Following Saturday's 78-57 win over Notre Dame, many of the questions in the postgame press conferences centered around UConn freshman guard Bria Hartley, who had a career-high 29 points.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma recalled some recent conversations he's had with Hartley, who has been in a bit of an offensive funk after scoring in double figures in 17 of her first 20 games.

"She's been awful," Auriemma said. "I am not kidding. She made more shots in that second half than she has made in warmups, practices, everything. I had a conversation with her and said 'what seems to be your problem. Why are you acting like a 12 year old.' She is saying 'why do you keep calling me a 12 year old?' I said 'because that's what 12 year olds do, when they don't get what they want, they pout.' She said 'I am frustrated.' I said 'why, because your shots aren't falling?' She said 'yes.' I said 'well, that is called pouting.' I said because your shots aren't going in, you are pouting. I said 'isn't there something else you can do? Get a couple of assists, get a couple of steals. Can't you do something to help us.' So if you are making shots you are helping us, if you not making shots 'sorry Coach, you can't count on me today.' That is a huge step for her to go beyond that and make the plays that she made today."

The win kept UConn in control of the Big East race. With three games remaining, UConn leads second-place DePaul by 1 1/2 games and own the tiebreaker based on the 89-46 win over DePaul on Feb. 5. DePaul plays Georgetown on Sunday and has games remaining at Louisville, at Marquette before ending the regular season by hosting Notre Dame.

UConn figures to move back into the No. 1 spot when the two major national polls come out early next week since top-ranked Baylor lost at Texas Tech on Saturday.

When the Baylor/Texas Tech score was announced at Gampel Pavilion, the crowd and in particular the UConn student section roared its approval bringing a curious response from Auriemma.

"When they made the announcement that Texas Tech beat Baylor, that is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard anybody do," Auriemma said. "A standing ovation because a team in the Big 12 lost a game. That is about the dumbest thing. Everybody should have gone 'ooh.' Why would you cheer that? So we can wake up on Monday and say we are No. 1? So that makes us different all of a sudden. When I heard everybody yelling, I didn't understand what it was. We are No. 1, we've always been No. 1."

Maya Moore didn't think the move back to No. 1, a place the Huskies had been for a record 51 straight weeks before a Dec. 30 loss at Stanford knocked them out of the top spot, would be such a big deal especially if the Huskies head into the NCAA tournament ranked first in the polls.

"It doesn't matter," Moore said. "That is something that is kind of out of our control. I am used to going in as the No. 1 team so I know it has worked for us before.

"I think it is harder sometimes going in as the No. 1 because it is easier to get complacent. You can lose your composure because you think you have already arrived so I think it is actually harder going in. It is easier to get motivated that way. No. 1, 2, 3, 4 or whatever, you can find motivation."

Among those in the crowd was Twinsburg (Ohio) High junior forward/center Malina Howard, a member of the 2010 Under-18 national team. Howard, who also took in UConn's practice on Friday, sat two rows behind the UConn bench along with her parents and younger sister.