UConn to get idea of its status today against Lady Vols

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Sometimes Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma can predict the Huskies' future after watching them play archrival Tennessee.

After all, he's had plenty of practice.

The teams face off for the 21st time this afternoon in what has remained the top matchup in women's basketball, perpetuated by the six times they have met in the Final Four since 1995. The Huskies lead the series 13-7.

This year, the Lady Vols (14-0) are ranked No. 1 while UConn (12-1) is ranked seventh and has lost only to No. 5 North Carolina.

"It's a great barometer for not only what is happening with our team at the moment but what could happen, what might happen down the road," Auriemma said. "There are times we have played them at our place and played unbelievably well and beat them easily and I thought, 'You know what? I think this team can win the national championship.' There's times when we've played them at their place and got our heads handed to us and I left there thinking, 'You know what? I'm not sure we're a national championship-type team.'"

The first time the teams met in the 1994-95 season, the Huskies won in the regular season and then beat the Lady Vols again in the title game to win their first national championship.

UConn had a six-game winning streak going in the series until the Lady Vols got a victory last year. Subsequently, the Huskies lost in the regional semifinals, ending a chance for a fourth consecutive national title, while Tennessee went to the Final Four but lost.

"I'm not always right, don't get me wrong. It doesn't always work out that way, but I think for the most part it has," Auriemma said.

Auriemma believes the game has helped bring out more good teams in women's basketball and created buzz for more rivalries.

"At one time this used to be the game everybody in the country wanted to see and that's the only game national television really focused on. Now - and I think this is a positive - I think there are so many good matchups. This is just one of them," he said.

And there is always plenty of drama between the teams mainly because of the opposite personalities of the coaches. Summitt usually says something nice while Auriemma enjoys being brash and mostly disliked by Lady Vols fans.

"I have tried to have fun with Pat and the people of Knoxville," he said.

The game will be the first for some of the players. Tennessee's Candace Parker missed last year's game while she redshirted to recover from knee surgeries.

One intriguing matchup will be the point guards. UConn freshman Renee Montgomery and Tennessee sophomore Alexis Hornbuckle come from the same high school in West Virginia.