Upstart Oregon faces major challenge against UConn

Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma tried to warn everyone. When coach Kelly Graves took over at Oregon, the Ducks were going to be dangerous.

He was right.

Auriemma and the top-seeded Huskies will try to avoid being the Ducks' fourth straight upset victim when the teams meet Monday in the Bridgeport Region final. The winner advances to the Final Four in Dallas.

"I remember when Kelly got the job. I told everybody in the coaching profession, I said, they're going to be in the Final Four sooner than anybody thinks," Auriemma told reporters Saturday afternoon. "As I said earlier today, it better not be this soon."

Connecticut, the four-time defending champion, has won an amazing 110 games in a row. The Huskies (35-0) advanced to the regional final with an 86-71 win over fourth-seeded UCLA on Saturday. Sophomore forward Napheesa Collier accumulated 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in the win.

The victory was Auriemma's 112th in the NCAA Tournament, tying him with the late Pat Summitt atop the tournament wins list. He can move past his longtime rival and colleague with a win over Oregon. But he doesn't expect it to be easy.

"I'm not even the least bit surprised at what they're doing," Auriemma said. "Not even a little bit. They are a really, really good team. If you got really good guards, you can have a really good team. They've got some pretty good guards."

Tenth-seeded Oregon (23-13) toppled third-seeded Maryland 77-63 on Saturday to reach the regional final less than a week after eliminating second-seeded Duke from the tournament.

The Ducks are the highest seed left in the tournament and now get a chance at snapping one of the most remarkable winning streaks in team sports history.

UConn has not lost since the 2014 season, and only three games during that stretch have been decided by single digits.

Freshman guard Sabrina Ionescu scored 21 points to lead Oregon past Maryland. She is one of three freshmen playing significant minutes for the Ducks.

"You know, we obviously haven't been in this situation," Graves told reporters. "These guys haven't. It's going to take -- either UCLA or UConn, it doesn't matter.

"It's going to take our absolute best performance of the year to move on. And quite frankly, I haven't really even thought about it yet. I'm kind of taking this win in. Just happy for my team. I truly am. I'm proud of them and just happy for them.

"I mean, they've worked really hard, and I know, so has Maryland, so has everybody else has worked hard, but this is a really special group, and they're showing that right now."

Auriemma says the Ducks' youth makes them dangerous and gives them a "nothing-to-lose" attitude.

"You're not supposed to just walk into the NCAA Tournament and just start beating teams with three freshmen in the starting lineup, and a freshman point guard," Auriemma said.