For the UConn women’s basketball team, the past few weeks have been smooth sailing. Ever since they started 4-3 and things were looking dire, they put the pieces in place and have strung together a 12-game win streak, four against ranked competition. One such squad was Marquette, and they won that game with authority. After trailing by 10 early, the Huskies played exceptional basketball, ultimately winning by 31.
As Marquette’s first loss of the season, the defeat stung so much that they dropped their next one too. That matchup was at St. John’s in Queens, N.Y. and they lost by a point. In UConn’s game at the Johnnies, they won by 43. The Golden Eagles stabilized in victories over a trio of less solid Big East teams, but most recently couldn’t survive Villanova and Lucy Olsen’s 37 points.
The Huskies and Marquette had very different starts to the season, but the then 12-0 Golden Eagles’ momentum took a 180 when they entered Hartford, Conn. Now welcoming Connecticut into their house, they have a chance to take a huge step in the right direction.
At the head of their efforts is Liza Karlen, who is having a fantastic season. She’s averaging 17 points and seven boards per game on 53% shooting, the latter of which ranks in the top 60 nationally. When she isn’t at the top of her game, Marquette struggles. In all three of their losses, Karlen has been either held to poor efficiency, under 15 points or–in the case of the UConn game–both.
The Huskies did an excellent job guarding the forward, holding her to a hideous 5-18 shooting line. If they can do that again, it’s hard to imagine the Golden Eagles winning this one.
Leading the backcourt is Jordan King, who had an excellent start against the Huskies in December. She hit a pair of great 3-pointers early to help blitz UConn, but she cooled off considerably after. King did finish with a team-high 16 points and just a single assist, but a 31-point loss is still just that. She averages 14.8 points on 43% shooting for the season and will look to get closer to that efficiency and swing the ball more.
Regardless of anything Marquette tries, this will be an uphill battle however one looks at it. UConn has been exceptional, they already blew the Golden Eagles out and they’ve generally beaten their shared opponents worse.
But as is often the case for the Huskies in Big East play, they will dictate how this game goes. If they want to fall asleep early and let Marquette get ahead, then that’s what’s going to happen. Last year’s Huskies found a way to lose that game, though this year’s team is different.
For starters, they have Paige Bueckers, who has been sensational. Her 25 points on 10-16 shooting the last time these teams met wasn’t an anomaly. Bueckers is having an All-American type of campaign and would likely be a favorite to win Player of the Year if Caitlin Clark didn’t exist. Bueckers has a way of making everyone around her better and has done just that this season. After returning from an ACL tear, there was an adjustment period that coincided with the Huskies losing those three games. Bueckers is looking like herself and Connecticut has looked better for it.
Ashlynn Shade is also starting to hit her stride. Though it took her 19 shots to get to 21 points against DePaul, the increased confidence is encouraging. She was essentially nonexistent to start the year, but the injuries thrust her into the role as the team’s volume shooter. Shade went 0-4 from deep the last time the teams saw each other and she’ll look to redeem herself this time.
Regardless of who steps up, UConn needs to not overlook this game. They got into the habit of losing against middling conference teams last year and they cannot look ahead to a marquee matchup against Notre Dame. Because if they do, Marquette has a chance.
The game can be viewed on SNY and will tip off at 7 p.m.