Buckers Will Play More
The Story: The women’s basketball team will play in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament tomorrow and we are expecting the full Paige Bueckers experience.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Bueckers has played two games since returning and the Huskies have coasted to wins over St. John’s and DePaul. That said, we are expecting Geno Auriemma to do what he can to fine-tune his rotation during the Big East tournament as he works in the best player into the country.
• Bueckers played 15 minutes a game over the last two games but is going to get pushed in the Big East tournament.
GENO’S TASK: Geno has done a great job keeping the team afloat amid injuries by developing breakout stars such as Caroline Ducharme, Nika Muhl and Azzi Fudd. Now he has to find a place for all of them with Bueckers back in the fold. A team that was essentially down to eight healthy players now has proven depth and talent.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “I’m anxious to see how we hold up after three days, who steps up and whether we can play really, really well as a team or whether we can play great as a team and not have to rely too much on any one individual. It’s been five or six years since we’ve had the ability to put this many good players out on the floor. I hope it pays off.”
WILLIAMS’ TIME: Christyn Williams is entering her final go-around at UConn and has three Final Fours but no national titles in her trophy case. The Huskies are trying to continue their unbelievable streak of reaching a 14th consecutive Final Four. Someone has to step in and be a solid and consistent scoring threat, and outside of Bueckers, Williams leads the team with 14.1 points per game and had to pick up a lot of the slack when Bueckers was injured.
• Williams and Olivia Nelson-Ododa were named to the 10-player all-Big East team yesterday.
• Muhl was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. It was a surprise to us, but it is well deserved. She beat out teammate Nelson-Ododa for the top defensive honor. We’re glad that other coaches recognized what Muhl does on the court.
• THE BIG EAST ROAD: UConn plays Georgetown or Providence at Mohegan Sun tomorrow at noon on FS1. The Huskies are the top seed and are looking at the winner of Marquette vs. DePaul in the semifinals on Sunday.
Goodbye to Whaley, Polley and More?
The Story: The No. 18 men’s basketball teamends the regular season tomorrow against DePaul at Gampel Pavilion (5 p.m., Fox). Isaiah Whaley and Tyler Polley are having their second senior days and we still don’t know about the futures of R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Whaley and Polley took advantage of the extra year given to all college basketball players due to COVID-19 to return. Now, as the Huskies end the season with the Big East and NCAA tournaments, there is also a small window to look at next year. Will Cole and Martin return?
• Cole was coy after the Huskies’ game on Tuesday at Creighton. His mother doesn’t think he is going to return for one more year, but he hasn’t told her anything. Martin? He isn’t chosen to talk to the media much and we are unsure if anyone has asked him about his plans.
SHOULD THEY COME BACK? This is a complicated question. First, we are assuming both would like to play basketball professionally instead of hitting the work force. The instability in Europe with COVID-19, and now the war in the Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia, eliminates a lot of teams, jobs and money from the equation.
• On the flip side, players can profit off their names, images and likenesses in college, and Cole and Martin can earn money while playing at UConn. That’s a game changer for many players.
• Cole is one of the top guards in the country, has scored over 2, 000 points in college and leads the Huskies with 16 points per game while carrying the offense. As a pro? He’s small and lacks the elite quickness and explosion of someone like Kemba Walker or the elite skill of Shabazz Napier. There is likely room for him in Europe and after five years of college and a degree, a sixth year in college just seems bit much.
• Martin is a different story. He is in his second year as a starter for the Huskies. He should have pro opportunities. He has size and shooting ability and looks, physically, like an NBA player. Depending on how Martin does in the pre-draft process, we think he fits the profile of a G League player or a two-way player in the NBA.
• Both could still be a part of senior day and come back, so don’t read too much into that unless Martin or Cole address it directly.
HOW ABOUT DEPAUL? The game against the Blue Demons is sold out. It’ll be UConn’s fifth straight sellout, and the Huskies are looking to head into the Big East tournament on the right note.
• The Huskies’ seed and game time will depend on the outcome of the game between Creighton and Seton Hall. A UConn win and a Creighton loss means the Huskies are a No. 3 seed and play Thursday at 9:30 p.m. at MSG. A loss or a Creighton win? The Huskies are a No. 4 seed playing at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Morning Reads
• The men’s hockey team hosts Vermont in the final home game of the season as the Huskies aim to make their case for the NCAA Tournament. (UConnHuskies.com)
• The softball team wraps up its pre-Big East set in Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Huskies (8-6) have hit 19 home runs this season. (UConnHuskies.com)
• The baseball team, off to a 5-1 start, is in Florida this weekend for three games against FIU. The first game is today at noon. (UConnHuskies.com)
