The University of Maryland-Baltimore County might be considered the lovable Cinderella team to the rest of the college basketball world, but don?t expect the Retrievers to get the red-carpet treatment when they travel to Connecticut for the first round of the NCAA women?s tournament this weekend.
UMBC (16-16) received the 16th seed in the Fresno Regional and will face top-seeded Connecticut (29-3) at 9:30 Sunday night at the Hartford Civic Center.
March with the madness!
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If dealing with an expectedly partisan UConn crowd isn?t bad enough, UMBC must also deal with Hartford fans who left last Sunday?s America East Conference final disappointed after the Retrievers upset the top-seeded Hawks, 48-46, in the championship game. Also, Hartford?s coach is Jennifer Rizzotti, who helped lead UConn to the national title as a player in 1995.
“We?re playing against one of the most storied programs in women?s college basketball, which is coached by who I think is the best coach in the sport,” said UMBC coach Phil Stern, referring to Huskies coach Geno Auriemma. “That doesn?t scare us. We?re just excited about having the chance to put UMBC basketball on the map.”
Pulling off an upset of this magnitude will be a tall order for UMBC, which is making its first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. In comparison, UConn is 58-13 in 18 all-time appearances since 1989, including five national titles.
Still, UMBC knows a thing or two about pulling off an upset. The Retrievers this week became the first team in America East history to defeat the top three teams in the league tournament en route to the conference title. While understanding the heavy odds, UMBC also knows that knocking off a top seed is not unprecedented. Harvard, as a 16th seed in 1998, defeated No. 1 Stanford.
“It?s definitely going to be a challenge to play UConn in Connecticut,” UMBC freshman guard Carlee Cassidy said. “We?re just hoping to play our best and see what may happen next.”
UMBC NOTES
» The UMBC-Connecticut game will be televised live at 9:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2. UMBC has never played Connecticut before.
» If UMBC defeats Connecticut, it will face the winner of the first-round game between No. 8 New Mexico and No. 9 Wisconsin-Green Bay on Tuesday.
» The Retrievers are one of nine teams making their first NCAA tournament appearance this season.
