SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Tuesday, March 28,1995 3B Women's Final Four loaded with tradition No.1 UConn goes for perfect 35-0 against already experienced field By CHUCK SCHOFFNER The Associated Press National champion and undefeated, too. It has happened only once in the previous 13 years of NCAA women's basketball. And in this 14th season, Connecticut has a chance to make it happen again. The No. 1-ranked Huskies go into the Final Four at Minneapolis Saturday unbeaten and looking for a perfect finish to what has been an unbelievable season. Connecticut is 33-0 and was never even remotely in danger of losing until coming from behind to beat Virginia in the East Regional final last Saturday. So yes, it could end up as a special season, said Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, whose team plays Stanford (30-2) at the Target Center on Saturday. But let's not talk about that just yet, he said. "I don't think the other three teams out there care that we're 4-30, Aurienna said. "The way I figure, we're 4-0 now, trying to get to 6-0. If we do that, when it's all said and done; maybe then we'll talk about it as a special team." Tennessee (33-2) plays Southeastern Conference rival Georgia (28-4) in the other semifinal in a field that's filled with Final Four tradition. That's a departure from the last two years. In 1994, three of the Final Four teams were in the first time. In 1993, all four were first-timers. Not so this year. Tennessee has won three national championships and is making its eighth Final Four trip. Stanford, a two-time champion, is in for the fourth time. Georgia will appear for the third time, although it will be the first trip for coach Andy Landers since 1985. Connecticut made it in 1991. Even with its rich Final Four history, Tennessee still has something to celebrate about going again. The Lady Vols hasn't been to one since winning the 1991 title — their longest drought ever. Had Tennessee not made it, the seniors would have been the school's first class to go through their careers without playing in a Final Four. "We've been through so much together and they're very special," Tennessee coach Pat Summit said. "I saw how much they hurt last year when we lost. I know Dana Johnson gave me a big hug after we lost to Louisiana Tech and said, I'll never let you down again. This won't happen." Tennessee played such an ambitious schedule this season that all three of the other Final Four participants were on it. The Lady Vols beat Georgia 83-61 in late February and defeated Stanford 105-69 early in the season. They lost to Connecticut 77-66 on Jan. 16 and were replaced by the Huskies as the No. 1-ranked team the next day. Georgia, the No.3 seed in the Midwest, is the surprise entry. The Lady Bulldogs started four freshmen last season, had two other freshmen as top reserves and finished 17-11. But those six are now confident sophomores, and with the addition of junior college transfer Saudia Roundtree at point guard, Georgia has become a formidable group. "I think that's typical of Georgia basketball." Landers said. "We're hard to beat. We're not going to lay down; we're not going to panic; we're going to play it to the bitter end. And we've done that through the years." Sports facts Colorado will have to rebuild College basketball Women's coach questions future after loss to Georgia BOULDER — Following her team's 82-79 loss to Georgia Saturday, Colorado coach Ceal Barry saw the Buffaloes' best chance in a while to reach the NCAA Final Four disappear. The Associated Press Now, Colorado, which entered the Midwest Regional as the No. 2 team in the nation, is in the position of having to rebuild.