Senior night: The only universal college basketball event where teams honor their seniors who have provided four years of service. With COVID-19 and the transfer portal, senior night looks a little different than it used to. Now, players frequently have not spent all their years with the team and have extra eligibility beyond their four academic years. This was not your typrical senior night for the No. 15 University of Connecticut women’s basketball team.
For starters, the seniors were honored after the game, unlike the typical pre-game ceremony. The next oddity was that all of the seniors who participated had the option to return for another year. That definitely put the night in a bizarre light. Lastly, the contest wasn’t the team’s final on-campus game. They still have one more. Aaliyah Edwards, Paige Bueckers, Nika Mühl and injured fifth-year Aubrey Griffin were all honored, with the first three starting, as usual.
As for the actual game that happened, it wasn’t much of one at all. The Huskies took on Georgetown on a night more about the seniors. The Hoyas jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first 80 seconds, but that was as close they got to anything competitive. Bueckers hit a jumper, KK Arnold drilled a three and all of a sudden, Connecticut scored 12 straight.
And they didn’t stop there. The seniors and Arnold continued to pour it on, with Mühl’s triple at the horn establishing an 18-point lead after a quarter. The second period saw Bueckers score eight points as UConn ballooned their advantage to 26 points going into the half. That just about ended any question of the matchup’s outcome.
The Huskies won by 41 but didn’t extend their lead until the fourth quarter. The biggest difference in the stat sheet was on the glass, with Connecticut outrebounding the Hoyas 45-28. The primary contributor to that total? That would be Edwards.
The All-American forward was electric on a day where she was honored, notching 26 points and 16 boards. And all it took was 16 shots for her to get there. In a game where no one player was essential to the victory, Edwards was clearly the best player on the court.
“I think it’s the confidence she’s playing with now, the energy she’s playing with,” coach Geno Auriemma said of the difference. “There’s a different look to her, a different approach. It’s hard work in practice. I fully expect she can continue working on this for as long as we go after the regular season.”
Bueckers, arguably the most notable senior being honored, didn’t have her most efficient game but still managed to steal Edwards’ thunder. She scored 21 points on 19 tries and added eight assists. Her senior night speech sent Gampel Pavilion into its loudest roar of the night.
“Unfortunately…this will not be my last senior night here,” Bueckers said to the crowd postgame, faking them out initially.
When speaking to the media afterward, she elaborated on her choice.
“I felt like it would be a burden lifted off my shoulders,” Bueckers said. “To address the crowd that I love so much, I appreciate so much. These guys are my sisters. I thought it was a great time to do it.”
When healthy, Bueckers is one of the most electric UConn players in recent history, so her return is tremendous for the program. And Griffin announced she’s coming back, too. That returning firepower is more important than any game outcome.
“To be honest with you, [Bueckers] never said she was leaving, and she never said she was staying,” Auriemma said postgame. “It changes the whole dynamic of things. There’s a lot of excitement about having a full lineup.”
Reflecting on the past few years, Auriemma discussed what could have been and what’s ahead with who is returning.
“With Aubrey, Paige, it’s like BYU East out here,” he said. “The great unknown is no pandemic, no injuries; what could it have been these past four years. The stars lined up wrong, then all of a sudden, they lined up right. It allows us to take advantage of these unique opportunities. I just want it to work out for them, I really do.”
As for the other two, Auriemma sees a return as unlikely but didn’t rule anything out.
“I think Nika’s looking forward to the next step in her career, from what I gather,” he said. “It’s weird that all of them have the opportunity to play again. I would be surprised [if she stayed].”
Edwards confirmed that there’s no decision coming soon but didn’t indicate which way she’s leaning.
“I think we’re trying to stay present,” said Edwards. “We have a lot of basketball to play. There’s a time and place for us to decide, and that’s at the end of the season.”
All said it was a night that went far beyond the 40 minutes of basketball that were played. Fans have renewed hope of an all-time UConn team next year to tide them through the rest of this campaign. But until then, this season’s team still has four games plus a postseason to get through.
They won’t get much time to rest, playing No. 20 Creighton at noon in Hartford on Monday. The Bluejays lost to the Huskies by 44 at home in the game; Griffin was injured. It likely won’t be so uncompetitive, but there’s no reason to expect Connecticut to lose until the NCAA tournament.