The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

History on the line against Huskies

Photo by Stephanie Waterman

The Marquette women’s basketball team currently sits with an impressive record of 7-1. However its conference record, the one that counts the most, is still 0-0. That record will change Thursday night when the real season begins.

This 7-1 record in non-conference games is nice, but all of Marquette’s postseason hopes rest on how it fares in the nation’s top conference. When the Golden Eagles boarded a plane to Connecticut Wednesday afternoon, they were in fact embarking on a journey into the den of the beast of the Big East.

Connecticut has become synonymous with women’s basketball over the past few years due to the fact that it hasn’t lost a game since April 6, 2008. Its current win streak of 86 is one of the greatest in history for both men’s and women’s basketball, but coach Geno Auriemma knows that all things must come to an end and this year’s team must make its own name.

“When (the loss) happens, that’s when you can say, ‘This is what it meant. This is what it was, and now you guys can start your own streak,’” Auriemma said at the Big East’s media day. “Because they’ve got nothing to do with this streak.”

The Husky team Marquette will face to open conference play is not the same team that won 78 games in a row. This season’s team is 8-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big East, only one game better than the Golden Eagles. The Huskies are, however, still the No.1 team in the country until someone proves otherwise. That is that task of teams like Marquette.

At the helm of this season’s Connecticut juggernaut is senior forward Maya Moore. She averages 23.4 points per game and became the top scorer in program history Sunday against Sacred Heart. The heir apparent to Connecticut’s offense after this season, junior guard Tiffany Hayes, scored 18 points in that same game, padding her season average of 16 points per game.

The Golden Eagles, on the other hand, are coming off a record performance of their own. Against Vermont the defense allowed six points in a half and 19 overall, the lowest in Marquette’s Division I history.

Heading into the matchup, Marquette has prepared by taking Connecticut for what it is — another team.

“We’re not putting them on a pedestal as the best team,” freshman forward Katherine Plouffe said. “We want to focus on just playing a good game and taking each of their best players into account, just like we do with each of our opponents.”

Coach Terri Mitchell wants her players to think of this as just another game.

“We are 7-1. It is all about growing, keeping that passion and never taking for granted that opportunity we have each time we step on the court.” Mitchell said in her podcast.

For Marquette, ending the Huskies’ streak Wednesday night would be unexpected. Questions have swirled since the offseason about how it would match up with the rest of the Big East due to its small size.

In its first conference game it will face the conference’s best team, both a blessing and a curse. Marquette has never lost a conference season opener since joining the Big East, but its never opened with a team like Connecticut.

Win or lose, a lot will be revealed about this season’s squad when the final buzzer sounds against the nation’s number one.

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