Coaches are hesitant to quantify success in terms of dynasty, perhaps in part because of the assumption — and the demand — that the wins keep coming.
No women’s college basketball program in the country feels that tension more than the University of Connecticut. The Huskies had dominated the sport under Coach Geno Auriemma since he began building the program in 1985, with 11 championship titles, 22 Final Four appearances and, at one point, a 111-game winning streak.
But as the wealth of talent deepens across the N.C.A.A., UConn no longer stands alone as the top women’s basketball program.
UConn has not won a championship since 2016 and fell in a title game for the first time last year, to South Carolina. The Huskies have lost their past three meetings with the Gamecocks and four of their past five against the reigning champions, who are laying claim to a dynasty of their own under Coach Dawn Staley. Where UConn used to be an odds-on favorite to win a title, South Carolina has now taken that mantle for this N.C.A.A. tournament.
There is no question that the Huskies have cemented their place in the arc of women’s basketball and were instrumental in reframing the conversation around women’s sports. But as the national spotlight grows on the sport, will the Huskies be…
