The battle of the blue bloods is set to begin.
The No. 2 University of Connecticut women’s basketball program will travel to Michigan Thursday to take on the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines. While it’s the first time the Huskies have traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., it’s not the first time these programs have gone head-to-head to face one another.
The last time these two foes faced one another was last November in the Invesco QQQ Women’s Hall of Fame Showcase. In what ended up being a down-to-the-wire matchup, the Huskies won the game, 72-69.
Ahead of that matchup, head coach Geno Auriemma said that at the time, Michigan was the toughest opponent they had faced so far.
“Based on what I’ve seen from Michigan, they will be, for sure, the best team we play this year; by a long shot, at this time in the season,” Auriemma said.
Now, as the Huskies gear up to face them again, it’s another highly anticipated matchup as a part of the Huskies’ slate. While the last time these two squads faced off brought a 31-point for Azzi Fudd and a 20-rebound night for Sarah Strong, the Huskies had to weather a few hurdles to get there.
One of those hurdles on the Wolverines roster was Syla Swords, who is currently in her junior campaign. As Swords worked to cut her team’s deficit against the Huskies, she kept nailing shots beyond the arc, racking up a total of 29 points while playing the entire 40-minute game on the hardwood.
Another tall task for the Huskies came with defending Swords’ teammate Olivia Olson who collected a double-double consisting of 18 points and 10 rebounds.
“They went to their strengths, you know, and we went to ours, and we just had enough at the end to put it away,” Auriemma said postgame last November after the win against the Wolverines.
Now, the Huskies will lean on their strengths again in the matchup. This time, these strengths will look a little different.
Strong is coming off a dominant sophomore year, capped off by bringing the National Player of the Year trophy. In Connecticut’s season opener versus Cornell, the North Carolina native racked up a career high of eight steals.
Against Cornell and alongside Strong, Jovana Popovic was the anchor for the Huskies’ defense. With this season being her freshman year, Popovic is a player the Wolverines haven’t faced off against.
“She plays at a pace that all good players play,” Auriemma said after UConn’s first preseason game against Syracuse when asked about Popovic. “She doesn’t get sped up. She doesn’t lose her composure out there. She knows what she’s good at.”
Along with Strong and Popovic, the Huskies will also have Blanca Quiñonez at their disposal. Quiñonez returned to the court in the season opener against Cornell, after missing UConn’s three-game exhibition series due to rehabbing a shoulder injury.
With Strong, Popovic and Quiñonez on the court, it’ll prove to be a tall task for the Wolverines to defend.
“She just gives us a different look out there. She gives us a different dimension,” Auriemma said on Monday when asked about Quiñonez. “When she and Sarah are on the floor together, there’s a lot of chemistry between the two of them.”
As the Huskies officially start their competitive non-conference slate against Michigan, defeating the Wolverines will be a cheat code for Connecticut to utilize, especially with tougher opponents like South Carolina on the horizon.
“They have a style of play that I think is fun to watch,” Auriemma said when asked about the Michigan matchup. “They’re well coached and I’m sure they’re incredibly good at home because that’s what all good teams are.”
Tip-off between these two programs is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Husky fans can tune in to the matchup on FS1.