CLEVELAND — It wasn’t pretty, but the UConn women’s basketball team is back where it belongs – in the Final Four.
For the 23rd time in school history, UConn is among the last four teams standing. This year was unlike the rest, however. Accustomed to being the top dogs, this edition of the Huskies was an underdog; a team that beat the odds by playing its best basketball in the biggest moments.
The 2024 UConn women’s team was a No. 3 seed in the tournament, the program’s lowest seed since 2005. It didn’t matter. The Huskies crushed Jackson State in the Round of 64 and snuck past Syracuse in the Round of 32.
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After building a sizable third-quarter lead against Duke, UConn survived a late rally and then shocked the college basketball world on Monday evening by defeating top-seeded Southern California 80-73.
To truly appreciate what this team has achieved, one must acknowledge the obstacles this group of women, led by Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, has overcome. The greatest challenge facing this year’s team has been without question injuries.
Overcoming injuries and a short rotation
After missing all the 2022-2023 season and most of the 2021-2022 season with knee injuries, redshirt junior point guard Paige Bueckers, a one-time Naismith National Player of the Year, returned to form this season, earning First-Team All-American status again.
During the first four rounds of March Madness, Bueckers put the team on her back, averaging 28 points in the process of becoming the Most Outstanding Player of the Portland 3 Region. Unfortunately, many of her teammates have had to watch her clutch performances from the bench.
UConn is without five players who would have either started or served as key rotational pieces.
The injury bug began last July when highly touted incoming freshman center Jana El Alfy ruptured her Achilles tendon in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Spain. She missed the entire season.
The bad luck continued with an injury to sophomore forward Ayanna Patterson, who never appeared in a game this season. She underwent knee surgery in December. Then, in mid-November phenom junior guard Azzi Fudd suffered ACL and medial meniscal tears in her right knee after a noncontact injury in practice. Fudd missed the remainder of the season.
On Dec. 3, Aubrey Griffin, a fifth-year senior, tore the ACL in her left knee, requiring season-ending surgery, and in January, it was announced that junior guard Caroline Ducharme, formerly a top-five recruit, would miss the rest of the season after sustaining multiple head and neck injuries.
UConn has been forced to play with eight players, relying heavily on Bueckers and senior forward Aaliyah Edwards, who scored 24 points against Southern California.
Not being able to beat high-level competition (until Monday night)
Prior to UConn’s upset win over Southern California on Monday, the Huskies had been unable to beat the top teams in the country. Four of UConn’s losses came to Top 15 opponents; all five losses came by double digits.
UConn’s lack of success in the regular season against high-level competition was a primary reason the team received a three-seed in a region in Portland, Ore. rather than a higher seed in a region closer to home such as Albany, as has traditionally been the case.
The UConn women made no excuses. They handled business as the higher seed in their first three March Madness games before taking down No. 1 seed Southern California on Monday in convincing fashion, leading for most of the game.
The Elite Eight win was the team’s first win of the season against a truly elite opponent, but the competition is only rising. UConn hopes it can secure two more tough wins this weekend, beginning with Caitlin Clark’s Iowa squad on Friday night.
Key players to watch
Paige Bueckers
As mentioned, Bueckers has elevated her game during March Madness, averaging 28 points per contest, six more than her regular season average of 22. In the Elite Eight against Southern California, Bueckers scored 28 points, adding 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. She also hit three three-pointers on six attempts. By definition, Bueckers filled up the stat sheet on Monday.
What may have been even more impressive in the win vs. the favored Southern California Trojans was Bueckers’ defense against star freshman JuJu Watkins, a fellow First-Team All-American. Watkins did score a game-high 29 points but never found a rhythm from the field, shooting just two of six from long distance and nine of 25 from the field. She turned the ball over four times. Bueckers was able to transform those turnovers into fastbreak points. As UConn led late, Bueckers tightened her defense and sent UConn to the Final Four.
Aaliyah Edwards
Edwards has also stepped up during the NCAA tournament. Weeks after she announced she will enter the WNBA Draft at the conclusion of the season, she has saved some of her best basketball for the end of her UConn career, playing through a broken nose.
On Monday against Southern California, Edwards couldn’t be stopped down low. She scored a personal tournament-high 24 points with six rebounds, shooting an efficient seven of 13 from the field. Edwards also nailed 10 out of her 14 free throw attempts. No other Husky got to the line more than six times.
Overall, in this tournament, Edwards has averaged 16.8 points per game. She’s registered two double-doubles, coming against Jackson State and Syracuse. Most importantly, she’s stayed on the court to the best of her ability, dodging foul trouble to remain productive. When she had to sit, freshman forward Ice Brady played solid minutes in her place.
Nika Muhl
Another Husky who announced her decision to forgo her fifth season of eligibility to enter the WNBA after the tournament, Muhl remains the team’s defensive catalyst. When she fouled out against Syracuse, what was once a double-digit UConn lead dwindled to two points in mere minutes.
Muhl is not necessarily a dynamic scoring threat, but her defense is formidable, as is the effort she brings to every game. If there is a Husky most likely to dive on the floor for a loose ball, it is Muhl. Muhl is a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Despite her low scoring average of just 6.8 points per game, Muhl averaged 6.5 assists per game this season. Her 246 assists this season ranked second behind Caitlin Clark, the likely National Player of the Year whom UConn will face on Friday night. Muhl is the all-time assists leader for UConn women’s basketball.
Muhl is also a significant three-point threat. While she doesn’t look to shoot often, and typically keeps the mall moving, she shot 40% from three-point range this season. When Muhl is left open from beyond the arc, she can make opposing teams pay.
Ashlynn Shade
Shade, a top-level recruit, is a wild card. She has been thrust into the spotlight and the starting five this season due to all the injuries UConn has suffered. To her credit, she has played like an upperclassman.
While she only scored five points against Southern California, battling foul trouble, and zero points against Duke, she scored 19 in the Round of 32 win over Syracuse and 26 in the first round against Jackson State.
This season, Shade shot 36% from three-point range and 49% from the field. She is a capable scorer and must provide Bueckers, Edwards and Muhl with support on the offensive end if UConn is to compete with Iowa on Friday.
Ice Brady
Brady, a freshman, has also seen increased minutes on account of UConn’s injury trouble this season. Brady averaged 4.4 points per game during the regular season but has raised her game when called upon.
Against Southern California, Brady scored eight points in 19 minutes in the most important game of her career to date. In the Big East Tournament Championship game against Georgetown, Brady played the full 40 minutes and scored 13 points to go with eight rebounds.
If Edwards gets into foul trouble, Brady will be called upon, and she is more than capable of eating up valuable minutes in a high-stakes NCAA Tournament game.
KK Arnold
Arnold, another freshman, also saw more time on the court because of UConn’s injury problems. During the NCAA Tournament, she has seen time in the team’s starting five.
This season, Arnold averaged 8.8 points per game, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. During the tournament, she has been quiet at the offensive end, averaging just seven points per game but has secured four rebounds per game.
Arnold can provide a spark for the Huskies, who will need every ounce of offense they can get against Caitlin Clark, this generation’s best player, on Friday.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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