Finally, A Test For Geno and Co.
The Story: The No. 2-ranked women’s basketball team is back from finals and will be facing its first ranked team of the season when it plays at old (and future) friends No. 16-ranked DePaul tonight in Chicago. The game is going to be broadcast on FS1, so please don’t call your local newspaper looking for the channel!
A STIFFER TEST: DePaul is 9-1 on the season and is ranked, and it’s incredibly the first ranked team the Huskies have played this year. Usually, the Huskies take on all comers at all times of the year, but with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Virginia, Vanderbilt and California all in down years, the Huskies don’t have that big test in the early season. That ends tonight when the Huskies play a very good team. UConn will have plenty of opportunities in the new year to play top-shelf teams such as Oregon, South Carolina, Baylor and Tennessee, but right now, DePaul is their first look at a quality opponent.
HAMMER MEETS NAIL ONCE AGAIN? We all know Geno Auriemma and DePaul coach Doug Bruno are good friends from back in the Big East days and the two have had a great time coaching against each other in the last 30 years. Here’s the thing, though: We can’t remember DePaul actually beating the Huskies. UConn holds a 16-1 edge all-time over the Blue Demons. The one alleged loss was in 1983, before anyone in the state of Connecticut knew UConn had a women’s basketball team. This is a non-conference matchup for the Huskies until next year, when they will join the new Big East and get the Blue Demons on the schedule once again. Bruno is 0-16 against his good friend Geno.
WHAT DID GENO SAY: “I’ve often thought, ‘What am I going to say to him, what is he going to say to me, the first time they beat us?’” Auriemma said. “The reason why they still play us, when a lot of people don’t want to play us, [Bruno] says, ‘How am I ever going to beat them if I don’t play them?’ So, it doesn’t matter to him that they’ve lost [16] straight [or] whatever it’s been all these years. He’s like, ‘We’re going to get the next one.’ And if we beat them Monday night, he’ll go, ‘I can’t wait till next year. Now we got two shots at you.’”
SHOULD FANS BE WORRIED? YES! UConn is No. 2 in the country and has a history of gaudy rankings and streaks since the last millennium. The Huskies are undefeated, but they’re not quite as dominant as they have been. So, dare we say, we think the Huskies are a bit overrated right now. The Huskies gave up 78 points to Seton Hall in their last outing and other “close games” against Cal, Ohio State and even Vandy. DePaul’s lone loss was to No. 4 Oregon State in November. It will be the biggest home game of the year for the Blue Demons, who have a legitimate shot to beat the Huskies. Chante Stonewall leads the Blue Demons at 17.1 points per game with Sonya Morris at 16.6 points per game. The Blue Demons have a versatile offense with four players averaging double-digits in points with another nearing that mark. They’ll jack up their 3s, too, so UConn’s perimeter defense better be on point.
Who Were the Best Players of the 2010s?
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Morning Reads
WHAT DO THE STATS SAY? UConn is getting better in Dan Hurley‘s second year, but there is a lot of improvement needed according to advanced metrics. (Hartford Courant)
THINGS NEED TO CHANGE WITH FOOTBALL: There’s a lot that needs to change around the football program, and not just on the field. (Hartford Courant)
WALKER COMMITS: Center Sidney Walker, a sophomore at Kilgore Community College, will transfer to UConn and join the football program next season. (Sidney Walker on Twitter)
