UConn Could Reclaim No. 1 Ranking With Win Over Pitt

Despite Geno Auriemma's statement to the contrary, the UConn women's basketball team had to have taken notice of LSU's dominating victory over No. 1 Tennessee Thursday night.

All that stands between the Huskies and reclaiming the No. 1 ranking after a week's absence is a victory over No. 18 Pittsburgh Sunday at the Petersen Events Center (2 p.m. - ESPNU).

"I don't think I mentioned it one time [not being No. 1]," Auriemma said. "I generally deal with things when I have to deal with it. When you're No. 1, everyone asks how is it to be No. 1 … I don't bother with No. 2, 3, 4 or 324. It doesn't matter to me."

What does matter is that the No. 2 Huskies (23-1, 10-1 Big East) start strong if they hope to pick up their third straight win and stay a half-game ahead of Rutgers for first place in the league.

"It's important to be aggressive," said Maya Moore after Tuesday's win over Georgetown. "Every time we start off the game, Renee [Montgomery] really emphasizes that we should come out with an 8-0, 10-0 run or something like that."

While past games against Pittsburgh may have been walkthroughs - UConn has won by an average of 38 points per game in its current 21-game series win streak - times are changing in western Pennsylvania.

They'll be facing a program on the rise in the Panthers (18-6, 8-3), who are undergoing a transformation into respectability under fifth-year head coach Agnes Berenato.

When Berenato came to Pittsburgh in 2003, the Panthers were a team that never tasted the NCAA Tournament and, in Berenato's first season, failed to make even the Big East tournament.

Already, the Panthers are seeing returns on their investment - Pitt was a No. 6 seed in last year's Big East tournament, then won an NCAA Tournament game before losing to eventual champion Tennessee in the second round.

This year, Pittsburgh was one of four teams to separate itself from the pack in the conference, getting out of the gates with 17 wins in its first 20 games. Three losses in the last four games have dropped them into a distant fourth place, but the No. 18 Panthers are in good shape for a first-round bye in next month's Big East tournament.

"I'm really proud of this team and I'm proud of our teamwork," Berenato said following Pitt's loss to West Virginia Wednesday. "We get assists and honestly, no one cares who scores the points. The assists we do care about."

The Panthers have done it with one of the best foursomes in the Big East - point guard Mallorie Winn, shooting guard Shavonte Zellous, forward Xenia Stewart and center Marcedes Walker.

Zellous is one of the best scorers in the Big East, averaging 19.3 points per game. Walker is a force down low, averaging nearly 14 points and 10 rebounds per game. Those four players, along with Jania Sims who started before an injury, combine for three-quarters of Pitt's points.

That's not to be outdone by UConn's fearsome threesome of Montgomery, Moore and Tina Charles, who have combined to average 59 points in the last three games.

The freshman Moore in particular has blossomed into one of the most dominant scoring threats in UConn history. She has scored in double-figures in each of UConn's 24 games - the first freshman to accomplish such a feat - and scored at least 20 points in nine games.

"She has so many responsibilities that not many freshmen in the country have," Montgomery said. "She, and [freshman starting point guard] Lorin Dixon, they're forced to do things that most freshmen don't have to do."

Moore, who has scored 424 points this season, is also on pace to shatter the UConn freshman scoring record set by Svetlana Abrosimova in 1998. The Lawrenceville, Ga. native moved into third place on that list - passing Rebecca Lobo - with her 25-point effort against Georgetown Tuesday.

"I think my godmother described it best," Moore said Tuesday. "I'm going to play not like a freshman, but I'm always going to be learning."

Moore is 21 points away from passing Tamika Williams to move into third place, and 12 more after that from passing Tina Charles' mark of 456, set last year. Abrosmiova scored 538 points in the 1997-1998 season.

Contact Kevin Meacham at

Kevin.Meacham@UConn.edu.