Some say this year's UConn's team is the best in Husky history. Some even say UConn's starting five -- Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Diana Taurasi and Tamika Williams -- is the best women's college has seen.
So if the Huskies are that good, how do you stop them? Here's what our experts said:
Mechelle Voepel, ESPN.com
You have to hope that Taurasi is having a bad shooting night or force her to have a bad shooting night, which is difficult to do. She's very talented. But you also can try to exploit her on defense. If there's a chink in the starting five, she might be it. You also have to hope Bird is having a bad shooting night, too, and hope the Huskies play like they did in the second half against Notre Dame last March. In last season's national semifinals, both started forcing up shots, and Bird put in a very uncharacteristic performance, while the big three -- Cash, Jones and Williams -- played well, but not quite as good as they can. Each UConn starter does one thing very well, but basically, you have to hope that that one thing isn't at its best come game time. Still, UConn's bedrock is it's point guard, and point guards are much less likely to get rattled and make bad decisions than any other position.
Bill Fennelly, Iowa State coach
You have to play a very good game. Ironically, when we beat UConn (64-58 in the Sweet 16 in 1999), we didn't play very well. UConn has to have an off night, a night where there's a little foul trouble and they're not shooting it that great. Getting Sue Bird in foul trouble is a key. It'd be interesting to see what happens without her on the court. And you have to be able to hang around with them. They're so good at knocking people out early with those big runs, but you've got to believe it could happen. At this time of year, in the tournament, you don't have to beat them four out of seven. You just have to beat them one time. The legends of this tournament have been born on games like that. A little bit of it is luck, like the Villanova men sinking 80 percent of their second-half shots. It's getting the 3-point shots to fall, getting the right bounces. UConn's the prohibitive favorite, everybody knows that. But I don't think they're unbeatable. Too many weird things happen in the tournament. But if it happens, it'll be the greatest upset in women's basketball history. I agree with that. It's going to take a miracle. But that's what makes this tournament great.
Vera Jones, ESPN analyst
Outside of acquiring a player with Tonya Harding-like tendencies, you have to be able to stop UConn's guards. I'm thinking total face guard from the inbounds pass on, then just totally shadowing Bird and Taurasi as best as possible. In order for UConn's posts to go to work, they have to be able to get the ball. But if you're harassing the guards -- which is a tough task and you have to have just the right kind of personnel -- maybe the posts don't get the ball as much. Defensively, you also have to change things up and give UConn's guards different looks.
Nancy Lieberman, ESPN analyst
I'd suggest church on Sunday, or waiting until these four seniors graduate. But seriously, you've got to hope they're having a bad day, maybe get stuck in some foul trouble or struck by injury. Because when all cylinders are working, this is the best starting five in the history of the game.
