Very few times in the recent years of UConn women’s basketball could the team lose a game and feel encouraged. This team is different from any Geno Auriemma has ever coached, thanks to the bevy of injuries they’ve sustained over the season, often feeling relentless. Paige Bueckers and Ice Brady were both out with knee issues before the year started, while Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme have each missed more games than they’ve played thanks to various injuries of their own.
On Sunday, they hosted undefeated No. 1 South Carolina in a matchup that many didn’t think they’d even be in down the stretch. Vegas had them as six point underdogs, but even that felt generous. The Huskies played the game with six players (two additional players played for less than a minute in the waning seconds) compared to South Carolina’s nine.
They fought incredibly hard throughout the contest, leading by 11 after the first frame, but fell into a familiar second quarter lull that had the game tied by the break. It wasn’t long before the Huskies were playing from behind, doing everything to keep it a game. Even after trailing by 12 with two minutes left, they still managed to later cut the deficit to three before things were over.
All of this isn’t to recap the game, because that’s already been done by many. The point is to spotlight just how gutsy of a performance it was for the shorthanded team and how much it means going forward. It’s tough to beat any team in the top 50 with just six viable players, let alone the No. 1. Auriemma even acknowledged this after the game.
“The way the game was played, the way we responded, the way we controlled the tempo, we have a lot to feel good about, once we get past the pain of the loss,” said Auriemma. “I feel better now than I did before we played the game. I feel really good about my team now and how they played.”
There were many obvious places that the Huskies could have remedied to exit Hartford with a victory. They were dominated on the offensive glass, giving up 25 offensive boards on 67 shots. These 25 rebounds led to 25 points, so it’s not crazy to think that if they were a little more effective, they could have won. They also missed six of their 25 free throws and took just six threes. If they shot just a little better from the line, and a little more from the deep in their home arena, there’s no telling what the score could have been. The margin is small in these matches, but it’s apparent that Connecticut does not need to play a perfect game to win against the Gamecocks.
Putting aside the above factors, another thing that could have made a massive difference would be depth. The Huskies looked exhausted at times, particularly in the middle two quarters. Having Ducharme and Fudd back could have given some of the players the breath they needed to power through the lows of the game. Having those two back also would have aided the Huskies’ spacing and improved their ability to make shots. Lou Lopez-Sénéchal was boxed up all game, so it’s reasonable to think she might have gotten some cleaner looks had the others been back.
And that depth could come soon. Auriemma is optimistic that Ducharme will return in the next two or three games and Fudd thinks she’ll be back on the floor before March Madness gets going. There are a lot of ifs involved in how the team will gel when the injured players return, but if all goes right, we’re looking at another Final Four-caliber team.
If the team today had lost by 20 or more, there would have been a lot of questions about their ceiling and what their potential looks like even when they get their depth back. But given how competitive they were in the four point defeat, it’s tough to imagine that anyone would want to face them come March.
Aaliyah Edwards and Dorka Juhasz are as good a frontcourt duo as there is in the country. Lopez-Sénéchal, Ducharme and Fudd would give defenses headaches with all their threes and offensive abilities. Nika Muhl has proven she can be the leader of great teams, score and distribute, while Aubrey Griffin has every ounce of toughness in a champion.
This team is shaping up to be dangerous as the season continues. There are no guarantees this year in women’s basketball, but if everything falls into place, then the sky is the limit for the Huskies. They may have lost the game Sunday, but they more than passed the pulse check against the top team in the land.
