# 1995–96 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team

The 1995–96 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 1995–96 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 11th season at UConn, played their home games at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and were members of the Big East Conference.
UConn finished their regular season with a record of 27–3, including 17–1 in the Big East to win the conference regular season championship. They also won the Big East tournament. Then, in the NCAA Tournament, they defeated Howard, Michigan State, San Francisco, and Vanderbilt to make a return trip to the Final Four. In the National semifinals, UConn was beaten by Tennessee as the Lady Vols avenged their loss in the National championship from the prior season.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 19, 1995* | No. 1 | vs. No. 4 Louisiana Tech Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic | L 81–83 $^{OT}$ | 0–1 | Thompson–Boling Arena Knoxville, TN |
| Nov 24, 1995* | No. 3 | vs. Northern Arizona Wahine Classic | W 87–63 | 1–1 | Special Events Arena Honolulu, HI |
| Nov 25, 1995* | No. 3 | vs. Oregon State Wahine Classic | W 88–70 | 2–1 | Special Events Arena Honolulu, HI |
| Nov 26, 1995* | No. 3 | at Hawaii Wahine Classic | W 65–48 | 3–1 | Special Events Arena Honolulu, HI |
| Dec 2, 1995 | No. 2 | vs. North Carolina Central Fidelity Invitational Tournament | W 77-62 | 4-1 | Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA |
| Dec 3, 1995 | No. 2 | vs. No. 23 Alabama Central Fidelity Invitational Tournament | W 81-67 | 5-1 | Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA |
| Dec 7, 1995 | No. 3 | West Virginia | W 79-47 | 6-1 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| Dec 9, 1995 | No. 3 | Loyola (MD) Connecticut Classic | W 74-22 | 7-1 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| Dec 10, 1995 | No. 3 | Duquesne Connecticut Classic | W 88-60 | 8-1 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| Dec 22, 1995 | No. 2 | Rhode Island | W 84-65 | 9-1 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| Dec 29, 1995 | No. 2 | Northeastern | W 96-34 | 10-1 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| Jan 2, 1996 | No. 2 | at Syracuse | L 59-62 | 10-2 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 4, 1996 | No. 2 | Georgetown | W 96-64 | 11-2 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| Jan 6, 1996* | No. 2 | at No. 4 Tennessee Rivalry | W 59–53 | 12–2 | Thompson–Boling Arena Knoxville, TN |
| Big East tournament ||||||
| March 3, 1996* | (1) No. 2 | (8) Rutgers Quarterfinals | W 93–64 | 28–3 | Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| March 4, 1996* | (1) No. 2 | (13) Pittsburgh Semifinals | W 83–51 | 29–3 | Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| March 5, 1996* | (1) No. 2 | (2) No. 22 Notre Dame Championship game | W 75–54 | 30–3 | Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 16, 1996* | (1 ME) No. 2 | (16 ME) Howard First round | W 94–63 | 31–3 | Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| March 18, 1996* | (1 ME) No. 2 | (9 ME) Michigan State Second round | W 88–68 | 32–3 | Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| March 25, 1996* | (1 ME) No. 2 | vs. (12 ME) San Francisco Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | W 72–44 | 33–3 | Rosemont Horizon Rosemont, IL |
| March 25, 1996* | (1 ME) No. 2 | vs. (3 ME) No. 12 Vanderbilt Regional Final – Elite Eight | W 67–57 | 34–3 | Rosemont Horizon Rosemont, IL |
| March 29, 1996* | (1 ME) No. 2 | vs. (1 E) No. 4 Tennessee National Semifinal – Final Four/Rivalry | L 83–88 | 34–4 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in EST. ||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final |
| AP | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Not released |
| Coaches | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |