The 2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Coached by Geno Auriemma, the Huskies played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, and are a member of the Big East Conference. They enjoyed an undefeated season and won their sixth NCAA championship by defeating the Louisville Cardinals, 76–54. Regular season Pre-season Both major pre-season polls ranked the Huskies number 1, each just one vote shy of unanimous. The AP Top 25 poll included all but one vote for Connecticut, with a single vote for Stanford, and the ESPN/USA Today Poll had all but one vote for Connecticut, with a single vote for Tennessee. The team returned much of the previous year's team. Of the departing seniors, only Brittany Hunter started more than half the team's game, although Mel Thomas failed to reach that mark due to a career-ending injury. The Huskies started with a pair of triple digit scoring pre-season games. The first game was against Division II Stonehill College in nearby North Easton, Massachusetts. It was the first chance for fans to see freshman Caroline Doty, Tiffany Hayes, and Heather Buck in action. Caroline and Tiffany both scored in double digits, and Heather had three rebounds and a blocked shot. The final score was in favor of UConn, 100–49. The second pre-season game was even more lopsided, with UConn prevailing over Team SRP 103–37. Non conference opener The regular season opening game was against Georgia Tech, a team unranked in the pre-season. The game would be tied at halftime, with Connecticut pulling ahead late to win by eleven points 82–71. Connecticut would win their next three games easily, beating San Diego State and Rhode Island at home, and BYU in Utah, each win by at least 45 points. The following game would bring #4 ranked Oklahoma to Connecticut. Characterized as a "significant test" by ESPN's Graham Hays, Connecticut would win easily by 32 points, 106–72. UConn would then play nearby Holy Cross, winning easily 96–37. In this game Caroline Doty would hit her tenth consecutive three-point goal, a UConn school record, and four off the national record. On December 14, the Huskies competed in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden and defeated Penn State by a score of