The second-seeded UConn women’s basketball team (32-3) will play its final game this season inside Gampel Pavilion by playing host to the No. 10 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits (30-3) on Monday night.
The 8 p.m. tip-off will punch the 15 out of 16 tickets to the regional rounds in either Spokane, Wash. or Birmingham, Ala. The winner of Monday night’s game will play the winner of No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 6 Iowa in Spokane on either Thursday or Friday night.
Connecticut comes into tonight’s game fresh off a 69-point win over No. 15 Arkansas State, defeating the Red Wolves 103-34 on Saturday afternoon. Azzi Fudd led all scorers with 27 points (21 coming in the first half), with Sarah Strong (20), Ashlynn Shade (20) and Paige Bueckers (11) all reaching double-digits in the blow-out win.
South Dakota State University (SDSU) grabbed its 30th win of the season by defeating No. 7 seed and previously ranked Oklahoma State (25-7) in the night-cap inside Gampel Pavilion.
Junior forward Brooklyn Meyer led the Jackrabbits in scoring and was one of four South Dakota State players to reach double-digits in the upset win over the Cowgirls.
Meyer poses a formidable interior threat as a scorer, averaging 17.4 points in the season and 13.4 paint points per night. The standout junior has also seen increases in her average rebounds per game over her last five outings, grabbing one more offensive board and nearly two more defensive boards per night on the glass.
There are four other notable scorers that the Jackrabbits roll out on offense, including wiry senior leader Paige Meyer (12.2, no relation), junior guards Haleigh Timmer (13.1), Madison Mathiowetz (8.9) and freshman forward Katie Vasecka (8.5). The offense as a whole averages 76.3 points per game, 18.9 of which coming from its bench.
The Jackrabbits ran through the Summit League, going 16-0 in regular season conference play before winning by an average of 21.6 points per game in its conference tournament.
Head coach Aaron Johnston’s squad also recorded regular season wins over Wisconsin, Creighton and Oregon — the latter two of which were ranked at the time. The Jackrabbits’ three losses came to Duke (4), Georgia Tech (14) and Texas (46) — all NCAA Tournament teams.
Sporting one of the nation’s top scoring offenses, South Dakota State prefers to slow the tempo down and work the ball through its sets, predicated on getting the ball down into the hands of its playmakers.
The Jackrabbits are also one of America’s most efficient shooting teams, notching an impressive 54.8 EFG% this season. Connecticut’s mark of 58% is one of the few better in the country.
Both teams are spectacular on the defensive glass (UC 27.3 DREB/G, SDSU 29), but at times struggle on the offensive boards (both averaging around 10 OREB/G). Look for the Huskies to push the tempo in transition after grabbing a defensive rebound in an attempt to stress the Jackrabbits’ lack of turnovers per game.
Where this game will be won:
Down low. The Huskies must win the battle on the defensive interior — slowing down Meyer in the paint — and limit SDSU offensive rebounds.
Pushing the tempo while in the lead. Look for Connecticut to run rampant in transition to combat the methodical Jackrabbit pace. Cash in on opportunities early and build a lead to force SDSU to play fast.