UCONN Lady Huskies: Bring Down the Curtains

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Roger l. McNamara

Looking Back.  A season recap and tournament outlook for UConn’s Lady Huskies basketball published a short while ago in Yinzer concluded with a belief that an advance beyond the Regional and into the Final 4 was contingent upon three outcomes:

• Turnovers, and a need for a material reduction;
• Foul trouble, especially attached to leading scorer and rebounder Aliiyah Edwards;
• Bench play, reliant largely upon Caroline Ducharmes and Aubrey Griffin

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The article ended with a warning that either Baylor or Ohio State was fully capable of halting the UConn express. 

A Dreadfully Played Exit Game.   Early in the 2nd Quarter of Saturday’s Sweet 16 game played on March 25 in Seattle, Edwards drew her third personal, at which point the Second Seed Huskies held a 12-6 lead over Third Seed Ohio State University.  A handful of minutes later it was the Buckeyes staring down with a 23-12 advantage.  Their 17-0 run led to a 10 point halftime margin.  UConn managed to close it to five midway through the 3rd Quarter, but from then on the issue was not seriously in doubt.   The Buckeyes 73-61 victory was no fluke, the 12 point spread a fair proxy for comparative team strengths.

Noteworthy Game Statistics.  UConn actually outshot their opponent from the field, in percentage terms 45.3 to 38.3.  The Huskies swept away 38 rebounds, OSU 34.  They blocked four shots, none for the winners.  So how did the Buckeyes dominate, essentially wire to wire?  UConn’s back court never solved the aggressive full court pressure applied by OSU, its turnovers mushrooming to 25, many of which led to easy Buckeye scores.  They were charged with 20 personal fouls to only 15 for the underdogs, while connecting from the charity stripe on a dismal 7 of 15 attempts.  OSU meanwhile swished through 73.3% of their free throws.  Edwards was whistled for her 4th infraction early in the third quarter, and would finish her season with a mere 4 points in 17 minutes.  Neither Ducharmes nor Griffin contributed much, in sharp contrast to their respective fine games in the earlier win over Baylor.   

End of an Era?   The 2023 Lady Husky program reached the Sweet 16 for the 29th consecutive time!  It  was shooting for its 15th consecutive trip to the Final 4, and 12th National Championship.  Clearly the range and depth of talent in NCAA Women’s D-I basketball have expanded mightily, to where UConn is no longer conceded the automatic claimant to the throne.  Nothing official as this is written, but it should come as no surprise if the 68 year old Geno Auriemma, head coach since 1985, opts to rest on his many awards and accomplishments by volunteering to stand aside, turning the reins over to what will doubtless be a worthy successor.