Georgia vs. Connecticut
Time/place: Today, 9 p.m., Bridegport, Conn., Arena at Harbor Yard (9,000)
Broadcast: ESPN2
Records: Third-seeded Georgia is 23-8, second-seeded Connecticut is 31-4
About Connecticut: The Huskies are led by senior guard Ann Strother, who averages 14 points per game, and senior forward Barbara Turner, who averages 7.3 rebounds per game.
Connecticut’s four losses this year have come to North Carolina (by 23), Tennessee (by nine) and Rutgers (by four and by six). … The Huskies finished the season first in the Big East in field goal percentage (47.7) and field goal percentage defense (35) and second in scoring (73) and scoring defense (54.9).
About Georgia: Tasha Humphrey has stepped up big for the Lady Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament. She has averaged 20.2 points and 11 rebounds in four career NCAA games. … If Alexis Kendrick starts tonight as expected, she will break Kelly Miller’s school record for career starts with No. 132. … The Lady Bulldogs are 10 overall victories behind Connecticut (624) for third place on the all-time wins list. Georgia is one spot ahead of the Huskies on the all-time winning percentage list with a career mark of 76.84 percent, which is fourth. The Huskies have won 76.75 of all their games.
Scouting report: This will be the fourth overall meeting between these two traditional powers. Connecticut leads the series 2-1 thanks to victories in 2000 and 1997. The Bulldogs’ victory came in 1996. This is the first time the teams will meet when both are not ranked in the nation’s top five. The matchup against the Huskies is not a bad one for Georgia. Connecticut has only one regular starter taller than 6-feet, so they won’t be able to do what Tennessee does to the Lady Bulldogs, which is surround Humphrey with taller players and make her shoot over them. The Huskies also have struggled some against athletic guards this year, which will play right into the hands of lightning-fast Sherrill Baker. The tough matchups for the Lady Bulldogs will be Strother and Turner, who are the kind of dynamic wing players Georgia has had a hard time with this season. Connecticut will shoot a ton of 3-pointers (Strother had six in the last game alone), and Georgia will have to defend the perimeter well.
Up next: Winner plays winner of Duke/Michigan State game, Tuesday, Bridgeport, Conn.