There’s nothing better than a top 10 matchup in college basketball.
Wait, yes there is. A top 10 matchup in November – between two teams who have never met before – at a neutral site.
The top-ranked UConn women’s basketball team (4-0) squares off with No. 6 Michigan (4-0) at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21.
Below are two storylines to watch for the Huskies and an opponent scout of the Wolverines.
Storylines to Watch for No. 1 Connecticut (4-0)
Three-point shooting: It was better against the Buckeyes (12-for-27 from behind the arc, 36% of the team’s shots), but the Huskies still rank 111th in three-point percentage nationally (.333) and average only 22.5 attempts per game from deep (124th).
Head coach Geno Auriemma knows it, and he wants to fix it.
“I thought we would be a little bit ahead of where we are now in how many threes we would take and how many we would make,” Auriemma said. “[We need to be] taking more of them and making more of them.”
As it usually does, the Huskies’ three-point shooting will start with Azzi Fudd. The graduate wing is 12-of-26 (.462) from deep this season, with no other player having even half as many makes as Fudd from behind the line.
“That’s a good question,” Fudd said when asked about the team’s inconsistency from deep. “I don’t know, but I would love to take and make more threes, I like the sound of that.”
As would the rest of the team, who has combined for 18 makes from deep on 64 attempts.
An improvement – or a stabilization, rather – of the team’s three-point shooting would elevate the Husky offense to unparalleled heights. Look for an effort in that category against Michigan.
Clean and composed basketball: It’s tough. Playing with a clear mind is tough when tens of thousands of fans are screaming at you to do one thing while your coach is pointing at you to do another. It’s even tougher when that happens in your first game in the Basketball Capital of the World.
Add in the accelerated tempo the Huskies play at, and it’s understandable why the transition from Wisconsin to Connecticut hasn’t been without turbulence for Serah Williams.
“It’s a different game,” Williams admitted. “The flow of the game is just different.”
But the true senior has begun to look more and more comfortable on the block for the Huskies, even if the stat sheet doesn’t show it.
Williams played with noticeably more composure against Ohio State, finishing on five of her seven field goal attempts for a season-high 12 points in 14 minutes.
“She has this overactive personality that wants to please and wants to do so well and make a huge statement,” Auriemma said with a laugh. “Blanca (Quiñonez) is the same way. They want to earn their checks on every possession. Relax, dude – just play.”
Just play.
It’s something that Williams has internalized as well.
“I think being aggressive – but really aggressive sometimes – makes me come off a little quicker than I intend to be.”
Catch, gather and go up. Simple in philosophy, difficult to replicate.
Opponent Scout: No. 6 Michigan Wolverines (4-0)
Auriemma didn’t mince any words about the Wolverines after the Huskies’ win over Ohio State last Sunday.
“Based on the little bit I’ve seen of Michigan, they will be for sure the best team we play this year – by a long shot – at this time in the season. They’re talented, they’re smart, they’re well balanced, they play exceptionally well together, they’re really well coached.”
He’s had four days to ruminate about Kim Barnes Arico’s squad – to study its movement, its ball screen defense and its terrifyingly efficient guard play – and he still feels the same way.
“There’s a reason they are where they are,” Auriemma said. “They’re a really, really good team. They’ve got a lot of really good young players and they’ve got a style of play that’s really fun for their kids to play.”
That “style of play” he mentioned refers to Michigan’s breakneck offensive tempo, which ranks in the 87th percentile nationally. The Wolverines average 76.8 possessions per 40 minutes and have ran by – and oftentimes through – opponents in transition.
“You’ve got to be ready to play fast,” Fudd said. “Fast, but to our tempo. Don’t let them speed us up but still play quick how we’d like to.”
The Wolverines stomped on then-No. 18 Notre Dame last Saturday, beating the Irish 93-54 at Wayne State Field House. Michigan forced seven Hannah Hidalgo turnovers, held the Irish to a 28% mark from the field (and 9% from behind the arc) and erupted for 16 straight points in the fourth quarter.
They’ve also hung 100 points on Canisus and 120 on Binghampton. Michigan’s offense currently ranks fourth in the nation in points per game (99.2) and sixth in offensive rating (127.1).
And it all stems from the backcourt. The starting guard trio of Olivia Olson, Mila Holloway and Syla Swords all average over 12 points per game and have combined for 44.5% of the Wolverines’ 397 points thus far.
But the frontcourt isn’t terrible either, especially considering the Wolverines’ penchant for transition offense. Six-foot-two Ashley Sofilkanich is the fourth of five double-digit scorers littered across the Michigan roster and is the most consistent piece down low.
She’ll battle with the Strong and Williams combination – as well as any other lineups Auriemma throws out there.