Cardinal rule!!

There's still a winning streak going on and a certain #23 made sure that it would continue.  I'm talking about the Stanford Cardinal home game win streak at Maples Pavilion, which now stands at 53.  The #23 I'm talking about is senior guard Jeanette Pohlen, who had a game high 31 points, while helping the Cardinal end UConn's 90 game win streak.  Something had to give.




Jeanette Pohlen: the other # 23

Stanford played like a unit, out-hustling and out-rebounding the Huskies and making sure that it was going to be anyone else but Maya Moore to carry UConn to victory.  Maya Moore went 5-15 from the floor for 14 points and while she got some help from Bria Hartley (14 pts) and Kayla Farris (19 pts), it still wasn't enough to extend the streak.  UConn never even led at any point in this game; first time in five years that happened.


UConn's win streak started after a loss to Stanford in the Final Four back in 2008.  During the 90 game win streak, they beat Stanford 3 times including the last two Final Four meetings;  the national semis in 2009 and the national title game in 2010.  The other meeting was in Hartford, CT, where Stanford led at halftime but couldn't keep up with the Huskies in the second half.


Maya Moore: missing in action

Personally, I wouldn't call this Stanford win an upset.  Stanford are a legit program and have the ability to recruit on a national scale just like Connecticut.  They have enough talent to be able to win games just like these and so their win shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone. 


What this game proves however, is that UConn will only go as far as Maya Moore will take them.  Rarely does she ever have an off night, but when she does, there's no Tina Charles or Renee Montgomery to help pick up the slack.  She is in a very similar situation to Diana Taurasi, who willed UConn to national titles in 2003 & 2004 and helped extend a winning streak that would climax at 70 games. 




Diana Taurasi: UConn legend

Diana Taurasi was a key contributor on the 2002 national championship team, but it was Sue Bird and Swin Cash who were headliners that season.  Upon their departure, the onus fell on Taurasi to carry the team and she delivered; leading to Geno Auriemma's famous quote, "We have Diana, and you don't", in response to a reporter's question as to why he felt UConn would win the 2004 title.  Taurasi not only established herself as a UConn legend, but as one the great ones to have played the women's game.


Maya Moore has already passed Taurasi on the all-time scoring chart and is on pace to set the record for most career points at Connecticut; a record that is currently held by former teammate Tina Charles.  If Moore can lead this team a national championship, she will undoubtedly be hailed as the best ever to have come through the program. 

Stanford now joins both Notre Dame's football and men's basketball programs on the list of legend slayers.  Oklahoma's 47 game win streak in football started and ended with a loss to the Fighting Irish; the UCLA men's basketball also tasted a little Irish luck during their 88 game win streak. 

Both Stanford and Connecticut of course will move on to their next games, but don't be surprised if they end up playing each other for the national championship.

UConn Lady Huskies; 88 and counting.......

Should the UConn lady Huskies emerge victorious against Florida State tonight, they will be in sole possession of the longest winning streak in college basketball (division 1 at least) period.  At 88 wins, they are currently tied with UCLA men's basketball team of the early 70's for consecutive games won.

Maya Moore; the alpha husky.

You'd have to go all the way back to April 2008, in the National Semifinals, to see when this team last lost a game.  Maya Moore, UConn's all-everything, was a freshman back then, and the top rated Huskies lost to a Candice Wiggins-inspired Stanford team; avenging an earlier loss to the Huskies in the process.

Maya Moore was the focus of a recruiting war between Tennessee and Connecticut, that was so intense, it strained the "working" relationship between Pat Summitt (Vols coach) and Geno Auriemma; and even led to the cancellation of their regular season series between these 2 powerhouses.  I say "working" relationship, because these two coaches could, quite honestly, care less for the other.  It's there for everyone to see (Am I the only one here who thinks that maybe these 2 need a room?).

With regards to the series being cancelled, despite one year left on the contract, Pat Summitt said that it would help Tennessee develop other rivalries, while Geno Auriemma -who's never been known to pull any punches - called out Summitt for claiming that UConn cheated to get Moore.  Go figure.

Having seen Moore play for three years now, I can see what the hype was all about.  She is playing head and shoulders above everyone else.  She is to coach Auriemma what Rebecca Lobo, Swin Cash, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have been in seasons before.  He sure can recruit them can't he?

When the streak started, the Huskies were anchored by Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery.  After Montgomery left, the onus fell on Tina Charles to lead the team.  Charles did her work on the inside, swatting anything and everything withing 3 feet of the rim, while Moore covered the perimeter.  When all else failed, there was one solution; pass the ball to Moore.  This was the case when she single-handedly bailed a struggling team during last year's championship against Stanford.

This season, it's all about Maya Moore.  Everyone knows who's going to take the most shots, and who's getting the ball when the game's on the line.  It's really not rocket science.  Yet somehow, she just can't be stopped.  Of course, this is a team sport and everyone else is playing their part; but without Maya Moore, this streak would have ended a lot sooner.

What UConn have achieved already is remarkable.  However, questions are flying in left and right, asking whether this win streak is bad for women's basketball; a sport that hardly gets any "recognition" if at all.  Would they be getting this much attention if they weren't close to tying the 88 game streak by the UCLA men.  Would anyone even care had the streak ended earlier?  Would the Huskies be better served by losing now rather later in the season?

Whatever the questions may be, one thing stands out loud and clear; people are paying attention.  Whether they care for the sport or not, they are watching.  They might not watch each and every game, but they will try and catch up to see how the Huskies are doing.  That can only mean that the win streak is good for women's basketball; I've never known anything bad to come out of winning.  So when the streak does come to an end, it still won't take away from what these ladies have managed to accomplish.

Would the Huskies be better off losing now rather than later?  Let's keep watching and we'll find out, won't we?