Uconn

Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma calls to his team during the second half of a NCAA college basketball game against Colgate in Hartford, Conn., Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Connecticut won 101-41. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

STORRS — The UConn women's basketball program has achieved some of the most impressive feats in the history of women's sports and received a fair amount of attention for its accomplishments.

The Huskies' 90 consecutive wins piqued the interest of people who wouldn't otherwise give a second though to the women's game. Their 99-game home court win streak established a mark of consistency that likely will never be challenged, and the same could be said for their four undefeated national championship seasons.

There is one streak, however, that the Huskies have not had over the past 19 years: a losing streak.

Monday against No. 11-ranked Maryland, No. 2 UConn (6-0) will extend a much less publicized, but very impressive, streak to 700 games. That's how long it has been since the Huskies have been beaten in back-to-back games. They have not suffered consecutive defeats since 1993 when the team lost to Providence in the Big East Tournament semifinals and then lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Louisville.

Six of the current UConn players had not even been born yet the last time the Huskies lost back-to-back games.

The Huskies just don't lose to teams they are supposed to beat and rarely lose to teams considered on par with them. It all comes down to great preparation and approach.

"We prepare the same for every team," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "We take it seriously. Our coaches do a great job with their scouting reports. We don't take losing really well. When we dolose, we come back with a mindset that's different. We don't feel sorry for ourselves. We don't wallow in it. We go back to work. And it helps to have really good players."

The players are highly competitive kids who come to UConn to be pushed to their limits. Because Auriemma and his staff can be relentless, it's difficult for the players to let up.

They appreciate the coaching staff's demands for consistency of effort.

"That goes to show what kind of dynasty Coach Auriemma and (associate head coach Chris Dailey) have built," Caroline Doty said. "To play under a coaching staff that has such high standards that they don't allow you to lose back-to-back games ... I mean, 700 is a lot of games. How many coaches even coach 700 games? For that to happen is something special, and you commend the coaches for the consistency that they insist. And they recruit players that won't accept losing."

To put UConn's streak in perspective, the second-longest streak without back-to-back losses is 170 games in a row by the Duke women, who lost consecutive games to UConn, Vanderbilt and Penn State in 2007.

"That says a lot about this program," Kelly Faris said. "The program has a lot of history, and Coach knows what to instill in his players. It says a lot about how much they focus on maturity and the mentality of their players. It's the same approach whether it's a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game or us against a Division II team."

Auriemma said that from the time players arrive on campus, he explains to them over and over again that they only have a limited number of games to play in college. They should make the most of them so they don't leave with any regrets.

He tells them to treat each game as if it is a performance of a Broadway show. You should feel obligated to give everything you have each time on stage. Regardless of whether or not you've performed 500 times in a row, there could be people in the audience getting a chance to see the show for the first time, and they deserve your best effort.

"If you're going to decide you're only going to play well against certain teams and not show up for others, you're cheating the game, you're cheating yourself, and you're cheating the program," Auriemma said. "We don't put up with that."

So where does the feat of not losing back-to-back games rank among some of UConn's other major accomplishments?

"Some of this stuff is mind boggling," Auriemma said. "This one is under-utilized or undervalued. Very few people talk about it. I don't give it a second thought until someone mentions it. Then it's like, 'Oh my God.' When it's over and I look back, I'm going to be amazed by some of the things we've done here."

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