We’re back to the Big East. The No. 15 UConn women’s basketball team returns to conference play for good this season after losing 65-83 to No. 1 South Carolina. This time around, they’re playing Xavier, and It would not be an understatement to say that two teams couldn’t get more different than the Gamecocks and the Musketeers.
The Gamecocks are undefeated and are clearly the best team in the country, while Xavier is the opposite. Of every high-major in the country, they are the worst, which is likely not the start that first-year coach Melanie Moore envisioned. The NET rankings have them at No. 309. The next worst sits at No. 231, and that’s if you consider Wichita State of the American Conference a high-major women’s basketball school.
The Musketeers have one win to their name, which does not pair well with their 20 losses. The lone win came at home against SIU Edwardsville in a contest that wasn’t close. They’ve even managed to look out of place in the Big East, which has traditionally had a lower floor than the rest of the high-major conferences. Xavier hosted Butler earlier this year, the next worst team in the conference, and managed to lose by 33.
Unsurprisingly, their offense is horrendous. They average just over 50 points per game, which is the seventh-worst in the country and their best scorer is Nila Blackford, who has played at least three quarters of the team’s games. Blackford scores just eight points and grabs eight boards per game, but the fact that she has been the team’s most consistent scorer is not impressive.
Their best player is Mackayla Scarlett, who has played in 15 games this season. She boasts a team-high average of 14.7 points per game to go along with a pair of steals. The Bronx native has spent all four of her seasons in Cincinnati, steadily improving her numbers each year.
The Musketeers also hold an NCAA-bottom 50 points-against average of 70.7 points allowed per game. This means that their average game is a 20-point blowout, which shouldn’t be a tough hurdle for a team like UConn to overcome.
The Huskies are coming off their fifth loss of the year, but this one felt different from the rest. As the season has progressed and they’ve lost more players to injuries, their title hopes have dwindled. A loss to a team as good as the Gamecocks in this fashion feels like the final nail in the coffin in that regard, which is why Big East play is so important.
Connecticut has been completely dominant in conference play, and has not yet been threatened by any opponent. Xavier is the only team they have not played this season. The Huskies are 12-0 against Big East competition, and their smallest margin of victory came against St. John’s in a game that was never truly in doubt. The Red Storm kept coming back to close the scoring margin, but never came within more than seven points.
The key for UConn in this game will be getting the starters their confidence back as well as getting a ton of rest. Nobody, except for perhaps Aaliyah Edwards, had a game to be proud of on Sunday against the Gamecocks. They would benefit tremendously from a contest where they click on all cylinders and the subs can check in before the third quarter. They need the breather, especially with their upcoming tight schedule.
Ashlynn Shade is one such starter in desperate need of confidence. The freshman had a bounce-back effort against Seton Hall after a multiple-week cold streak and hoped to build on it against South Carolina. She instead went 2-11 from beyond the arc. It can be tough for a shooter to stay composed after missing so much, but the great ones keep shooting until they fall. There is no better opponent to find some breathing room and get the rhythm back against than the Musketeers.
Paige Bueckers would also benefit from an improved night. She too had an inefficient game on Sunday, going 8-20 from the field. It was more about being the focal point for the opposing defense and fatigue than a bad night per se, but either way, a good outing would go a long way for her.
The not-so-much-of-a contest will tip off at 7 p.m. and can be viewed locally on SNY.