Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma signals to his team during the first half of Connecticut’s 91-48 victory over Memphis in an NCAA college basketball game in Storrs, Conn., Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)
Time and Place: 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27 at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida
Where to Watch: ESPN 2, channel 42-2 on Storrs TV listings
Last Meeting: UConn beat USF 102-37 on Jan. 10 in Hartford for the Huskies’ 90th-straight win. The Huskies are 21-0 all-time against the Bulls.
UConn’s Last Time Out: 91-48 win over Memphis at Gampel Pavilion on Feb. 25
Tulane’s Last Time Out: 90-64 road win at Tulsa on Feb. 25
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Projected Starting Lineups:
UConn (28-0, 15-0 the American) vs. USF (22-6, 11-4 the American)
G: Saniya Chong vs. Laia Flores
Chong wrapped up her final regular season game at Gampel Pavilion with a 14-point, 7-assist performance against Memphis and still leads the nation with a 3.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Flores is averaging just over eight points and six assists per game and dished out seven assists in the win at Tulsa.
G: Crystal Dangerfield vs. Ariadna Pujol
After coming off the bench last game so senior Tierney Lawlor could make her first-career start on senior day, Dangerfield will slide back into the starting lineup while Kia Nurse still recovers from an ankle injury. Pujol was 0-6 from the field against Tulsa, but knocked down three free throws and averages 12.8 points per game on the season.
W: Katie Lou Samuelson vs. Kitija Laksa
Samuelson broke out of a shooting slump with a 29-point performance and five made 3-pointers in the win over Memphis. Laksa was even better against Tulsa, scoring 34 points on 13-14 shooting, including a perfect 6-6 on 3-pointers.
F: Gabby Williams vs. Maria Jespersen
Since her 26-point performance against No. 6 South Carolina, Williams has topped double-figures in scoring just once, and recently scored eight points with 10 rebounds and five assists against Memphis. Jespersen is averaging 15.6 points and nine rebounds per game this season while shooting 42.7 percent from the field.
F: Napheesa Collier vs. Tamara Henshaw
Collier has missed just five shots in her last two games, scoring a total of 50 points and hauling in 19 rebounds. Henshaw has had an impressive freshman season at USF, winning the conference freshman of the week award three times this year and is coming off a career high 15-point performance against Tulsa.
Talking Points
Nurse-ing an injury: Nurse has missed the past three games due to a stress reaction in her right ankle. She will be out once again against the Bulls, but is resuming basketball activities Wednesday and could be available in the American Athletic Conference Tournament next weekend.
Pursuit of Perfection: A win on the road against would give the Huskies the ninth perfect regular season in program history. Out of the eight perfect regular seasons, six have ended with a national championship. A victory over the Bulls would also give senior Saniya Chong a perfect regular season record in the American Athletic Conference. Overall, the Huskies are 69-0 in regular season and tournament games in the American.
Gone Streaking: With the win over Memphis, the Huskies now have 103-straight wins. UConn also owns the longest road winning streak in the history of women’s college basketball at 37 games and counting. After Gonzaga men’s basketball lost to BYU Saturday night, the Huskies are the only undefeated team in Division I basketball.
Dan Madigan is the sports editor for The Daily Campus, covering women’s basketball. He can be reached via email at daniel.madigan@uconn.edu. He tweets @dmad1433.