Can UConn’s Geno Auriemma Orchestrate a Big East Title Run?

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UConn Daily

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Huskies Ready for Rough Big East Tourney

The Story: The No. 9 UConn women will enter the Big East tournament this weekend without a sure path to the final — something that hasn’t been true since they were jostling with Rutgers, Louisville and Notre Dame for conference superiority a decade ago.

WHAT’S ON DECK? The Huskies (26-5, 18-2 Big East) again claimed the top seed in the tournament and will face No. 8 seed Butler or No. 9 seed Georgetown tomorrow at Mohegan Sun at noon on FS1.

• The Huskies would face No. 4 seed St. John’s or No. 5 seed Marquette — teams that beat them during the regular season — in the semifinals on Sunday at 3 p.m.

• Should they win, which is a hard phrase to type, they’d likely encounter No. 2 seed Villanova or No. 3 seed Creighton in the championship game Monday at 7 p.m.

WHAT’S AT STAKE? The Huskies are looking to win their 28th conference tournament title, their 21st Big East tournament title, and their 10th conference tournament title in a row.

• And, if UConn is able to play well and look like the team that gave No. 1 South Carolina its all a month ago, it could wind up with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

NO MORE EXCUSES: Geno Auriemma is the first to admit that he’s tired of figuring out where the blame for a difficult season lies and wants his team to just step up and get things done this weekend.

• The culprit is no longer fatigue, or injuries, or disinterest. As he said after Monday’s win over Xavier, which had lost every game in February by an average of 23 points before losing by just nine to the Huskies, it’s on his coaches and players to get on the same page.

• What’s clear is that the Big East tournament will easily be Geno’s toughest task of the season and likely his most difficult one in more than a decade. Can the Huskies, with all of their injury woes, survive playing what could be three grueling games in three days?

WHAT DID GENO SAY? “There’s a reason why the last 10 games have been the way they’ve been and it has nothing to do with fatigue. We used that long enough. That story’s sailed. Now, it’s just being held accountable for doing what you’re being coached to do, not what you feel like doing, not what feels right for you at the moment. … We don’t think very well. We don’t speak on defense. We don’t communicate. That’s got nothing to do with being tired or being injured. That has to do with a lot of selfishness and a lot of you don’t want to change. This is who you are and you don’t want to change.”

WHAT’S UP WITH FUDD? Azzi Fudd hasn’t played since Jan. 15, when she reinjured her right knee in a win over Georgetown. It was only her second game back from missing seven games with what we believe is a similar injury, and she has missed 14 games since.

• Fudd warmed up with her teammates prior to the game against Xavier but did not play. She said earlier in the month that when she’s cleared, she’ll be full-go, which probably means as close to 40 minutes a game as she can handle. Geno also said Monday that “it’s not going to be an easy transition” once she gets back into a game.

HUSKIES HONORED: The Big East recognized Nika Muhl as its defensive player of the year for the second consecutive season and named Aaliyah Edwards as its most improved player when awards were handed out yesterday afternoon.

• Edwards and Lou Lopez Senechal were unanimous first-team selections. Muhl and Dorka Juhasz were named to the second team and Aubrey Griffin was given an honorable mention.

• Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist was the Big East Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, Joe Tartamella of St. John’s was named the coach of the year and Georgetown’s Kennedy Fauntleroy was the freshman of the year.

— Zac Boyer

Final Test Before the Big Time

The Story: The No. 14 UConn men are on a hot streak and can make another case for a top seed if they can knock off Villanova in Philadelphia tomorrow (7:30 p.m., Fox).

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Huskies’ confidence is approaching a season high. A four-game winning streak and an obliteration of DePaul was so easy and dominant it looks like the Huskies are rolling downhill.

• UConn’s 27-0 run on Wednesday remains one of the most dominant stretches in recent memory for us.

• The Huskies are almost certain to be the No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the Big East tournament and should face Creighton or Providence in the Big East quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. on March 9.

SEEDING IMPLICATIONS: Don’t expect the Huskies to rest or do the “load management thing.” The Huskies are No. 5 in KenPom and No. 7 in the NET ranking.

• Team Rankings has the Huskies as a No. 5 seed but some projections have them as a No. 3 seed. The No. 14 spot in the AP poll would be a No. 4 seed and that would put the Huskies potentially playing first two rounds in Albany and, if they’re in the East, the regionals at Madison Square Garden.

WATCH OUT FOR VILLANOVA: The Wildcats (16-14, 9-8 Big East¬) have won six of seven and are on the NCAA Tournament bubble, though they’re likely headed to the NIT. They are going to be a dark horse candidate to win the Big East tournament and very much have a reason to win tomorrow.

• Villanova has been a different team since Justin Moore got back into the swing of things. He’s averaging 13.3 points per game and is coming off a 23-point performance in a win over Seton Hall.

• Moore’s play has helped take the pressure off of Eric Dixon (16 points per game), Cam Whitmore (12.6 points per game) and Caleb Daniels (14.9 points per game).

— John Silver

Top photo: Geno Auriemma yells to his players during the exhibition against Kutztown. (Courtesy of UConn athletics)

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