# 2000–01 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team

The 2000–01 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut during the 2000–01 NCAA Division I basketball season. Coached by Geno Auriemma, the Huskies played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, and are a member of the Big East Conference.
The Huskies opened the season with a No. 1 ranking in both major polls, a position they held for over half the season before a road loss at No. 3 Notre Dame. UConn would regain the top spot after winning the Big East tournament. The team received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East region. The Huskies overwhelmed Long Island and Colorado State to reach the Sweet Sixteen. UConn won the East regional, played in Pittsburgh, with double-digit wins over No. 4 seed NC State and No. 3 seed Louisiana Tech. In the Final Four, the Huskies were beaten by No. 2-ranked and fellow Big East foe, Notre Dame, 90–75. The loss lit a fire within the program as the team would go on to become three-peat National champions from 2002 to 2004.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 12, 2000* | No. 1 | No. 3 Georgia | W 99–70 | 1–0 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Connecticut |
| Nov 21, 2000* | No. 1 | at Pepperdine | W 98–63 | 2–0 | Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, California |
| Dec 30, 2000* | No. 1 | No. 2 Tennessee | W 81–76 | 9–0 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Connecticut |
| Jan 2, 2001 | No. 1 | Georgetown | W 107–45 | 10–0 (1–0) | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Connecticut |
| Jan 13, 2001 | No. 1 | Providence | W 104–49 | 13–0 (3–0) | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Connecticut |
| Jan 15, 2001 | No. 1 | at No. 3 Notre Dame | L 76–92 | 13–1 (3–1) | Joyce Center (11,418) Notre Dame, Indiana |
| Jan 18, 2001* | No. 1 | Old Dominion | W 80–51 | 14–1 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Connecticut |
| Jan 20, 2001 | No. 1 | at Pittsburgh | W 83–43 | 15–1 (4–1) | Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 1, 2001* | No. 2 | at No. 3 Tennessee | L 88–92 | 17–2 | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Feb 27, 2001 | No. 3 | at Seton Hall | W 83–48 | 25–2 (15–1) | Walsh Gymnasium South Orange, New Jersey |
| Big East tournament ||||||
| Mar 4, 2001* | No. 2 | Boston College Quarterfinals | W 96–53 | 26–2 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,027) Storrs, Connecticut |
| Mar 5, 2001* | No. 2 | No. 8 Rutgers Semifinals | W 94–66 | 27–2 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,027) Storrs, Connecticut |
| Mar 6, 2001* | No. 2 | No. 1 Notre Dame Championship game | W 78–76 | 28–2 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,027) Storrs, Connecticut |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 17, 2001* | (1 E) No. 1 | (16 E) Long Island First round | W 101–29 | 29–2 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Connecticut |
| Mar 19, 2001* | (1 E) No. 1 | (9 E) Colorado State Second round | W 89–44 | 30–2 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Connecticut |
| Mar 24, 2001* | (1 E) No. 1 | vs. (4 E) No. 19 NC State Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | W 72–58 | 31–2 | Mellon Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Mar 26, 2001* | (1 E) No. 1 | vs. (3 E) No. 6 Louisiana Tech Regional Final – Elite Eight | W 67–48 | 32–2 | Mellon Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Mar 30, 2001* ESPN | (1 E) No. 1 | vs. (1 MW) No. 2 Notre Dame National Semifinal – Final Four | L 75–90 | 32–3 | Savvis Center (20,551) St. Louis, Missouri |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||

## 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 | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Not released |
| Coaches | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |