Stanford junior All-American Nneka Ogwumike did not bite when she was asked about The Streak today. Remember what happened to Ohio State after Jantel Lavender said she wanted to stand in the way of a potential 88-game winning streak and did not want to be part of a trivia question? UConn 81, Ohio State 50.
Ogwumike said the Cardinal do think about The Streak a bit, but only from the standpoint of what it has meant to women’s basketball.
Ogwumike is the best player on a team that is talented enough to win the national championship. With five players 6-foot-2 or taller in their primary rotation, UConn coach Geno Auriemma called the ninth-ranked Cardinal the biggest team in the country. They are certainly the biggest team the Huskies – and freshmen post players Stefanie Dolson and Samarie Walker – will face this season.
Ogwumike, who is averaging 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds with two double-doubles in three career games against UConn, said this Stanford team is the most talented she has been a part of in her career. It is one that is playing with confidence and one she said that is looking to make a point against UConn.
In the sense that it’s a great accomplishment for women’s basketball, yeah,’’ Ogwumike said. “But I wouldn’t say that we are saying `we wish that was us’ or `we need to stop it.’ We’re just focusing more on ourselves. Obviously, that’s something great. Especially for women’s basketball, to be able to achieve something like that given the lack of I guess attention that women’s sports get. I guess we just kind of saw that … That was a great accomplishment.
“Obviously, a lot of people want to beat UConn because they’re a great team. But I wouldn’t say that our focus is, `Oh, let’s stop the streak.’ I guess we’re more so focused on playing our best and getting better as a team.
This will be the first meeting between the teams since UConn’s 53-47 win in the NCAA tournament final last April in San Antonio. Stanford led 20-12 at halftime before Maya Moore powered a 17-2 run to start the second half.
Ogwumike said the Cardinal do think about The Streak a bit, but only from the standpoint of what it has meant to women’s basketball.
Ogwumike is the best player on a team that is talented enough to win the national championship. With five players 6-foot-2 or taller in their primary rotation, UConn coach Geno Auriemma called the ninth-ranked Cardinal the biggest team in the country. They are certainly the biggest team the Huskies – and freshmen post players Stefanie Dolson and Samarie Walker – will face this season.
Ogwumike, who is averaging 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds with two double-doubles in three career games against UConn, said this Stanford team is the most talented she has been a part of in her career. It is one that is playing with confidence and one she said that is looking to make a point against UConn.
In the sense that it’s a great accomplishment for women’s basketball, yeah,’’ Ogwumike said. “But I wouldn’t say that we are saying `we wish that was us’ or `we need to stop it.’ We’re just focusing more on ourselves. Obviously, that’s something great. Especially for women’s basketball, to be able to achieve something like that given the lack of I guess attention that women’s sports get. I guess we just kind of saw that … That was a great accomplishment.
“Obviously, a lot of people want to beat UConn because they’re a great team. But I wouldn’t say that our focus is, `Oh, let’s stop the streak.’ I guess we’re more so focused on playing our best and getting better as a team.
This will be the first meeting between the teams since UConn’s 53-47 win in the NCAA tournament final last April in San Antonio. Stanford led 20-12 at halftime before Maya Moore powered a 17-2 run to start the second half.
