Baseball players have reported to spring training, the Connecticut snow is beginning to melt, and Dick Vitale is loaded on caffeine. Yes, March is in the air.

Everything seems so familiar. In Connecticut you spend months braving a winter full of precipitation and gusty winds as you wait for the light at the end of the tunnel. That light is March.

But something just doesn’t feel right. Is it the fact that the Boston Red Sox are the reigning world champions for the first time in 86 years? Is it the snowstorms that won’t go away?

It is neither. Keeping you a the edge of your seat is the two year drought that the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team has in the Big East Conference Tournament. It’s as if head coach Geno Auriemma made a deal with the devil to sell his Big East Championship dominance for a few more national championships.

Not a bad deal, right? While we don’t think the transaction ever took place, it is eerie that during the recent run of three national championships, the Huskies have only won 1 Big East championship. That’s following a run of nine consecutive titles.

To set the stage for the 2005 Big East Championship, the Huskies will not enter as the No. 1 seed for the first time since 1993. Here is a glance at the top teams in the Big East Conference (teams with winning records).

#1 Rutgers 23-5 Overall (14-2 Big East)

The outright regular season champions for the first time in school history, the Scarlet Knights are on a mission. Big East Coach of the Year C. Vivian Stringer said after a home victory against the Huskies this season that her main goal was to win the conference regular season title. Check. Now she has her sights set on a bigger prize. Ranked ninth in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls, the Knights have impressive victories over NCAA heavyweights. Not only have they defeated the Huskies, but they have also overcome Tennessee and Texas in a challenging non-conference schedule. The most impressive feat of all came back on January 5th when they handed top-ranked LSU their only loss of the season in a two-point nailbiter. Unbeaten at home this season, Rutgers has all the tools to take the title. Big East Freshman of the Year Matee Ajavon came off the bench for half of the games this season and still led the team in scoring. Behind her talent and the leadership of seniors Cappie Pondexter and Big East Defensive Player of the Year Chelsea Newton, expect to see the top seed in the championship game.

#2 Notre Dame 25-4 (13-3)

The 10th-ranked Fighting Irish’s only losses came to Rutgers, Connecticut, Villanova, and Michigan St, all of which (except for Villanova) are ranked in the top-15. From the top down this is a solid program, starting with head coach Muffet McGraw. With a conference winning percentage (.816) to rival any coach during her career, McGraw was the last team outside of Storrs to win a women’s national championship while beating the Huskies on the way in the 2001 Final Four. Then they have the Big East Player of the Year in senior forward Jacqueline Batteast, who led the way scoring 17.4 points per game. She also leads her team in rebounds and is second in blocks, assists, and minutes played. However Notre Dame is not a one-person wrecking crew. Junior guard Megan Duffy is also an all-conference first-team member. Averaging over 11 points and five assists per game, this inside-outside duo will give any coach a migraine during championship week. Also keep an eye out for senior center Teresa Borton who won player of the week honors for the final week of the season.

#3 Connecticut 20-7 (13-3)

With the most losses and lowest seeding in over a decade, the Huskies are facing an unfamiliar challenge. The road to the championship game would be difficult with potential meetings with the top two seeds on the menu. The Huskies have a conference first-teamer in junior guard Ann Strother, and freshman forward Charde Houston made the third team along with the all-freshman team. Ranked 14th in both polls, it has been an up and down season for the Huskies. UConn has wins and losses against Rutgers, Notre Dame, and Boston College. Fortunately for the Huskies the tournament is in Hartford, as no team in the Big East has defeated them in the Civic Center this season (the only conference loss at home was Notre Dame-in Gampel Pavilion). A perfect conference record in the Civic Center is possibly the best thing going as the Huskies could make a run and use this conference tournament to position themselves for the big dance.

#4 Boston College 19-8 (10-6)

The Eagles have been an interesting team to watch this season. Hovering around the No. 23 mark for the past few weeks, the 22rd ranked team in the nation doesn’t appear to belong in the upper echelon of teams in this conference but they should not be overlooked. They have been ranked as high as 13 and were cruising along until February 2nd when All-Big East first-teamer Jessalyn Deveny ruptured the Achilles tendon in her right foot that ended her season. They were 15-3 (6-1) at that point when the face of the season changed. They went on to lose five out of seven conference games in February by seven points or more until they broke their skid by beating the Huskies during an emotional senior night. Riding that momentum, Deveny’s leadership on the bench should spark the defending Big East Champions who defeated UConn in the semifinals last year. Senior guard/forward Clare Droesch has picked up some of the slack garnering Big East third-team honors. This team has held all but two opponents under 50 percent shooting this season and their first win over a ranked team (UConn) couldn’t have come at a better time this season. The Eagles are the champions until somebody beats them.

#5 Villanova 17-10 (10-6)

The Wildcats, who beat UConn the last time the Huskies played in the conference championship game, are a well-coached group with talent. That aside, this team hasn’t beaten anybody. The only standout win came in January at home when they toppled Notre Dame by five. Villanova has lost two in a row to end the regular season. A formidable foe with a respectable lineup and a solid winning record, this team could surprise a better team with a victory, but a conference championship is unlikely.

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