The opening shot in the montage introducing ESPN’s Sportscenter is of a jump ball in a UConn-Tennessee women’s basketball game, and it isn’t there as an ode to political correctness. The telecast of last year’s title game between the two storied programs was the network’s most watched basketball game at the time.

While women’s basketball has grown tremendously in popularity – it’s the third-most watched NCAA sport, far behind men’s basketball and comfortably ahead of baseball and hockey – the field of true title contenders has usually consisted of UConn and Tennessee, with a clear dropoff to other perennial winners like Duke, Stanford, and Purdue. While veteran observers of the sport occasionally speak of an emerging parity, it has usually looked more like wishful thinking than analysis.

This year, however, parity may have started to settle in; for proof of the sport’s new landscape, one need look no further than the three-time defending champs. UConn, which struggled through much of the season, will probably be no better than a no. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament after defeating Rutgers 67-51 in the Big East tournament final on Tuesday night.

The champs’ vulnerability first became apparent in late December, when Michigan State marched into Storrs and routed the Huskies 67-51 (that same night, a hobbled Tennessee team was trounced 65-51 by Rutgers in New Jersey). The loss suggested that the Huskies had not compensated for the graduation of superstar Diana Taurasi, a suspicion that seemed confirmed when they finished no. 13 in the country, the first time since their emergence as a powerhouse in the early 1990s that they’ve finished outside of the top 10. UConn’s seven losses this season have all come against ranked opponents; their best non-conference win over a top 20 team was a 73-57 win over Texas in January.

However, their consecutive wins over Notre Dame and Rutgers in the Big East tournament are an indicator that UConn will not go quietly or easily. These victories show that UConn may be peaking at the right time. They will face an arduous road just to get to the Final Four, but the Huskies have more tournament experience than any other team.

The women’s collegiate game is tailor-made for disciples of half-court basketball. The below-the-rim offenses revolve around complex plays, with numerous screens, back cuts, and ball rotation to create open shots. Points rarely come in bunches, which puts a premium on poise and willingness to work within the team concept.

UConn’s Geno Auriemma seems to understand these realities better than any other coach in the game. His Huskies put intense pressure on opponents in the early stages of big games, doing everything possible to get a big lead and thereby forcing opponents to play uphill. The approach worked wonders in both Final Four games last year and it worked again Tuesday night against Rutgers.

In the opening minutes, the Huskies played as if they were trailing in the late stages of a game. Using a furious full-court press and crashing the boards, UConn completely discombobulated Rutgers early on, forcing turnover after turnover and denying them offensive rebounds on their rare shot attempts. Eleven minutes in, UConn led 26-5.

Faced with a big first-half deficit, Scarlet Knight stars Matee Ajavon and Cappie Pondexter each tried to take over the game and failed, combining to shoot 13-for-40 (and Pondexter got into a heated exchange with Auriemma after the game, which will undoubtedly provide a sideshow to Selection Sunday). Championship experience is one of the more overrated factors in evaluating professional sports, but at the collegiate level, it’s a big plus.

UConn fans will have to hope that intangible counts for a lot in the NCAA tournament. Much will depend on their ability to keep up the kind of defensive pressure they showed against Rutgers Tuesday night. There’s reason for concern: The Huskies allowed only 50.7 ppg this season, third best in the nation (Rutgers was second), but against ranked opponents, that averaged slipped to 61 ppg.

At the other end of the floor, the Huskies lack the firepower they had in previous years. At the start of the season, forward Barbara Turner was thought to be Taurasi’s heir apparent. Though she averaged 17 ppg this season, Turner has suffered through a series of minor injuries and even left the Rutgers game Tuesday night with a slight knee problem. With Turner out, the Scarlet Knights went on an 8-0 run to make the game closer. When she returned, the Huskies put the game away.

The game typified UConn’s offensive strengths. Turner and Jessica Moore dominated the interior scoring, which freed up sharpshooter Anne Strother from long distance. She hit two treys during the opening foray and finished with 20 points. Ashley Battle, who has a good midrange game, also picked up the offensive slack as Turner struggled to stay in the game.

So can the Huskies repeat? In contrast to the men’s brackets, upsets are a rarity in the early rounds of the women’s tournament. Although there are more quality teams than ever before, the gap between the top seeds and the bubble teams that squeeze in is large and early-round blowouts are common. LSU, Tennessee, and Stanford are locks for no. 1 seeds and either Michigan State or Baylor – if they win the Big 12 Conference Tournament – will get the other top seed. Rutgers, Notre Dame, Ohio State, North Carolina, Duke, Texas, and Minnesota will probably fill out the top of the brackets with UConn.

The Huskies should have an easy path out of the first two rounds regardless of where they land. Once it gets to the regional, however, they’ll need every ounce of tournament savvy they have. They’ll likely be a no. 3 seed in the West regional, where they will probabaly have to beat one of the ACC powers (Duke or UNC) and Stanford to advance. It won’t be an easy road for the Huskies, but their fans can take solace in the fact that UConn has traveled rough roads before.