| Wide: | yes |
| Rutgers–UConn women's basketball rivalry | |
| Team1: | UConn Huskies |
| Team1logo: | Connecticut Huskies wordmark.svg |
| Team2: | Rutgers Scarlet Knights |
| Team2logo: | Rutgers Scarlet Knights logo.svg |
| Sport: | Women's basketball |
| Firstmeeting: | January 24, 1996 Connecticut 96, Rutgers 68 |
| Mostrecent: | March 23, 2015 Connecticut 91, Rutgers 55 |
| Nextmeeting: | TBD |
| Total: | 40 |
| Series: | Connecticut leads 34–6 |
| Largestvictory: | Connecticut, 73–36 (2010) Connecticut, 72–35 (2014) |
| Longeststreak: | Connecticut, 14 (2008–present) |
| Currentstreak: | Connecticut, 14 (2008–present) |
The Rutgers–UConn women's basketball rivalry is a rivalry between the UConn Huskies and Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball programs.
As of March 2015, UConn leads the series 34–6, including 17 of the first 18 meetings between the two teams. When Rutgers joined the Big East Conference in 1995, the two teams met only once a year. The Connecticut Post describes Rutgers' first-ever win over UConn, a 74-70 win on February 10, 1998 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center, as the "catalyst in what has become a fierce rivalry."[1] After the unranked Scarlet Knights nearly upset the then-undefeated Huskies on January 8, 2003, the two teams were scheduled to play twice during the 2003–04 regular season, and have done so every season since. While the Huskies would handily win the next three meetings, Rutgers finally broke through on February 18, 2005, as they defeated the Huskies for the first time in seven years, 76–62.
The rivalry had been partially fueled by an altercation that occurred between UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and former Rutgers player Cappie Pondexter after the 2005 Big East Tournament championship game. Auriemma reportedly made inappropriate remarks towards Pondexter, who retaliated by pointing her finger towards Auriemma.[2] Big East Commissioner Michael Tranghese released a statement days later clearing Auriemma of any wrongdoing.[3]
In recent years, the teams have faced off in games with championship implications. On March 7, 2007, the Scarlet Knights won their first-ever Big East Tournament championship by defeating the Huskies 55–47. However, on March 3, 2008, UConn beat Rutgers 66–46 for the regular-season championship, and the Knights haven't defeated the Huskies since.
After Tennessee stopped scheduling Rutgers, the Connecticut Post said in 2008 that Connecticut had become Rutgers' biggest rival.[4] Auriemma said about Rutgers, ""A lot of times, they talked like they were better than they were and that kind of caused a lot more of an intensity level than maybe there would have been with anyone else."[5]
| Connecticut victories | Rutgers victories |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score | Series | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=40 | UC | width=40 | RU | |||||
| 1 | January 24, 1996 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 96 | 68 | Connecticut 1–0 | ||
| 2 | February 18, 1996 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 73 | 61 | Connecticut 2–0 | ||
| 3 | March 3, 1996 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 93 | 64 | Connecticut 3–0 | Big East Tournament | |
| 4 | January 15, 1997 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 78 | 45 | Connecticut 4–0 | ||
| 5 | December 31, 1997 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 82 | 69 | Connecticut 5–0 | ||
| 6 | February 10, 1998 | Piscataway, NJ | Rutgers | 70 | 74 | Connecticut 5–1 | ||
| 7 | March 3, 1998 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 67 | 58 | Connecticut 6–1 | Big East Tournament | |
| 8 | January 27, 1999 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 56 | 55 | Connecticut 7–1 | ||
| 9 | January 17, 2000 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 65 | 50 | Connecticut 8–1 | ||
| 10 | February 12, 2000 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 49 | 45 | Connecticut 9–1 | ||
| 11 | March 7, 2000 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 79 | 59 | Connecticut 10–1 | Big East Tournament | |
| 12 | February 14, 2001 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 70 | 45 | Connecticut 11–1 | ||
| 13 | March 5, 2001 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 94 | 66 | Connecticut 12–1 | Big East Tournament | |
| 14 | February 23, 2002 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 80 | 42 | Connecticut 13–1 | ||
| 15 | January 8, 2003 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 67 | 62 | Connecticut 14–1 | ||
| 16 | January 19, 2004 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 72 | 47 | Connecticut 15–1 | ||
| 17 | February 14, 2004 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 66 | 43 | Connecticut 16–1 | ||
| 18 | February 3, 2005 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 57 | 44 | Connecticut 17–1 | ||
| 19 | February 13, 2005 | Piscataway, NJ | Rutgers | 62 | 76 | Connecticut 17–2 | ||
| 20 | March 8, 2005 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 67 | 51 | Connecticut 18–2 | Big East Tournament | |
| 21 | February 7, 2006 | Storrs, CT | Rutgers | 56 | 60 | Connecticut 18–3 | ||
| 22 | February 27, 2006 | Piscataway, NJ | Rutgers | 42 | 48 | Connecticut 18–4 | ||
| 23 | February 6, 2007 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 60 | 50 | Connecticut 19–4 | ||
| 24 | February 26, 2007 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 70 | 44 | Connecticut 20–4 | ||
| 25 | March 6, 2007 | Hartford, CT | Rutgers | 47 | 55 | Connecticut 20–5 | Big East Tournament | |
| 26 | February 5, 2008 | Piscataway, NJ | Rutgers | 71 | 73 | Connecticut 20–6 | ||
| 27 | March 3, 2008 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 66 | 46 | Connecticut 21–6 | ||
| 28 | April 1, 2008 | Greensboro, NC | Connecticut | 66 | 56 | Connecticut 22–6 | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | |
| 29 | February 3, 2009 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 75 | 56 | Connecticut 23–6 | ||
| 30 | March 2, 2009 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 69 | 59 | Connecticut 24–6 | ||
| 31 | January 26, 2010 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 73 | 36 | Connecticut 25–6 | ||
| 32 | January 26, 2011 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 63 | 44 | Connecticut 26–6 | ||
| 33 | March 7, 2011 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 75 | 51 | Connecticut 27–6 | Big East Tournament | |
| 34 | February 4, 2012 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 66 | 34 | Connecticut 28–6 | ||
| 35 | March 4, 2012 | Hartford, CT | Connecticut | 49 | 34 | Connecticut 29–6 | Big East Tournament | |
| 36 | February 16, 2013 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 65 | 45 | Connecticut 30–6 | ||
| 37 | January 19, 2014 | Piscataway, NJ | Connecticut | 94 | 64 | Connecticut 31–6 | ||
| 38 | March 1, 2014 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 72 | 35 | Connecticut 32–6 | ||
| 39 | March 9, 2014 | Uncasville, CT | Connecticut | 83 | 57 | Connecticut 33–6 | AAC Tournament | |
| 40 | March 23, 2015 | Storrs, CT | Connecticut | 91 | 55 | Connecticut 34–6 | NCAA Second Round | |