Less than two months ago, Connecticut came to Colonial Life Arena and thrashed South Carolina women's basketball in front of 18,000 fans, 83-58. It was a thorough, dominant effort by the top-ranked Huskies, who led the Gamecocks for more than 38 minutes.
So now, seven weeks removed from that game, what gives No. 2 seed USC confidence that it can reverse that result against UConn in the Elite Eight in Albany, New York, deep in hostile territory?
"I was walking out after scouting UConn yesterday, and I guess a UConn fan, he started yelling at me like, 'You're next on Monday,' giving me the thumbs up," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said Sunday.