Less than two weeks ago, Geno Auriemma was preparing for a week-long trip to Germany for the No. 1 UConn women’s basketball team’s opener versus No. 20 Louisville at Ramstein Air Base.
He won’t need to pack his international travel brochure any longer. The game was moved back to the United States on Oct. 23 following the government shut down that started three weeks earlier.
Auriemma will instead take his top-ranked Huskies down to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. to take part in the Peraton Armed Forces Classic – a difference of over 3,400 miles from Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany.
“It would’ve been a really cool experience for the entire program,” Auriemma told the media. “But we live in a strange world right now, so the alternative is pretty darn good.”
What a strange world it is, Coach.
The Huskies, who open the season at No. 1 for the 13th time under Auriemma, will be without Paige Bueckers and Aubrey Griffin for the first time since 2020, but return three starters from a team that won 37 games and a national title.
Those returners include preseason All-Americans Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, Jana El Alfy, who started 27 games at center, and the trio of Ashlynn Shade, KK Arnold and Ice Brady, who combined for 112 appearances and 24 starts a year ago.
Serah Williams (Wisconsin) and Kayleigh Heckel (USC) filled two of the open roster spots through the transfer portal while freshmen Kelis Fisher, Blanca Quiñonez and Gandy Malou-Mamel rounded out the roster from the high school ranks.
The group forms what is widely considered to be the best scoring nucleus in the nation. Pairing that with Auriemma’s 41-year pedigree of winning, many believe a repeat is in the cards in Storrs.
But it won’t be easy, and it certainly won’t come without national attention. Connecticut has scheduled games with six teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, including bouts with bitter rivals Tennessee and Notre Dame in the heart of conference play.
Louisville – Walz’s Cardinals the ACC’s Stabilizer
Louisville, one of those six ranked squads, has made the NCAA Tournament in 16 of the last 18 years under Jeff Walz.
The Cardinals will be buoyed by a band of talented guards and a solid base of young, developing talent that features seven sophomores and three freshmen.
“Last year when we played them, a lot of their best players were freshmen,” Auriemma said. “Now those kids are sophomores, so I think it’ll be a great test for our players.”
Point guard Tajianna Roberts is arguably the most talented of the bunch, having averaged 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a freshman last season. She’ll be matched up with Arnold on the perimeter.
Imari Berry and Peyton Bradley are two other backcourt names to watch. Bradley averaged 28.2 points and 4.6 assists as a senior in high school and is in line to make her first collegiate start matched up against Fudd.
The Cardinals’ wings and frontcourt pieces include Arizona State transfer Skylar Jones, St. Joseph’s transfer Laura Ziegler and freshman Grace Mbugua.
Exploiting the Cardinals’ lack of cohesion down low will be paramount for the Huskies, who return 79 combined starts from Strong, El Alfy and Brady, respectively.
Connecticut is 20-3 all-time versus Louisville. The Huskies defeated the Cardinals 85-52 last December at the Barclays Center. It’ll be the fourth time in five matchups that the two will meet at a neutral site.
Projected Starters and Storylines to Watch for Connecticut:
KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade, Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong, Serah Williams.
The depth of the backcourt could disperse minutes fairly evenly. Look for a multitude of different lineups using combinations of Arnold, Shade, Heckel, Allie Ziebell and Kelis Fisher.
Auriemma revealed his plan to have two of Fudd, Strong and Williams on the court with each other at all times after the team’s exhibition over Southern Connecticut. Whether or not that happens could depend on the Huskies’ success on the glass.
Ayanna Patterson returned to full health this off season and will presumably make her first on-court appearance in 955 days.
“I didn’t want [the injuries] to be what was written about my college career,” Patterson said. “I want to write my own story and write it the right way.”
On the people who helped her the most during her recovery:
“Caroline helped me along the way with anything [I needed] and kept me motivated,” Patterson said. “And then, of course, my family did a tremendous job keeping me grounded and helping me get out of those low spaces.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on ESPN.