When you think of women's sports, there are some pretty important milestones to consider; The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954), Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova's domination over the international tennis community (1959-2006 collectively), the arrival of the WNBA (1996) and Danica Patrick breaking the barrier in becoming the first female to win an Indy car race (2008) in the NASCAR circuit.
The UConn Huskies, arguably the most successful women's college basketball team in the country, should and will be added to the list.
Connecticut's 59-44 victory over Notre Dame on Monday night marked their 71st consecutive win. This amazing run began with a win over Georgia Tech on Nov. 16, 2008 and the ladies have not lost a game since, 476 days and counting.
What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that they broke their own record in the process. From Nov. 9, 2001 to March 11, 2003, UConn remained undefeated until they lost to Villanova in the Big East semifinals. That record stood until now.
The Huskies will take on No. 9 West Virginia tonight (March 9th) for the Big East Championship title and if they succeed, they will be able to claim the first and second longest win streaks in college basketball history.
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In an interview with the AP, their head coach Geno Auriemma said, "I can't think anything is more important than winning and playing in the Big East championship for these kids." He's just trying to keep their eyes on the prize, one game at a time.
In fact, the Lady Huskies are just seven wins away from their seventh national championship and from becoming the first team to have back-to-back undefeated seasons.
UConn is no stranger to winning. Since their first national championship in 1995, the Huskies have become a mainstay in the tournament, making 21 total appearances. They have also notched 3 undefeated seasons, 1995, 2002 and 2009. They are also responsible for turning out some of the most notable names in the WNBA; Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Svetlana Abrosimova, Nykesha Sales and Rebecca Lobo to name a few.
The Connecticut Huskies have secured their place as a dynasty, the only question is, how long can they keep it going?
The Huskies and Mountaineers will face off tonight at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN.
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