ND Women's Basketball: Irish hope to hold their own against UConn
By: NOAH AMSTADTER
Sports Editor
HARTFORD, Conn.
The Connecticut Huskies enter this afternoon's game against Notre Dame with a perfect 20-0 record, a 6-0 mark in the Big East and the No. 1 ranking in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls.
The Huskies haven't just beaten all their opponents, they've annihilated them — winning by an average margin of 38.65 points, including a 112-43 drubbing of Pittsburgh on Jan. 2.
The Irish, on the other hand, may be the defending NCAA Champions, but without Ruth Riley, Kelley Siemon and Niele Ivey, have proved to be mortals. Notre Dame comes into its only nationally televised regular-season game unranked, with a 10-6 record (4-1 in the Big East). So when head coach Muffet McGraw looks at today's game, she is realistic.
"It's not about what we do defensively or what we run on offense," McGraw said Sunday after practice. "It's just about facing up against the best team in the nation and not backing down. That's what we want to do. We could play a great game and lose by 15 and that's the way it is. We just want to leave the game feeling that we did our best."
McGraw makes a good point. Connecticut's list of victims reads like a who's who of the nation's top teams. UConn beat No. 7 Vanderbilt 69-50 on Nov. 18, No. 3 Oklahoma 86-72 on Dec. 22, and No. 2 Tennessee 86-72 on Jan. 5. So if the Irish can stay within 20 points of the Huskies today, they'll be in pretty good company.
"When the No. 1 team beats the No. 2 team by 20 [actually 14] on their home floor, you kind of think this team is the best in the country," McGraw said. "I think people are probably starting to compare scoring margins."
Connecticut has put together its perfect record with an experienced starting five — a manner not much different than that employed by the Irish last season. Notre Dame's Riley, Siemon and Ivey used the experience of playing together for four years to their advantage. Connecticut seniors Sue Bird, Tamika Williams, Swin Cash and Asjha Jones join sophomore Diana Taurasi in a starting five where every player averages at least 10.9 points per contest.
"I don't think anybody compares to them just because they have five people who are so versatile and do so many things well," McGraw said. "I think their transition game is the best in the country. I think they have the best backcourt in the country and it'll come down to who's the best player in the country — Sue Bird or Diana Taurasi."
What makes the Huskies particularly hard to guard is their balance on offense.
"With every other team you play, there's usually someone that you can sort of lay off and not worry about and matchup with everybody else," McGraw said. "With this team, we really don't have any good matchups. Even in the zone, it's going to be hard for us to play them."
While the Huskies have been led by the veterans all season long, the Irish have rebounded from a 2-4 start to win eight of their last 10 games behind the efforts of an improving freshman class. Forward Jacqueline Batteast has emerged as a national Freshman of the Year candidate, leading the team in scoring eight times already this season.
While the Irish faltered against ranked Purdue and Michigan in December, Batteast points out that the team taking the Hartford Civic Center floor today is a more mature one.
"The same people are more confident," Batteast said. "We're starting to understand what we should be doing. We're not as confused as we were. It's good that we're learning from our mistakes."
While the freshmen have improved, McGraw hopes that veteran players such as Haney, Ratay and Jeneka Joyce — all of whom saw significant court time against Connecticut last season — can step up today.
"I think this is a game for the upperclassmen," McGraw said. "This is a game where we need our upperclassmen to really come out and play well and play their best game. They've got to lead us. This is not a game where we're expecting the freshmen to carry the team."
Haney agrees, and is quick to point out which team has the rings from 2000-01.
"For a team like this, coming off of a national championship and beating them in the semifinals last year it's important that we don't go out there and show that we're scared and afraid," she said. "I think what's important is that we go out play like we're capable of playing and give them a real game."
All Sports Stories for Monday, January 21, 2002
