With six games left in Big East play and the NCAA Tournament looming in the near future, a matchup against last-place Xavier could be a prime opportunity for UConn women’s basketball to get its top contributors some rest.
The Huskies’ results over the last three weeks reflect the toll of fatigue, both on the five starters logging 29-plus minutes and the two struggling to put together quality reps off the bench. UConn (20-5) is 3-2 since winning 13 in a row through the start of conference play. They have shot below their season average from 3-point range in all five games. The team made less than 45% of its field goals in losses to No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 1 South Carolina and averaged 71.6 points in its last five games compared to 84.4 over the previous 20.
Paige Bueckers is still producing at an impressive clip, averaging 20 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists, but she hasn’t sustained the singular efficiency that propelled UConn in its best performances. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said she thought Bueckers should take even more shots after the Huskies’ loss Sunday, and Auriemma is well aware that her power forward role is outside of his star guard’s comfort zone. But she also ends up shouldering nearly every role at some point: Bueckers leads UConn in blocks and steals and is second in assists and rebounds.
Dawn Staley with a lot of high praise for Paige Bueckers:
“Paige was good when she was injured … I love Paige’s game. For me, I would like for her to take more shots if I’m Geno, because she doesn’t take bad shots … Paige is going to be an Olympian at some point soon.”
— Emily Adams (@eaadams6) February 11, 2024
“You need other good players around you to play well, but you also need time on the bench to recharge yourself and unfortunately she doesn’t get enough of that,” Auriemma said after the South Carolina game. “There’s a lot of pressure on her to make big shots, play defense, bang around, and we just can’t give her enough help.”
“Paige doesn’t want to play the way she’s going to need to play … She’s going to have to force the issue every time down the floor, and that’s not how she likes to play, which is going to take even more out of her going forward.”
The bench rotation isn’t providing much relief, even when they do get on the floor. Freshman Qadence Samuels averaged nearly 15 minutes during UConn’s win streak, but she has only played more than eight in one the five games since it ended against Notre Dame. Redshirt freshman Ice Brady looked like she was finding her footing after a career-high 17 points at St. John’s on Jan. 13, but her minutes have also declined ever since. When UConn desperately needed support in the paint against South Carolina, Brady logged a single offensive rebound with three fouls and one missed field goal in her 14 minutes.
Samuels and Brady are both playing far bigger roles than ever expected in their first seasons, and Xavier will be one of their last opportunities left to get confidence-building minutes. The Huskies are undefeated in seven matchups with Xavier all-time and have held the Musketeers under 40 points in all three meetings in Cincinnati.
“Q has her moments, and we’re going to keep working with her, because we need her in the rotation as these next couple weeks unfold … But if we don’t get more out of Ice, it’s going to be even more difficult for Aaliyah (Edwards) to do what she does,” Auriemma said. “Bottom line is, our starting five has to play really, really well every night for us to be able to win these games.”
When injuries decimated UConn’s roster in 2022-23, the team suffered both of its Big East losses after falling to South Carolina on Feb. 5. Auriemma has stressed taking things one day at a time amid similar challenges this year, and it’s true that UConn’s margin for error is much thinner than usual. Even last season Xavier only lost by nine points in Storrs, and the Musketeers went on to finish 0-20 in the Big East.
However, it’s also especially critical that the Huskies manage their minutes well down the stretch. After Xavier they’ll take on No. 21 Creighton and Villanova, ranked second and third in the Big East, in the final two weeks of the regular season.
“We have a bunch of young guys playing college basketball for the first time, and they’ve gotten better and better every week … and we have to do more things right than ever before because of the situation that we’re in,” Auriemma said. “We’re not going to get any bigger. We’re not going to add any more players, and we’re going to (grow) any taller. But we need to get a little bit smarter if we want to be able to win some of these games come March.”
UConn women’s basketball at Xavier: How to watch
Site: XL Center, Hartford
Time: 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 14
Series: UConn leads, 7-0
Last meeting: UConn, 60-51; Feb. 27, 2023 in Storrs
TV: SNY
Streaming: SNY.tv
Radio: UConn Sports Network on Fox Sports 97.9