Women’s Final Four 2011 Preview: Notre Dame Hopes Fourth Time Is The Charm Against UConn

Three times this year, Notre Dame vs. UConn has ended with the Huskies topping the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame hopes its fourth try to unseat the defending national champions — tonight, at the Women’s Final Four, in Indianapolis — will be a little more successful.

UConn brings a 36-1 record into tonight’s Final Four matchup, and comes in with the momentum of a superb NCAA Tournament performance so far. The Huskies have won their four games en route to the Final Four by an average of 25 points, and recovered from their lone scare, a five-point win against Georgetown, by demolishing second-seeded Duke 75-40 in the Philadelphia Regional final. Geno Auriemma’s never beaten one team four times in one season, but the Huskies’ margin of victory against the Fighting Irish has been three at Notre Dame, 21 at home, and nine in the Big East Tournament. If Maya Moore and the rest of the Huskies can play up to par, it’s going to be very difficult for Fighting Irish to topple women’s basketball’s colossus.