For nearly a decade after the legendary rivalry series began in 1995, UConn and Tennessee were perennially among the best women’s basketball teams in the country.
Both programs were ranked top 10 for each of the first 19 games in the historic rivalry, and they were both in the top 5 for 15 of those matchups. The teams met seven times in the NCAA Tournament from 1995-2004, including four times with a national championship on the line.
The rivalry doesn’t carry the same stakes it once did as the No. 15 Lady Vols come to Hartford on Sunday to face the undefeated No. 1 Huskies, but the history behind the series still matters to the faithful fans who remember when the matchup defined the sport.
“Every great scenario in sports generally involves two teams that manage to create these big moments,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Somebody’s got to have somebody that they respect a lot, and that they’re fighting with all the time, and that’s kind of how it was … It seemed like whoever won that game early in the season … was going to win a national championship. It’s not that anymore. Things have changed. A lot has happened since then, but they’re still a really good team.”
Here are our top 10 moments from the iconic rivalry:
10. Feb. 1, 2001: Tennessee 92, UConn 88
The teams met twice during the regular season in 2000-01, and UConn took the first meeting int in Hartford 81-76. But a month later, just weeks after Tennessee legend Tamika Catchings suffered a season-ending knee injury, the Lady Vols upset the No. 2 Huskies in Knoxville behind 28 points and 14 rebounds from sophomore Gwen Jackson.
9. Jan. 16, 1995: UConn 77, Tennessee 66
The meeting that started it all came in the middle of UConn’s undefeated 1994-95 season. Tennessee was the standard in women’s basketball with three national championships, but the Huskies pulled off the upset of the No. 1 Lady Vols in a nationally-televised game at Gampel Pavilion.
8. Jan. 8, 2005: Tennessee 68, UConn 67
The 2005 regular-season meeting was the lowest-ranked in series history with the Lady Vols No. 10 and UConn No. 15, but the game itself was electric. Tennessee took a two-point lead in the final seconds, and the Huskies missed a pair of free throws to hand the Lady Vols their first win in the rivalry since 2001.
Michael McAndrews / HC
NEW ORLEANS, LA; 4/6/04: Diana Taurasi drives around LaToya in the 2nd half. La Toya fouled out of the game. Taurasi finished with 17 points. UConn plays Tennessee fir the NCAA National Championship at New Orleans Arena. (DIGITAL) Michael McAndrews / The Hartford Courant
UConn women’s team
7. April 6, 2004: UConn 70, Tennessee 61
The last time the Huskies and Lady Vols met in a national championship game resulted in UConn’s first three-peat, ending Taurasi’s college career on a victory. The senior superstar was crowned Final Four Most Outstanding Player for the second year in a row after dropping 28 points in the title game.
6. Jan. 21, 2021: UConn 67, Tennessee 61
After Summitt ended the series with UConn in 2008, the programs went 11 years without meeting until it was renewed in 2020. The closest game of the new era was UConn’s six-point win in 2021, highlighted by a clutch fourth quarter 3-pointer from freshman Paige Bueckers after she started 0-for-5 to seal the victory.
5. March 29, 2002: UConn 79, Tennessee 56
UConn earned what remains its biggest win in series history in the 2002 Final Four en rout to its second undefeated NCAA championship. All four members of the Huskies’ iconic senior class— Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams — scored in double digits, as did then-sophomore Taurasi.
Saul Young / AP
Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers yells out in celebration after hitting a 3-pointer against Tennessee in the final moments of an NCAA women’s college basketball game in Knoxville, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. Connecticut won 67-61. (Saul Young/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP, Pool)
4. Feb. 2, 2000: Tennessee 72, UConn 71
After trailing UConn by six at halftime, Tennessee mounted a comeback at Gampel Pavilion that was completed by a game winner from Semeka Randall with four seconds on the clock. It was the Huskies’ only loss of the season, and they went on to beat the Lady Vols in the 2000 national championship.
3. Jan. 4, 2003: UConn 63, Tennessee 62
With seven seconds left in regulation of the 2003 regular-season matchup, UConn legend Diana Taurasi sank a clutch 3-pointer to send the contest into overtime. Taurasi finished with 25 points, leading the Huskies to their 51st consecutive win and third straight over the Lady Vols.
2. March 29, 1996: Tennessee 88, UConn 83
The Lady Vols got revenge after losing in the NCAA title game the previous year, eliminating the Huskies in the 1996 Final Four with a thrilling overtime victory. Tennessee went on to win its first of three consecutive national championships under coach Pat Summitt.
1. April 2, 1995: UConn 77, Tennessee 66
UConn’s first national championship set the tone for what the rivalry would become, also completing the program’s first undefeated season and just the second ever in NCAA women’s basketball. Rebecca Lobo led the Huskies with 17 points and eight rebounds to earn Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.