For the 31st consecutive time, the No. 2 seeded UConn women’s basketball team survived and advanced to play in the Sweet 16.
How did the program get there? Paige Bueckers. In the graduate guard’s last game in the Basketball Capital of the World, Bueckers, a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, tied a career high in points with 34 and a shooting split of 54/41/90, showing her tremendous accuracy from the field, beyond the arc and at the free throw line.
“It’s incredible to watch, but you almost feel sorry for other teams, because, you know, when Paige is locked in, like there’s nothing you can do to stop her,” said Azzi Fudd to the media postgame on Monday evening.
With this tremendous performance on the offensive side, the Huskies defeated the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 91-57 on Monday, March 24, in front of a sold-out crowd at Gampel Pavilion.
Next up on the docket for the Huskies will be the No. 3 seeded Oklahoma Sooners. These two programs will go head-to-head for a bout in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday afternoon.
The last time these two squads faced one another was on Dec. 22, 2019, where the Huskies won 97-53 at Mohegan Sun Arena. In this game, the current Husky Aubrey Griffin notched a total of 14 points in 14 minutes as a freshman. This matchup, at the time, was the tenth game ever that head coach Geno Auriemma missed in his tenure, as he could not attend due to surgery he was recovering from.
The current Sooners roster is coming off a 96-62 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday, where Skylar Vann scored 17 points.
In addition to Vann, a player the Huskies will need to keep an eye on is Raegan Beers, a 6-foot-4 center who is averaging 17.5 points per game. Beers was also named a WBCA, All-America finalist, along with Connecticut’s Bueckers and Sarah Strong. Without question, the Sooners are the toughest team Connecticut has faced in March Madness, especially with their size.
In their starting lineup, almost every single player is above 6-foot besides forward Sahara Williams.
To win, the Huskies will need to maintain their composure by the boards and take advantage of the turnovers from the Sooners, where Oklahoma averages 18.8 turnovers a game.
The Huskies will also need to take advantage of the Sooners getting themselves in foul trouble, as Oklahoma averages around 18.9 personal fouls a game.
All in all, it is set to be an exciting matchup as the Huskies take their third consecutive trip to the West. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. EST and Husky fans can tune into this matchup on ESPN.