Sure, most of the national media might not be giving them much of a chance.

And maybe ESPN's analysts didn't list them among the teams capable of knocking off top seeded Connecticut, their next opponent.

But that doesn't mean the Penn State women's basketball team has packed up its season, heading into Saturday's Sweet 16 showdown in Milwaukee.

"I think it's important on our team to go in and know that we have the opportunity of a lifetime because they are the No. 1 team," guard Tanisha Wright said. "As long as everyone comes in confident and knowing that we can win this game, I think we'll be all right."

That is in tune with the message the Lady Lions coaches have delivered to their players in the last two days, preaching that the Huskies are beatable.

While Penn State coach Rene Portland said her team will have to adjust to early morning wakeup calls in prepare for Saturday's 4:45 a.m. shoot around, she isn't afraid of her team backing down in the face of the undefeated Huskies. Many of her players know members of the Connecticut roster beyond the court and a few Huskies shoot hoops in the Intramural Building with Penn State forward Courtney Upshaw, who is originally from Southport, Conn.

The magnitude of Saturday's game also hasn't intimidated Penn State.

"We've been in some pretty exciting games this season and I think this is going to be the most challenging yet. . .but we're excited about it and we know we're going to make the most of the opportunity," guard Kelly Mazzante said.

Portland's biggest fear is Connecticut's ability to score bushels of points in quick spurts, saying the main thing she wants her team to do is "get to the first TV timeout together."

In order to combat a team that only allowed Iowa to score four points in the first fifteen minutes of the second half in Monday's win, Portland plans on building a game plan based on "games within the game." One possibility she mentioned was breaking the game up into 10 four-minute games.

Also, Wright will be charged with guarding Huskies point guard Sue Bird, something she relishes.

"It just shows my character," Wright said. "However I play will show the kind of character I have in the game of basketball. I mean, it's a good opportunity for me to show what I can do."

For now, perhaps what worries Portland the most is what her team does while they are still on campus, especially in the amount of time they spend hitting the books compared to time in the gym.

"I think it's going to be tough for our players to pay attention to their school work this week," Portland said. "If I'm a Penn State player, I need to think, 'Do I want to go to school, do I want to go to they gym, do you want to be in the gym?'. . .If I'm a Penn State player, I want to be in the gym shooting foul shots."