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UConn's Diana Taurasi tries to block the pass from Tennessee's Kara Lawson on Jan. 4, 2003.
Hearst Connecticut Media/file photo
The UConn women's basketball team are in Knoxville to face Tennessee, the program that was once the Huskies' biggest rival.
UConn holds a 16-9 record against the Lady Vols, with four of those victories delivering NCAA national championship trophies.
The rivalry was born in 1995 and became one of the most hyped games on the college basketball calendar because of the miraculous moments that players on both teams produced throughout the years.
Here's a look at the most memorable performances from players on both the Lady Vols and the Huskies over the course of the rivalry.
1995: The Start
The programs met for the first time on Martin Luther King Day in 1995, as the No. 1 Lady Vols played No. 2 UConn in Storrs. Kara Wolters had 18 points and Jen Rizzotti 17 as UConn earned a 77-66 win on that January day.
A few months later, the teams met again for the NCAA title. Behind National Player of the Year Rebecca Lobo, UConn completed a 35-0 season with a 70-64 for their first NCAA championship. Lobo had 17 points and eight rebounds in the title game.
Coming full circle, Lobo will be calling the matchup as a part of ESPN's College Gameday coverage of the rivalry game this Thursday.
1999 and 2000: Booing Semeka
Semeka Randall scored 25 points in Tennessee's 92-81 win over UConn on Jan. 10, 1999, but Husky fans furiously booed Randall because they believed she delivered a cheap-shot against Svetlana Abrosimova while fighting for a loose ball.
“All we did was tie the ball up and I didn’t want to let go, and she didn’t want to let it go,” Randall told reporters after the game. “And hey, we rolled around for a few and I guess it’s the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) now.”
The following year, Randall proved to be the difference maker by scoring 17 points for the Lady Vols and sinking a shot with 4.4 seconds remaining to secure Tennessee's 72-71 victory on Feb. 2, 2000. She was again booed loudly as Tennessee handed UConn its only loss of that season.
Dec. 30, 2000: Bird chirps back
After defeating the Lady Vols in the 2000 NCAA title game in April, the team met almost nine months later on a snowy night in Hartford. Sue Bird scored 15 points, including four free throws in the final 35 seconds of the game, to push UConn to a 81-76 victory.
Jan. 5, 2002: Dee's on the scene
Diana Taurasi hung 32 points at the Thompson-Boling Arena and, adding insult to injury, she punched the orange-padded basket stanchion creating a moment that neither fan base would forget. Oh, the Huskies won 86–72 and would beat the Lady Vols in the Final Four en route to a 39-0 record and another NCAA title.
Jan. 4, 2003: New year, same Taurasi
The three-time WNBA Champion hit a dagger 3 with 7.5 seconds remaining to force overtime. Her 25-point contribution drove the Huskies to a 63-62 victory, UConn's third in a row vs. Tennessee. The fourth straight came in the national title game in April, when Taurasi scored 28 in 73-68 win to give the Huskies their second NCAA title in a row.
Jan. 6, 2007: CP3
Tennessee legend Candace Parker's 30-point effort propelled the Lady Vols to a 70-64 win over UConn in Hartford. She also had 12 rebounds, six blocks ... and a dunk.
"I wanted to have a chance to dunk on Connecticut's court and I did," Parker said after the game.
It was Tennessee's third straight win over UConn. Soon after, Tennessee announced it was discontinuing the series.
Jan. 22, 2021: Clutch Paige
As the programs renewed the rivalry, freshman Paige Bueckers was faced with immense expectations as the new face of UConn basketball. The stakes were high against Tennessee and it was Bueckers' first game on ESPN.
It was not going well, as she went 2-of-13 from the field and was 0-of-5 from the perimeter before she rolled her ankle late in the game.
But when it was all on the line, even with a taped ankle, Bueckers delivered a bucket. The Huskies were up by two with 28 seconds left and Bueckers hobbled in for their final possession. Bueckers received the ball behind the arc and hit a huge 3 as the shot clock expired to put the game away and secure UConn's 66-61 win in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Feb 6, 2022: Fudd's turn
Azzi Fudd came on the scene as a freshman last year and was not going to disappoint the crowd in the XL Center. She hung 25 points on the Lady Vols and could not be contained on the perimeter, where she sunk seven-of-nine shots in a 75-56 win.
The Huskies will need to look for another source to produce offensively as Fudd will be on the bench after going down with a right knee injury. There is no timeline on when her return could happen.