Feature on ESPN.com

Auriemma hopes Hawks, Rizzotti enjoy moment
By Mechelle Voepel
Special to ESPN.com

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Geno Auriemma grinned when asked the question. It was a smile of pride and happiness and maybe even just a little bit of wistfulness.

His former point guard Jen Rizzotti led her Hartford team to a 64-58 victory over Temple on Sunday, which was the program's first NCAA Tournament victory and just the second in America East history.

He was asked about his team and Rizzotti's team being a game away from facing each other in Bridgeport, Conn., in the Sweet 16.

"Oh, I don't even want to think about it," he said, chuckling, knowing what a madhouse that would be. "I watched some of the game today, and they showed her a couple of times on the sideline … it was pretty neat. I remember our first NCAA win and what it felt like to know you get to stay another night, you get to prepare for another night. Her kids get to go to another press conference, which is really cool when you're first there."

Late Sunday, UConn beat a good Coppin State team (which should be proud of its season) in the Huskies' first-round game here at the Bryce Jordan Center. It gave UConn its 30th victory this season, which is -- ho-hum -- just the 11th time in the past 13 years that the Huskies have won 30 or more.

Auriemma joked about how it is being UConn. The question he expects to hear isn't, "How mind-boggling is it to hit 30 that many times?" but rather, "Why didn't you get 30 the other two years?"

Still, he loves this. Auriemma might complain at times about the demands of UConn's fans and the unreasonable expectations, but nobody actually expects more from this program than he does.

So I wondered … could he really remember what it was like to just be flat-out overjoyed, jumping-up-and-down happy to win an NCAA Tournament game, the way the players and staff at Hartford felt Sunday?

"Yeah, I do," he said. "When I think back to when we beat Toledo -- we had lost two years in a row in the first or second round, they had byes back then. So you almost get the sense, 'If we don't win this one … how long are you going to go without winning?' "

It is funny now to think about that, isn't it -- that UConn folks once were worried about whether they would ever win an NCAA Tournament game. The losses he referred to were in 1989, when as a No. 8 seed UConn fell to No. 9 LaSalle, and in 1990, when the Huskies were a No. 4 seed (with a first-round bye) and lost in the second round to No. 5 Clemson.

Of course, the third try was the charm -- in 1991, the No. 3 seed Huskies made it all the way to their first Final Four, where they fell in the semifinals to Virginia. All told now, through Sunday, UConn is 56-12 in NCAA Tournament action, with five national championships.

For Hartford, Sunday was also its third attempt at winning an NCAA Tournament game. Unless we see a run of miracles, the Hawks aren't going to the Final Four. But getting that one victory meant a lot to the program.

"I know they've got a tough one coming up Tuesday night," Auriemma said of Hartford's game against No. 3 seed Georgia. "But Jen's used to being the underdog. I wouldn't be surprised …"

Then, he just had to smile again.

"Could you see that, though, if it was us and them in the regionals?" he said. "I really don't want to think about it. I just want to think about Virginia Tech."

That's who the Huskies have next, as they take the next step in trying to pursue yet another national championship. But Auriemma can still go back in time to March 16, 1991, and a nail-biter -- UConn won 81-80 over a Toledo team led then by current Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly -- that was his first taste of NCAA Tournament success.

"I remember the emotions of that night and how incredible everyone felt," Auriemma said. "And I would hope that players and coaches and fans would never lose that … but it's only natural now that it's, 'OK, when you get to the Final Four, we'll get excited.' "