Tiffany Hayes has never shied away from pressure. When Hayes arrived on campus in the summer of 2008 as the headliner of Geno Auriemma's recruiting class, she asked to wear the same number 3 most recently worn at Connecticut by future WNBA MVP Diana Taurasi. Hayes announced her presence to the nation during the regional semifinal of her freshman year, when she scored 28 points to help UConn top California en route to the first of back-to-back NCAA titles.

Tina Thompson celebrates.
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

After serving as a sidekick to Tina Charles and Maya Moore, Hayes has taken on a featured role as a senior, averaging 14.8 points per game. During consecutive games against Syracuse and South Florida in late January, Hayes scored 68 points - the most ever by a Husky in back-to-back games. However, Hayes has slumped late in the season, shooting 35.3 percent over her last five outings. If UConn is to get back to the Final Four for the fourth time in her career, Hayes will have to step up as the competition gets more difficult.

  • Shooting - Hayes is an 81.3 percent shooter from the free throw line who has been a consistent three-point threat throughout her college career. She's making a career-best 42.6 percent of her triples this season.
  • Rebounding - Though she is not especially big for a guard, Hayes is a factor on the glass. Her 5.7 rebounds per game rank second on the team.
  • Playmaking - For a shooting guard, Hayes ranks up plenty of assists. She's averaged at least three per game since her sophomore season and ranks in the Big East's top 10 this year at 3.5 dimes per night.
  • Consistency - Hayes has yet to translate her gifts on a consistent basis. She's prone to going off for 33 points one night and having eight the next. This can partly be traced to the number of options around Hayes, but it's one reason why she still has potential to explore at the next level.
  • Turnovers - The flip side of Hayes' ballhandling is that she tends to be prone to turnovers, especially in bunches. She turned the ball over seven times in UConn's loss to St. John's and six times when Notre Dame won at Connecticut. She also had six turnovers in Monday's lopsided win over Kansas State.

"Tiffany Hayes is someone who has come on here of late. Really helped them win their Big East Championship. A two-guard in the league who can shoot the three-point shot, has a strong left hand and comes from an extremely successful program."

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