For the UConn women's basketball team, the extraordinary has become the ordinary. The Huskies, under the guidance of coach Geno Auriemma, have cemented their legacy with a record-breaking 566th consecutive week in the AP's Top 25 women's basketball poll. This remarkable feat surpasses the previous record held by Tennessee.

Since the streak's inception in the 1993-94 preseason poll, where they were ranked No. 18, UConn has never looked back. From Rebecca Lobo, the star of the team that began this journey, to recent legends like Breanna Stewart, the Huskies have maintained a standard of excellence that is unparalleled in college basketball.

“Players come and go and eras come and go, but what we're most proud of is that at Connecticut we expect being in that spot. That's good and bad, Auriemma said, via Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. “That’s good and bad.”

The names of UConn's star players have changed over the years, from Rebecca Lobo to Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart. However, the standard of excellence has remained the same. The Huskies have not only dominated the poll but have also clinched a record 11 national championships since the streak's inception. They have been ranked No. 1 for 250 of those weeks and have spent an astounding 548 weeks in the top 10.

“Like many things that this UConn program has accomplished over the past 30 years, this ranked streak is something that no one on that team could have fathomed,” Rebecca Lobo, now an ESPN analyst, said, reflecting on the achievement. “The most impressive part of UConn’s excellence is the way they’ve sustained it … Others have had great teams and impressive runs of success, but no program other than Tennessee has come close to touching what Geno and UConn have done. Thirty years is just ridiculous.”

This historic run is not just about the numbers but also about the culture and philosophy that Auriemma has instilled in the program.

“Knowing what players we want to get and the players that buy into this is what the expectation is here. This is how high the bar is set here,” Auriemma said.

While UConn has experienced several other impressive streaks, such as a 111-game winning streak and 14 consecutive Final Four appearances, the AP poll streak stands out for its longevity and consistency. The team now prepares to welcome No. 20 Maryland, currently holding the second-longest active streak at 251 consecutive weeks.