Is the UConn Women’s Dynasty Dead — Or About to Resurge?

It was March 31, 2017, as the Huskies took to the court in the National Semifinals at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. UConn has been riding a 111-game winning streak and seeking an NCAA title that would be its fifth straight, seventh in nine years and 12th overall.

But six years later, the Huskies are still “stuck” in 11 national championships—as comical as that sounds.

UConn, a No. 2 seed in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament, faces third-seeded Ohio State on Saturday (5 p.m. ET, ABC) in the Sweet 16 game at the Seattle Regional 3. The Huskies are attempting to reach their 14th straight women’s final.

But a ticket to Dallas also means a return to the crime scene, if you will, the arena where Mississippi State ended the Huskies’ 2017 title hopes—and began a streak of historic upsets, bad luck and two of the most memorable shots in the history of the March Madness. UConn lost in the semifinals of four straight tournaments before falling in the title game last season, marking the first time the program has reached the NCAA Final and not won.

In a season when the focus of the sport has been elsewhere—mainly undefeated No. 1 South Carolina, which won it all in Dallas in 2017—Oconon’s dynasty hasn’t gone away, but it has diminished. The Final Four streak continues to be the standard bearer of continued excellence in women’s or men’s college basketball, something no other program comes close to. But dynasties need championships.

And huskies are in a consistent mix of monikers. With guard Azzi Food back in the lineup after battling injuries for most of the season, the Huskies won their early round games in the NCAA Tournament. They’ve overcome countless injuries and illness this season, both with players and coach Geno Auriemma, but now they’re back in the all-too-familiar territory of having a Final Four on the horizon.

“Everything was a struggle. Everything was tough,” Oreima said after Monday’s second-round win over Baylor. “And to be in the position we’re in — to go to the same place that many other UConn teams have gone to, and yet be through more than I think any other team at UConn has had to go through — I was really proud of them. Because I’ve been through a lot. Those, but they didn’t.”

Dorka Johasz missed seven games due to a broken thumb in November. Fudd injured her knee in December, Caroline Ducharme suffered a concussion in January (missed 13 games), and Oraima missed four games between December and January, feeling under the weather as he also mourned the loss of his mother. Fudd was injured again in January after returning to work, not returning until March; In total, she played 14 of UConn’s 36 games.

However, despite it all, the Huskies are two wins away from the program’s 24th Final—but six years since the national championship, which is a long time in UConn language. They have continued to recruit well and play well. They are still, in most respects, the huskies we’ve known for so long. But with no trophy, mojo isn’t quite the same.

Do the dots all connect to mean something greater for the UConn program and women’s basketball in general? Or is it just a matter of consecutive Final Four misfortunes for the Huskies? Both: the growing pool of talent selecting different programs around the country, the transfer portal and other schools’ commitment to resources have increased the pool of potential national championship contenders. However, some of UConn’s Final Four losses in recent years have been less about anything the Huskies did wrong and more about what their opponents did right.

After winning national championships in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004, the Huskies were unable to reach the Final Four for three straight years. But they came back in 2008, and by the time they reached the 2017 semifinals, it looked as if they had become invincible. Even one shot changed that.

“I think women’s basketball took a big turn when Mississippi State beat Yukon,” said Ole Miss coach Yollette McPhee-McQueen, the No. 8 seed who beat No. 8 seed Stanford to qualify for the Sweet 16. And I was like, “Whoa.” You can’t even wrap your head around someone hitting UConn at the time.

“And once that happened, we saw what? Other teams started doing it.”

Here’s a look at how each season ended for UConn, going back to that night in March 2017 in Dallas, when the longest winning streak in Division I basketball ended and the nickname “drought” began.

2017: Mighty Morgan

Bulldogs guard Morgan William scored 41 points to beat Baylor in the regional final, and brought that magic with her to Dallas. Mississippi State got off to a hot start, taking a 36-28 halftime lead. But UConn rallied, and the game went to overtime.

William was the smallest person on the field, but she made the biggest shot. Her jumper hit Gabe Williams just after the OT whistle sounded, giving Mississippi State the 66-64 win. American Airlines centers erupted, including Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and a proud Mississippi State alum in attendance.

2018: Arik’s dagger

Lightning can’t strike twice, right? I did. Once again, UConn headed to the NCAA Tournament undefeated and left devastated by a powerful overtime shot in the National Semifinals.

“We had an amazing five-month race,” said Orima. “It is what it is. One weekend in March will decide your season.”

2019: The Irish strike again

It looked as though UConn would avenge their 2018 semifinal loss to Notre Dame, but Ogunbowale got the Huskies best again. She had 14 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter, when the Irish rallied from a nine-point deficit to defeat UConn in the semifinals for the second consecutive season. The loss ended the run of seniors Collier and Samuelson, the last class at UConn to win a national championship (their first season in 2016).

“It’s a near impossible match between two people,” Auriemma said of Ogunbowale, as UConn lost for the first time in the Final Four three years in a row.

2021: Arizona is upset

But the Huskies’ troubles in the semifinals continued as they clamped down on UConn’s offense in a 69-59 rout. Arizona guard Ari McDonald had 26 points to set up a national championship game with Stanford that once again left Yukon on the outside.

This time around, Oryema demurred at the maturity of his team, saying, “It was very hard for us to get anything done.”

2022: The final magic ends

The only thing that hadn’t happened to UConn in the previous 21 Final Four games happened in this one: the Huskies lost both in the national championship game.

After defeating Stanford in the semifinals, the Huskies entered the matchup with South Carolina with an 11-0 record in the NCAA title game. But they faced a Gamecocks team that had played well all season, dominating the game throughout the 64-49 victory.

Bueckers dealt with a knee injury that kept her out for nearly three months of the 2021-22 season, but she made her return to the NCAA tournament and helped guide UConn to the Final Four in her home state of Minnesota. However, the Huskies were no match for the Gamecock in the Final.

“They deserved it 100 percent,” said Orima. “They were the best team all year.”