Preview: No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 2 UConn

Baylor (10-0, 0-0 Big 12) Last Game: W, 73-59 vs. St. John’s (Maggie Dixon Classic) Head Coach: Kim Mulkey UConn (9-0, 1-0 Big East) Last Game: W, 70-37 at Seton Hall Head coach: Geno Auriemma Series: UConn leads 2-0 April 4, 2010 – UConn 70, Baylor 50 San Antonio, Texas. NCAA Final Four This game marked the first time UConn and Baylor played against each other. November 16, 2010 – UConn 65, Baylor 64 Hartford, Connecticut

No. 1 Baylor hosts No. 2 UConn tomorrow marking the first time the Huskies have played in Waco. UConn holds the edge in the short series between the two teams.

The first time they met (April 4, 2010), UConn defeated Baylor in the 2010 National Semifinal en route to their seventh National Championship. The second meeting took place at the beginning of the 2010-11 season on November 16, 2010. UConn won that game by a margin of one, 65-64.

“Baylor is a much more experienced and confident team then they have been the past two times we have met,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma about the Lady Bears. “They even may be better well-rounded and not only succeed or fail on what Brittney Griner does.”

Both teams are undefeated and UConn has won every game this season by a double-digit margin. In nine of Baylor’s ten games, they defeated opponents by double digits. Baylor is looking for its first 11-0 start since 2001-02 and just the third such opening in program history.

Sunday’s contest marks the second time this season the nation’s top two teams meet. Top-ranked Baylor defeated then-second ranked Notre Dame, 94-81, in Waco on November 20, in the Preseason WNIT title game.

Advance Sell Out

Sunday’s game game is sold out, the first-ever advance sell out in Baylor basketball history, women or men.

“Sunday should be a challenging atmosphere and that’s why we play these games,” said Auriemma about playing to a large crowd at the Ferrell Center. “Baylor has an environment that is very difficult to win in and then you add in everything that Sunday night brings.”

Leaders

Statistically, UConn is led by heralded freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. She comes off the bench to average 15.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Senior Tiffany Hayes is contributing 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore Bria Hartley also has a double-digit scoring average with 13.8 points plus 4.1 assists per game.

Sold out game gives Baylor a chance to match last year’s record-breaking crowd when RG3 fired them up UConn vs Baylor: Game by game this season The Pink Room, Season 1, Episode 3: Baylor/UConn Stat Sheet Preview, Elena Delle Donne, Teams #1-5. UConn and Baylor Stat Sheet Archive of Baylor Stories on Hoopfeed

Junior center Brittney Griner leads Baylor with 22.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 10.7 blocks per game. Sophomore point guard Odyssey Sims averages 17.7 points and 7.2 assists per game while Brooklyn Pope averages 11 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

So far this season Griner has registered 49 blocks. She needs five more to break former Oklahoma player Courtney Paris’ Big 12 career-record of 446. St. Mary’s (California) Louella Tomlinson holds the all-time career mark with 663.

Auriemma, who is also the head coach of the US National Team, coached Griner this past summer during USA Basketball’s European Tour. Griner was the only college player on the tour.

Care Bear Drive

Baylor is encouraging fans to bring stuffed bears to Sunday’s game as part of sixth annual Lady Bear Care Bear Drive. All bears collected on Sunday will be delivered by the players to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center. Last year more than 200 stuffed Bears were delivered as part of the program.

TV, Radio and Live Stats

• TV: ESPN/ESPN3.com, Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Doris Burke (color)  and Rebecca Lobo (sideline) on the call.
• Radio: ESPN Central Texas – 1660 AM, 101.3 FM Rick May (play-by-play), Lori Fogleman (analyst)
  UConn Radio Network with Bob Joyce (play-by-play) and Kara Wolters (analyst)
• Live Stats: Gametracker

Probable Starters

Connecticut

Season to Date Stats – Through games of 12/09/2011
Jersey	Player	FG%	3FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
3	Tiffany Hayes	50.00	34.62	80.56	14.44	6.22
5	Caroline Doty	42.59	45.45	71.43	7.33	2.22
34	Kelly Faris	39.22	27.78	80.00	6.78	3.78
31	Stefanie Dolson	60.34	0.00	78.26	9.78	6.00
14	Bria Hartley	52.13	37.14	81.25	13.78	3.22

Baylor

Season to Date Stats – Through games of 12/11/2011
Jersey	Player	FG%	3FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
0	Odyssey Sims	44.07	36.96	83.58	17.70	35
32	Brooklyn Pope	49.47		41.03	11.00	70
42	Brittney Griner	64.63		73.08	22.80	107
3	Jordan Madden	36.54	19.05	81.82	5.10	33
1	Kimetria Hayden	40.32	33.33	75.86	8.89	43

Around the Web

• Geno: It’s A Good Time To Face Unbeaten Baylor (courant.com)
• This Time, Big Dog Is An Underdog (courant.com)
• Renee Montgomery Has An Idea Of How UConn Must Defend Baylor’s Brittney Griner (courant.com)
• UConn women: Geno Auriemma, Brittney Griner meet again (registercitizen.com)
• No. 1 Baylor’s 6-foot-8 Griner presents challenge (AP)
• Kim Mulkey stokes the fire at Baylor (espnw.com)
• UConn-Baylor a budding rivalry (espnw.com)
• UConn-Baylor? Jeff Van Gundy is ready (espnw.com)