What to watch for in women's college hoops

It's the start of a new basketball season.

But so far, this season has looked a lot like the previous two.

Connecticut is still perfect.

Sure, the top-ranked Huskies are only 2-0 so far. But those wins, including one over No. 2 Baylor this week, are now a part of the 78 previous straight wins that cover the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.

At 80 wins in a row, Connecticut is unbelievably close to the stunning NCAA record of 88 straight victories set by the UCLA men's basketball team in the 1970s.

Odds are, the Huskies' dominance of the sport of women's basketball will continue with star point guard Maya Moore at the controls. She's being mentioned as one of the best women's basketball players of all time.

Now sure, Connecticut's win over Baylor was a 1-point nail-biter, but that's what great teams do. They win big, and they can also pull out even the tightest games.

Looking ahead, the only team that stands even somewhat firmly between Connecticut and history is Ohio State, the best team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes will face Connecticut in a nationally televised game on Dec. 19 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Providing the Huskies keep winning between now and then, a win over Ohio State would put them in a tie with UCLA. Beating Florida State two days later would give Connecticut sole possession of the record.

I'm not sure how much longer the Huskies will keep the streak alive beyond that. The Big East is a brutal conference, one of the very best in women's basketball with the likes of Notre Dame, Louisville, Rutgers, and DePaul looming large.

By the way, DePaul coach Doug Bruno recently earned his 500th career win. His Blue Demons should be more than capable of getting him quite a few more wins this season.

From a team that won 21 games and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament last year, DePaul returns its entire starting five and all but one of its reserves. Seniors Deirdre Naughton and Sam Quigley will be two of the top players in the Big East. Last year, Quigley was one of eight finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which recognizes the top point guard in the country.

Getting back to Ohio State, the Buckeyes are not only the team to beat in the Big Ten, they'll also be a serious contender on the national scene, along with Connecticut, Baylor, Tennesse and Stanford. Center Jantel Lavender and guard Samantha Prahalis might be the best 1-2 punch in the country. And heaven knows, Ohio State is overdue for a long run in the NCAA Tournament after a recent string of early exits.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, watch for Northwestern to also change its luck this season.

Before last year's WNIT appearance, the Wildcats hadn't been to the postseason in 13 years and were frequent Big Ten cellar dwellers during that stretch.

But third-year coach Joe McKeown is slowly working the kind of magic that he did at George Washington, a midmajor that became a perennial Top 25 team under his leadership.

The Wildcats have shot out of the gate this season and have already beaten LSU, a Southeastern Conference power that was getting votes in the Associated Press poll at the time.

The return of four starters, including senior all-Big Ten center Amy Jaeschke, and five other lettermen makes Northwestern one of the most experienced teams in the Big Ten.

With an ever-improving men's team at Northwestern, this could be a great year to be a Wildcats hoops fan.

In fact, this will be a great year to be a women's basketball fan in general. Locally and nationally, the potential is there for all kinds of great stories to unfold.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com