UConn D just might be its best ever

It's happened in just about every city the UConn women's basketball team has played. The game ends. The opponent shoots 21.4 percent, the way Louisville did on Saturday, and the questions fly about the Huskies' defense.

"If you do get by them, your reward for that is to try to score over Tina Charles," Louisville coach Jeff Walz said, speaking of UConn's 6-foot-4 All-America center. "You're like, 'Wow, great, I finally got past somebody and now she's standing there in front of me.' They've got a very good presence."

Top-ranked UConn, with a 62-game winning streak, is usually pretty outstanding on defense. Consider then, heading into tonight's game in Chicago against DePaul (8 p.m., CPTV), this might be the Huskies' best defense of all time.

UConn (23-0, 10-0 in the Big East) is allowing a mere 44.3 points per game. The team record is the 51.4 in 2004-05.

The Huskies lead the nation in opponent field goal percentage (.300), which would also break the program record of .315 set in 1994-95.

The worst field goal percentage by a UConn opponent this season was by Seton Hall (.173). The best was by Stanford on Dec. 23 (.464), the only team to shoot 40 percent or more.

No. 7 North Carolina (.224), No. 3 Notre Dame (.269) and No. 7 Duke (.339) all swung and missed.

"The cynic in me would say, 'a lousy offense by the other team we're playing,'" UConn coach Geno Auriemma said with a laugh, asked what makes the defense so tough following an 81-48 victory over Duke on Jan. 18.

Auriemma turned serious before calling this the best team defense he's coached, perhaps illustrating what Walz would later allude to in saying that making it past one line of the UConn defense isn't enough.

"I don't think we have great individual defenders, I just think we're a little bit more committed to it, a little smarter about it," Auriemma said. "There is a relentlessness about it. The mind-set I've tried to instill in them is when somebody scores on you they don't score on you, they score on us.

"If they earn it, great, but to give them a field goal is unacceptable. To foul them is unacceptable."

Against Louisville, UConn had a season-high 12 blocked shots, five by Maya Moore and four by Charles. Charles has a team-high 40 blocks this season; Moore, 25.

UConn appears to feed off its defense, which generates an electricity among the players with steals generally turning into layups.

"We hate when people score," UConn senior Kalana Greene said. "… We are very confident in our defense. People talk about us being a good offensive team, but I think our defense is even better and worth talking about more than our offense."

"I think the defense speaks for itself," said Louisville's Keshia Hines, who shot 3-for-12 against the Huskies.

Auriemma tells a story from earlier in the season when he was speaking to the team about defense and wrote the "50" on the board, indicating the number of points to set as a goal for limiting opponents.

"Somebody crossed it off and wrote '40,'" said Auriemma, adding he remembers thinking, 'Yeah, right.' "I don't know where this is coming from but I like it."

DePaul (16-8, 5-5) is 10-1 at home this season. The Blue Demons are led by senior guard Sam Quigley, who is averaging 14.2 points and 5.0 assists.

• UConn recruits Bria Hartley (5-10 guard, North Babylon, N.Y.) and Samarie Walker (6-0 wing, West Carrollton, Ohio) were selected as participants in the 19th annual Women's Basketball Coaches' Association High School All-America Game to be played in conjunction with this year's NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. The game will take place on April 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the Alamodome, the first time the event will be played on the same court as the Final Four.