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Dance Card: UConn, AAC

Bring in the new conference, same as the old conference.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Who? The Huskies of Connecticut. Seriously, stop calling them the Lady Huskies; that's not how UConn rolls.

What? Unlike many of his counterparts across the NCAA, Jonathan is a Siberian husky, pure white instead of gray and white. His live counterpart these days is also white, but his heir is not (warning, this link may cause you to emit high-pitched noises at the adorability).

Where? Storrs, Connecticut, about which I can never find anything new and interesting to say. Stop winning things, UConn, your town is boring!

When? March 10th, in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Why? They won the American Athletic conference tournament.

How? Both Louisville's Shoni Schimmel and Connecticut's Breanna Stewart had 20 points to lead their teams. But no other Cardinal scored more than 7, while Bria Hartley had 16 points and Stefanie Dolson notched a 10-point, 16-rebound double-double as UConn continued to do what UConn does in a 72-52 win.

Surprise? Ah-hahahahahahhahaha, no.

RPI: 2

SOS: 33

Record: 34-0 (18-0 American)

Good wins: Stanford. At Duke. You know, the usual.

Bad losses: Overall team health, given the injury to Morgan Tuck and the time Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis has had to spend sidelined. Oh, you meant on the court? 0, dudes and dudettes.

Who's running this show? Geno Auriemma, since 1985. Kind of a smart-ass.

Extra, Extra! The Hartford Courant, The New Haven Register, The New London Day... in The Same River Twice John Walters described Connecticut as a state of many small, well-read towns- and there are very few other sports to write about in the Nutmeg State, especially in winter. There's a reason they're called the Herde.


Where do you even start? The 83.4 points scored per game, or the 46.7 allowed? Eighth in the country in offense, and tops in defense, shooting 50% as a team, UConn games aren't games so much as they're soul-crushing breakdowns of the opponent's psyche.

Where do you even start? The emergence of sophomore Moriah Jefferson, the speedster with 10.0 points and 5.1 assists per game? The lethal threes of Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis? 16.4 points and 4.4 assists from senior guard Bria Hartley? Senior center Stefanie Dolson and her 12.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks?

Where do you even start? Sophomore forward Breanna Stewart averages almost twenty points per game, plus 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.8 blocks. And that's after her breakout in the NCAA tournament brought all attention to her.

The numbers are almost surreal, more surreal than Notre Dame's- but the question of depth lingers. Unlike most years, the Huskies rely heavily on their starters. They've weathered injuries this year, but the wrong injury at the wrong time might, might be a problem. With Geno and the Huskies, though, I'm not so sure anymore.