ESPN Weighs in on No. 1 UConn’s Record Run to Break UCLA's 88-Game Win Streak
ESPN analyst Doris Burke and reporter and analyst Rebecca Lobo discussed the upcoming games involving the top-ranked Connecticut women’s basketball team, as the Huskies are one win away from tying UCLA men’s record of 88 straight wins.
UConn’s Record Run will showcase two games as the Huskies will try to tie the UCLA mark against No. 10 Ohio State at the Maggie Dixon Classic on Sunday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU. With a win against the Buckeyes, Connecticut can make history two days later at home against No. 14 Florida State on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN2 if the Huskies secure a win over Ohio State, otherwise it will be aired on ESPNU.
Additional Quotes
Dave O’Brien, ESPN play-by-play commentator
“The winning streak is difficult to get your head around. It is such a surreal accomplishment, because in this age of parity and competition it seems like anybody can beat anybody. Just not UConn.”
Trey Wingo, ESPN Women’s Final Four Studio host
“We all get into this business because we love sports, and we love greatness. On Tuesday, Connecticut has a chance to go where no team has ever gone before. In team sports, uninterrupted success is the hardest thing to sustain and UConn has a chance to take that to a previously unattained level.”
Rece Davis, ESPN GameDay host
“I think the most difficult thing to do in sports is to sustain excellence and play to a standard rather than playing to the level of the competition. That is the most impressive thing to me about the streak no matter what the number becomes. Geno Auriemma has done what few in any sport can do. He has competed against his own standard and continually exceeded it.”
Dick Vitale, ESPN men’s basketball analyst
“This is one of the greatest sports stories ever. To show that consistency while taking everybody’s best shot is impressive. There are so many good players in the women’s game today. Geno Auriemma and his girls deserve a big-time salute.
Jay Bilas, ESPN men’s basketball analyst
“This is among the most remarkable achievements in American sports history, and a great opportunity to celebrate UConn’s sustained excellence. Take a good look. We’re unlikely to see this kind of achievement for a long, long time.”
Bob Knight, ESPN analyst
Former Division I head coach Bob Knight saw numerous student-athletes play in front of him during his 35-year coaching career. As an ESPN analyst, Knight now breaks down teams for a living, and UConn’s Maya Moore is no exception. Knight took time out of his busy schedule to analyze her signature moves from a recent game – “Maya Moore is as complete a basketball player, as in my experience, I have ever seen.”
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The Climb: UConn’s Quest for Perfection
ESPNU will reair several episodes of the The Climb: UConn’s Quest for Perfection, a behind-the-scenes look into the 2009-10 University of Connecticut women’s basketball team. The original four-part series ran during the 2010 postseason.
The episodes offered a unique all-access look at the inner workings of one of the most successful programs in all of college sports. Each show was told in the players’ and coaches’ own words as the Huskies pursued both a second consecutive perfect season and NCAA National Championship, as well as the hallowed all-time record-winning streak established by John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins four decades ago.
The four-part series will run Sunday, Dec. 19, from 8-10 p.m., prior to the reair of the Ohio State vs. Connecticut game from earlier in the day.
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About ESPN Network’s Women’s Basketball Coverage
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com and ESPN FULL COURT is combining to present approximately 250 women’s college basketball games during the 2010-11 season, including all 63 games of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship in March. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU’s schedule features 64 games during the regular season and 13 conference tournaments for 85 total telecasts. ESPN3.com will simulcast all of the ESPN and ESPN2 games.
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