Louisville coach Jeff Walz didn't hesitate when asked whether he's seen any team that might be able to knock off the top-ranked Connecticut women.
``I've watched UConn's men's team play, and they look pretty good,'' Walz quipped.
Among women's teams, though, Walz and many other coaches don't see any strong contenders to end UConn's 55-game winning streak, 15 victories shy of the record 70 set by the Huskies in 2001-03.
UConn, which has won five of the last 10 national championships, already has beaten second-ranked Stanford by 12 points. The consensus among Big East coaches is that for an opponent to pull the upset they are going to need some help from the Huskies.
``I don't think there's anyone in the country who will disagree with that,'' said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, whose third-ranked Fighting Irish play at UConn on Saturday.
Even UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who tells his players he doesn't want them falling into the trap of thinking they are unbeatable, doesn't disagree.
``I just think that kids are kids and there's going to be some point in time where we're going to play poorly and if we play poorly on a day when somebody else who's really good plays the best games of their lives then we're going to lose,'' he said.
Former Texas coach Jody Conradt, who had 900 career victories and won a national championship in 1986, wouldn't say this year's UConn squad is the best ever. But she said she believes it might be the most dominant.
``I think there is a wider gap now between UConn and the rest of the field than I can ever remember there being,'' Conradt said. ``It seems to me there are very few other teams with even the potential to beat them unless UConn has an off night and the other team plays toward perfection.''
The Huskies (16-0, 4-0 Big East) have been at their best against the best, going 9-0 against top 10 teams during the streak and winning those games by a jaw-dropping average of 27.1 points.
The Huskies will get two more chances over the next few days as they play Notre Dame (15-0, 2-0) and No. 7 Duke (14-2) on Monday.
So what's the key to trying to beat UConn? Jamelle Elliott, a former UConn standout and a 12-year assistant for the Huskies before taking over at Cincinnati this year, believes an opponent needs to hit a high percentage of shots to limit UConn's transition baskets.
``UConn's bread and butter is once they rebound they're looking to get out and score points in transition,'' she said. ``If a team can come in and shoot an unbelievable number from the field and make UConn have to inbound the ball and come down and run offense, I think that will increase a team's chances to win.''
Conradt believes a team is going to have to limit UConn's runs by playing more deliberately.
``Then your problem becomes can you maintain any kind of balance with them rebounding-wise,'' she said.
Auriemma's believes his team is vulnerable if its post players, especially Tina Charles, get into foul trouble. He said the Huskies lack depth there.
``That's an area we've been trying to address every day in practice,'' he said.
The Irish played the Huskies closest during the streak, losing by 10 a year ago. The Irish used a press, forcing the Huskies to make extra passes and use some clock.
The Irish were without sixth-man Brittany Mallory and key defender Devereaux Peters last season because of knee injuries, and this season added freshman Skylar Diggins, who is leading the team at 13.5 points a game. The Irish believe with those three on the floor and everyone else back, they are ready to give the Huskies more of a challenge.
``The additions of those three players make us a very different team than we were last year,'' said McGraw, who is seeking her 600th career win.
Notre Dame has a history of ending notable winning streaks. The Irish stopped Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak in football in the 1950s, UCLA's 88-game winning streak in men's basketball in the 1970s and North Carolina's 92-game winning streak in women's soccer in the 1990s.
This task is just as tall, and Auriemma said the key for the Huskies is to keep seeking perfection.
``Some people just get tired of the chase,'' Auriemma said. ``Some don't even start the chase. Some start it, realize they can't catch it and they just stop. What I've been trying to teach my players all along is that's the fun part - knowing that you can't get to that and you're going as hard as you can to get there anyway.''
Opponents believe the Huskies are getting close.
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Associated Press Writer Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.
