A Heartbreaking Loss and ‘Unfinished Business’
The Story: A gut-wrenching loss to Arizona in the Final Four on Friday meant the end of the season for the UConn women, who we can all argue overachieved this season and will be primed for a big season this fall with the return of Evina Westbrook.
DON’T CRY BECAUSE IT’S OVER … : The Huskies were smothered by the Wildcats on Friday night, losing 69-59 in a game in which they never led and were down by as many as 14 points. We’re not going to rehash all of the details because, well, they were pretty brutal and the game was on Friday. We were left wondering, though, what might have been last night while watching Stanford squeak out a win in the national title game. How would the teams have matched up? We’ll never know.
… SMILE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED: We know it was one hell of a topsy-turvy season, and all things considered, if you had said in September the Huskies would go 28-2 and reach the Final Four, even Geno Auriemma would probably take that offer. We had a chance to see the emergence of an incredible player in Paige Bueckers, another budding star in Aaliyah Edwards made her presence felt and a cast of freshmen endured themselves to their fans in an unprecedented way. The Huskies were fun to watch, and we know Geno found them fun to coach. And they’ll get to run it back next year, too, with no seniors on the team, Westbrook choosing to return and three incoming freshmen who are pretty talented in their own right.
WESTBROOK’S BACK: Although we don’t really know how much thought went into the decision, Westbrook wrote last night on Instagram that she has “unfinished business,” and the school confirmed that means she will not leave for the WNBA. Players who have been in college for four years and those who are turning 22 this year are eligible to enter the draft, and Westbrook checks both boxes. She had until last night to enter the WNBA Draft or choose to return to the Huskies, and she has chosen to stay in Storrs.
SOMEWHAT OF A SURPRISE: Westbrook’s comment is spot-on, but we still thought a player who spent two years at Tennessee, sat out a transfer season at UConn and then played fairly well this season would have departed for the pro ranks. She was getting plenty of pre-draft buzz, as just two weeks ago ESPN suggested she would be a top-five pick. It’s all for naught at this stage.
RIPPLE EFFECTS: It’s not as simple as saying the Huskies will be the same team next season, as the addition of three players will change the dynamic a bit. Bueckers’ emergence as the point guard since Day 1 left Westbrook playing much more off the ball than she ever had, and while she adapted to that role fairly well, what changes will need to be made when one of the greatest pure shooters in Azzi Fudd and another capable wing in Caroline Ducharme enter the fray? That might not matter a ton to Westbrook, but it may matter to other players who found minutes hard to come by this season. It’ll be interesting to see what shakes out, but in any case, the Huskies are the overwhelming favorites to take home the title.
ANOTHER FOR THE TROPHY CASE: Bueckers was named the player of the year by the Associated Press last week, and in recent days, she also picked up the Naismith and Drysdale awards. She may not be able to run the table with national championships, but maybe she can on an individual basis.
Morning Reads
FIELD HOCKEY ON A HOT STREAK: The field hockey team won its fifth-straight game with a 3-0 victory over Villanova. Cheyenne Sprecher led the shutout in goal for the No. 7-ranked Huskies. (UConnHuskies.com)
WSOC BEATS SETON HALL IN OT: Lucy Cappadona scored in overtime as the women’s soccer team knocked off Seton Hall 2-1. The Huskies are 8-2-1 and 6-2-1 in the Big East. (UConnhuskies.com)
BASEBALL SWEEPS UMASS: The baseball team swept UMass went above .500 after sweeping a doubleheader against UMass on Saturday. The Huskies won 11-3 and 7-1. (The UConn Blog)
