConn fans should follow suit, in penance for doubting their Huskies. Numerous fans began posting videos of themselves taking shots of hot sauce. One hot sauce brand got wind of the challenge and is offering discounts to participants who buy their sauce. โI mean, I'd have to celebrate with some hot sauce," he said.
Lack of marquee games to make NCAA tourney selection harder
UConn has two more chances to play nonconference ranked teams, with Tennessee and South Carolina on the schedule. Conversely on the men's side, a majority of the current Top 25 have played at least one ranked nonconference opponent. The lack of marquee nonconference matchups could cause the NCAA womenโs basketball selection committee some agita when trying to figure out who deserves to be in the NCAA Tournament and where teams should be seeded. Weโll have lively discussions.โLongtime ESPN and CBS analyst Deb Antonelli was sad that so many women's basketball games have been canceled or postponed. โCOVID is COVID and we donโt want to penalize a team for the uncontrollable.โ___More AP womenโs basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
UConn beats Providence 87-50 as Auriemma reaches milestone
3 UConn overcame a sluggish start to rout Providence 87-50 on Saturday to give Auriemma his 1,098th win. They trailed 7-1 midway through the first quarter, prompting Auriemma to sub out his starters, with the exception of Bueckers. โI was proud of how our team handled themselves when Mary had to sit down early with foul trouble,โ Providence coach Jim Crowley said. Providence: The Friars had been holding other teams to just 60.5 points per game. UConn: The Huskies were expected to face Xavier on Wednesday, but the Musketeers were forced to suspend basketball activities because of COVID-19.
The Latest: No. 7 Arizona women's basketball game postponed
(Stu Forster/Pool via AP)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The seventh-ranked Arizona womenโs basketball game at Washington scheduled for Friday has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Huskies program. ___The Patriot League menโs basketball games between American and Lehigh scheduled for Saturday and Sunday have been postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test within the American menโs basketball programโs Tier 1 personnel. 3 UConn women's basketball team has had another game postponed because of coronavirus-related issues. The switch gives St. Pete promoters hope that more spectators will be permitted to attend the popular street festival as pandemic restrictions loosen. That move opened room on the schedule for St. Pete to request a later race date.
Mulkey positive for COVID-19, UConn-Baylor women's game off
Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey is shown during the second half of an NCAA women's college basketball game against South Florida Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. No. 3 UConn after Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey tested positive for COVID-19. 3 UConn after Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey tested positive for COVID-19. Baylor said it began restricting team activities after Mulkey tested positive on Monday, the same day she had been planning to rejoin the team. Auriemma said he and Louisville coach Jeff Walz have talked the last couple of weeks about finding a time to play each other.
Tara VanDerveer becomes winningest women's basketball coach
Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer, center, watches the action against Pacific during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stockton, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. With a win over Pacific, VanDerveer will become the winningest women's coach in history breaking Pat Summitt's record of 1,098. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)STOCKTON, Calif. โ Tara VanDerveer made history, and then took a moment to tell her Stanford players what they mean to her. VanDerveer became the winningest womenโs college basketball coach Tuesday night, passing the late Pat Summitt with her 1,099th victory as No. Tennessee womenโs basketball posted a photo of VanDerveer and Summitt on Twitter and a message that read: โ1099.
Women's NCAA Tournament to played at one site, eyes on Texas
The NCAA announced Monday that San Antonio is the likely host site for the 64-team tournament next March. The NCAA expects the tournament to be played in late March and early April as usual, though there is a chance it could be shorter. โWe donโt have an answer for that today.โThis wonโt be the first time a womenโs tournament will be played at one site. From 1972-1977, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women played a 16-team postseason tournament at one site. The NCAA Tournament was first played in 1982.
Trio of former UConn greats leading social justice charge
Montgomery and Tiffany Hayes appreciated what former UConn teammate Maya Moore was doing when the All-Star forward stepped away from basketball two years ago to focus on criminal justice reform. UConn coach Geno Auriemma has been impressed by what many of his former players are accomplishing off the court. They were following who they are.Montgomery and Hayes smiled at the thought that a dozen years ago the UConn players had any aspirations of being social activists. Both Hayes and Montgomery loved seeing Auriemma and his wife and family at a protest in his community last month. I knew my mind wasnt there, my heart wasnt there, Montgomery said.