The regular season is over in women’s college basketball, and what a year it has been for No. 9 UConn. As big of a struggle as their brutal nonconference slate was (7-5 record, with all five losses coming to current AP top 14 teams), the Huskies were completely lights out against the Big East.
And it hasn’t been close. In their 18 games of conference competition, they won each and every one by double figures. The closest margin of victory was 15 points in a home contest against St. John’s. The Big East is a conference that hasn’t been as strong this year as in previous ones. We’ll look into the Huskies a bit more depth later, but their foes have been weaker than usual.
Creighton, who is ranked in the top 25 and has been for most of the year, lost their two games to the Huskies by a combined 64 points. Marquette, who was ranked for much of the year and is a projected NCAA tournament team, lost to UConn by a combined 57 points. The conference’s fourth best team is Villanova, and they are currently projected to narrowly miss the tournament; UConn beat them by an aggregate 42 points. Of the squads UConn played twice, there is no team they beat by fewer than 40 points across the meetings. Not necessarily competitive.
The Huskies aren’t perfect themselves, either. Geno Auriemma’s squad has lost five players to season-ending injuries, leaving a thin set remaining. Thankfully for him, two of those remaining Huskies are among the best in the country.
Paige Bueckers’ resume speaks for itself, sweeping National Player of the Year awards in her freshman campaign. In her first fully healthy season since then, the guard has been incredible. Finding her footing as the season has gone, it appears Bueckers is only getting better. She’s averaging 20 points, 4 boards and 4 assists on the season, but has improved her scoring to 25.5 PPG over the last four outings. Keep in mind the most recent data-point was a blowout against Providence where she played just 23 minutes. She’s poised to be an All-American selection and has proven an ability to score at will.
Their other star is Aaliyah Edwards, who has taken another jump in her senior year. After being named an All-American last season, the Canadian has only improved on those figures. She has posted 17.5 points and 9.5 boards on incredible efficiency (59.4%). Edwards has been too much for anyone in the conference to handle, especially when playing the two-man game with Bueckers. The way the two have played off each other has been a game-changer and will be what wins them games in March.
As for the others, it’s anyone’s guess who will contribute to the scoring load on a nightly basis. Maybe it’ll be senior Nika Mühl, who hasn’t had issues passing (6.4 assists per game, good for seventh nationally) or defending. However, her scoring has been spottier even though her three-point efficiency has improved from last year. Mühl’s enthusiasm to shoot isn’t super high, hence why she’s stayed at her average of 7.1 PPG from her junior season.
Along with Mühl is the freshman pair of Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold, who have also been solid. Shade has shown the ability to step up in big moments and is also not afraid to take many shots. She’s taken 14 or more on five occasions, which has probably been a positive given how few people are willing to do so. This has also come with some off nights, but the best UConn can do is hope she’s on during the right moments.
Arnold has been experiencing the opposite issue, as she’s shown a hesitance to take threes. Her 34% mark from distance probably indicates that she should be attempting more than the two threes per game that she’s taking right now. She’s gotten some good looks, but has shown a preference to drive into the lane rather than take an open shot. In opening up her game and the floor for the Huskies, a higher willingness to shoot would go a long way.
Looking at the Big East Tournament, it’s probably not going to be interesting. We assessed the field and it’s clear that there aren’t any squads who have proven they can keep pace with Connecticut. The Huskies’ real obstacle will be the NCAA tournament, where they’ll be tested, particularly in the second weekend. Until then, this is a milestone they’ll need to get past and will serve as a nice opportunity to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
The games will be held just 45 minutes southeast of campus in Uncasville, CT at Mohegan Sun Arena. You can watch the Huskies on FS1 throughout the tournament, with game one coming against the winner of Butler-Providence at noon on Saturday, March 9. A victory there would put them in a faceoff against the winner of Villanova-Marquette at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday the March 10. Another triumph there would secure a spot in the finals at 7 p.m. on Monday.