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The UConn Daily Tournament Challenge
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The UConn Daily’s NCAA tournament pools are well underway!
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Huskies Hit the Road, Looking for Titles…
The Story: The women’s basketball team departed for and arrived in Tampa yesterday afternoon as it prepares for its 12th consecutive Final Four appearance and continues its attempt to win a 12th national championship.
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL: Although Geno Auriemma acknowledged that most teams would love to be playing into late March with only two losses, he believes the Huskies have truly had to fight to make it as far as they did.
“It’s odd in a lot of ways,” he told reporters yesterday morning on a conference call. “It’s odd because what would be viewed as a magical season at every single school in America except ours. This is a struggle, man. [At] 35-2, I don’t know how they managed to do this. I have no idea how they managed because it’s so unlike them. I mean, two losses in one year — It’s remarkable that they’re in the Final Four with two losses. It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever experienced.
“But it’s commonplace here. I’m thrilled that there’s this feeling of joy because these accomplishments are meant to be celebrated. I do think our fan base has become spoiled. I do think they’ve lost sense of reality. Hopefully, this year, they realize this is really hard. The fact that we’re going to 12 straight Final Fours, that shouldn’t mean that it’s easy or we should expect to be there every single year by birthright. So I’m glad people are reacting the way they’re reacting. It’s about time.”
FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT: The Huskies will be playing Notre Dame for the 50th time, and though they won eight of the last nine meetings — including the 89-71 win in South Bend on Dec. 2 — Geno doesn’t believe that there’s much that can be taken from the history of the series.
“I don’t think that a game that you play in December is really going to tell you a whole lot about a game that you play in the Final Four,” he said. “There was [2012-13] when [Breanna Stewart] was here, we played Notre Dame, I think we lost to them three times in the same year, then beat them really good in the Final Four. That Final Four game had nothing in common with the previous three games.
“That was the case this weekend when we played Louisville. I think when you play somebody once, you do get a feel for who they are, what they are. But we already know that. We play them every year. We certainly have come to know them and respect them, admire how they play. There isn’t anything that you’re going to be able to come up with and go, ‘I think I got an idea. I think we can show them something they’ve not seen before.’ I don’t know that you can do that. I think that this time of the year you got to go in and outplay them. That’s not easy for anybody to do.”
READY FOR WILLIAMS: Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said there is one lesson the Fighting Irish can take from the previous meeting with UConn: A plan for Christyn Williams. The freshman scored a season-high 28 points in that game and surprised nearly everyone with her scoring outburst. McGraw said this time, Notre Dame will be ready.
“That was the best game of her career,” McGraw said on the same teleconference. “I don’t think we’ll find a better game on film to watch to see how good she can be. I think we can take a lot from that game.”
Could Collier Go No. 1 Overall?
The Story: Even though she has been overlooked for a number of national player of the year awards, WNBA analysts and coaches believe there’s a real chance the Las Vegas Aces could take Napheesa Collier with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft a week from today.
PLAYING COY? Interestingly, Aces coach Bill Laimbeer dodged specific discussion over Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson on a conference call with reporters yesterday afternoon, but said he has long been pleased with the quality of players who come out of UConn.
“Both [are] coming in as quality trained basketball players,” he said. “They play in a high-intensity environment. They play basketball the right way — involving all your teammates. They play on both sides of the ball. They understand how to play basketball, and that’s a huge factor in any basketball player.
“If you understand the game of basketball and how to play basketball, that’s a solid plus. There’s athletes playing basketball and there’s basketball players, and the people that come out of Connecticut are basketball players.”
As for who he would pick No. 1 overall? Louisville’s Asia Durr, Mississippi State’s Teaira McCowan. “and then, yeah, go pick somebody. There’s about three or four of them that are all in that boat to add on.”
SCOUTING REPORT: Analyst Kara Lawson said one of Collier’s greatest attributes will be that she’s polished and won’t be a risk for whichever team drafts her.
“Napheesa Collier is in the conversation for me to be the best player in the draft,” Lawson said on the conference call. “She’s somebody who’s very complete, and I think what she does well translates at the next level. She’s somebody who can score very easily. She’s somebody who can score with the basketball. She’s somebody whomoves very well without the basketball, which is a very important trait when I look at players trying to make the transition. A lot of players with a lot of production are used to being the center of an offense, and one of the adjustments you have to make is you go to a league with 12 teams, and with players that are unique, and you have to find a way to make an impact without the basketball in your hands. That will not be a challenge for Napheesa.
“I got a chance to watch her with the USA team and observe her in practices with the national team before the season. She came very close to making that world championship team, and any of the questions that I had about maybe her size or just her ability were answered for me there because she was doing it against some of the better players in the WNBA. So I think she’s — I think you know what you’re going to get with her. Depending on how valuable that is to certain teams, I think she might be one of the easier players to project in the draft.”
LONG CAREER AWAITS: Minnesota Lynx coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve, who has won four of the last eight WNBA titles, was likewise effusive with her praise for Collier.
Although she thinks Collier is a bit undersized to play with her back to the basket professionally, she believes she has the ability to settle in as a decent small forward with whichever team selects her.
“I think she’s shown the ability from a length standpoint and her ability to rebound the ball and deflect,” Reeve said. “This is a quality basketball player that will have her work cut out for her as a small forward in this league, but I saw her do that for the national team. This is a player that’s going to do well for a long, long time and have a great career in the WNBA.”
Morning Reads
MINNESOTA NICE: Even though Paige Bueckers, the top junior in the country, publicly committed to the women’s basketball team Monday night, she said she actually told Geno Auriemma of her decision a while ago. (Journal Inquirer)
STAGS PARTY: The baseball team allowed a season-high 19 hits in a 10-3 home loss to Fairfield yesterday afternoon. (UConnHuskies.com)
IT’S TOO EASY: Marybeth Olsen pitched a no-hitter in the first game and the softball team hit three home runs in the second game as the Huskies won 11-0 and 17-1 in a doubleheader at Hartford. (UConnHuskies.com)
GREEN WITH ENVY: The women’s lacrosse team lost 18-9 at Dartmouth last night after falling behind by seven goals at halftime. (UConnHuskies.com)
