HARTFORD, Conn. -- Shea Ralph is in her second season as an assistant coach at Connecticut, and she describes her experience thus far as "incredible."

Actually, perfect would be the more accurate word as she has not experienced a loss.

Connecticut has won 69 games in a row and today will look to tie it record for the longest winning streak in women's basketball history.

Connecticut won 70 games in a row from 2001-03 and is one of many reasons the Huskies clearly have become the premier women's basketball program in Division I.

"But we don't treat it as if we are special or as if we are above anyone," Ralph said. "We don't as coaches and we certainly don't allow the players to, either. We are a good basketball team, but everyone around here understands we need to continue to work hard, improve every day and continue to do the right things."

Ralph, who spent five seasons on Agnus Berenato's Pitt staff before being lured back to her alma mater, said that although she always will have a soft spot for Pittsburgh and the Panthers, she knows she made the best move for her career.

"Coach [Berenato] gave me my first job, and I spent an awful lot of time there," Ralph said. "But I'm learning so much here and, frankly, I've spent so much time here, that this just feels like home."

The Huskies will play Syracuse today at XL Center in a Big East Conference tournament quarterfinal. The Orange advanced Saturday with a 76-71 victory against Providence.

Louisville, which lost to Notre Dame Saturday, was in the Final Four last year but fell to 14-17 this year and won't even be in the WNIT. The Cardinals lost seven players to injuries, however, and finished the season with six scholarship players. "I guess the positive of it all is we'll get a chance to get started with spring workouts," Lousiville coach Jeff Walz said ... There is a strong possibility that, with Pitt eliminated from consideration, Connecticut could be sent to Petersen Events Center for the first two rounds of the NCAA women's tournament. "I think it would be special to have the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament at our place," Berenato said. "But no disrespect to anyone else out there -- nobody is going to beat UConn. The only team capable of beating UConn is UConn."

Check out Ray Fittipaldo's Pitt B-Ball blog and Paul Zeise's Pitt Stop videos about football exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.