UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma had lofty praise for visiting Providence which needs just one win to secure the program's first winning season since the 1991-92 campaign.

"This is the best Providence team that I have seen in the last 9/10 years without question," Auriemma said. "Providence was one of the best teams in the Big East in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and it really got away from them for a very long time. (Providence coach) Phil (Seymore) has done a pretty good job of staying with it, getting a certain kind of kid. They run some great stuff on offense, they get everybody involved and he has made them expect to win rather than 'hope we don't get killed.' You can see it in the way they play."

The play of senior guard Chelsea Marandola has a lot to do with the Friars taking a 15-10 record including a 6-6 mark in the Big East into today's game.

Much like UConn's Kalana Greene who is playing at such a higher level this season than she did last year coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL, Marandola is playing with more confidence in the second season after a knee injury forced her to sit out the 2007-08 season.

Marandola came into the game second in the Big East in scoring just percent points behind UConn's Maya Moore as both Moore and Marandola are averaging 18 points per game.