Tonight's game marks just the second time two male coaches have met in the women's final. We reported earlier this year about a study which found 51.7 percent of female student-athletes said they would prefer their coach to be a male. Only 40.7 percent said they would prefer their coach be a female.

Why do female student-athletes prefer men as coaches? I've spoken with female athletes that say male coaches are "easier" than female coaches. I doubt, however, the Connecticut women would agree with that concept.

I saw Geno shouting throughout Sunday's game. He doesn't exactly look like he's going "easy" on his ladies.

My original post on this topic garnered some very insightful comments. One comment in particular from"Kirin" sums up what I think is the root of the problem:

"I took a survey regarding gender preferences in coaching a couple years ago, and at the time, I did say that I'd prefer a male coach," Kirin wrote. "I think part of my reasoning was that all of my coaches in the past were male, and so I, whether consciously or not, was more comfortable listening to a man when talking about athletic performance. Is there a sense that men know more about sports than women, even now? By the way, its not just female athletes - I don't see a lot of men jumping up and down to get women coaches.

"There are also different dynamics among groups of women that change as the group becomes mixed - I attend a women's college, so I really do see the differences in the way women conduct themselves. It's not all bad, just different - we are still learning to stop thinking (consciously or not) of men as authority figures, but it takes time. This year, we have a new coach, and she is easily the best coach, male or female, I've had since I started playing sports when I was four. In her case, gender is not an issue - she's got skills, and I look forward to learning from her."

So, does the game tonight work to reiterate the subconscious notion that men are better suited to coaching than women?

The status of female coaches has been elevated considerably, largely thanks to the growing popularity and publicity of women's basketball. Do Kirin's observations hold true? Do women still need to climb the gender equity hill or is tonight's game an indication that we've moved to a post-gender time in women's athletics?