The UConn men and women have created countless memories through the madness of March and onto the championships won in April. Each day between now and the men’s and women’s Final Fours next month, The Courant will look back through our archives and highlight a memorable men’s and/or women’s game that occurred on that date. Today:
Women
1997: No. 3 Tennessee 91, No. 1 UConn 81
March 24 is filled with heartbreak for Huskies fans. Then again, that’s the price you pay for making deep tournament runs so often. Only one team can win it all– and in 1996 and ’97 (and ’98), it was Pat Summitt’s Tennessee Lady Vols and not the Huskies cutting down the nets.
On this date in ’97, it was the second of two straight heartbreaking losses to the Vols, and this one no doubt stung more. UConn, led by Nykesha Sales and Kara Wolters, was unbeaten and the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region entering the Dance. Tennessee was defending national champs but a 3-seed with 10 losses entering the game. None of that mattered when they jumped it up, however, and Tennessee, led by 21 points from Chamique Holdsclaw and 19 from current Vols coach Kellie Harper, upset the Huskies, 91-81, to send them home for the second straight year. The loss only put more fuel on the fire in what became women’s basketball’s best rivalry.
Men
1990: No. 3 Duke 79, No. 1 UConn 78 (OT)
The UConn men suffered two heartbreaking losses on this date– with the other ending Caron Butler’s Huskies career and coming at the hands of eventual national champ Maryland in the ’02 Elite Eight. But this one was even more painful– and is another villain origin story as far as many UConn fans are concerned.
UConn had won the Big East regular season and tournament titles for the first time ever, and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament– also for the first time. The Huskies had reached the Elite Eight thanks to a miraculous last-second shot by Tate George, and were on the doorstep of their first Final Four, leading Duke by one in overtime with mere seconds left. An ill-advised Bobby Hurley pass almost ended up in George’s hands, ricocheting out of bounds with 2.6 seconds to go. That’s when a sophomore Christian Laettner inbounded the ball, got it right back and put up a wild, pump-faking leaner as time expired. It fell though the net, advancing Duke to the Final Four and ending UConn’s Dream Season.
Our readers weigh in
1995, A Husky Homecoming: “It was 1995, I was 12 years old, and the UConn women had just won our first ever national championship. After pleading with our families, my cousins and I got picked up from school early, and our party of 10: Parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother, made our way to Bradley Airport, about an hour drive from home. We had a front row seat, pressed up against a chain-link fence that bordered the airport – you could really get close back in those days! Somehow, without the internet and cell phones, we knew their plane was finally landing. Chilled to the bone, joints stiff from hours of standing, we watched with joy through binoculars as the players walked off the plane and onto the tarmac, waving and cheering. To our delight, the entire team walked the perimeter of the airport to say hello and thank their fans who were welcoming them back home victorious!”
–Jen Jaffe, Bolton
Share a memory
What’s your favorite UConn March Madness memory? Whether you were in the stands or on your couch, tell us the Husky hoops story that you’re always sharing with your friends and family. We’ll take a look at our responses and run some of the best in print and online. Remember, brevity is always best, so keep it short and sweet. Send your thoughts to sports@courant.com and be sure to include your name and town.
