UConn women’s basketball not the only favorite pushed in NCAA Tournament: ‘Supposed to be difficult’
We’re only two rounds into the NCAA Tournament and there’s been no shortage of historic and jaw-dropping upsets.
On Sunday, a Caitlin Clark-led No. 2 seed Iowa team fell to No. 10 Creighton, 64-62. The Bluejays advanced to their first-ever Sweet 16, while the Hawkeyes fell short of making their third straight regional.
On the same day, No. 10 South Dakota upset No. 2 Baylor 61-47 to advance in the Wichita Regional.
Earlier Monday night, as the UConn women’s basketball team was in the first quarter of its hard-fought second round matchup against UCF, No. 12 Belmont was seconds away from upsetting No. 4 Tennessee. But thanks to a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left, the Lady Vols escaped the early exit and advanced to their first Sweet 16 since 2016.
No. 3 LSU wasn’t so lucky, getting knocked out by No. 6 Ohio State — marking the first time a Kim Mulkey-coached team won’t be in the Sweet 16 since 2008.
The No. 2 Huskies nearly met the same fate late Monday night. UConn had built a 12-point lead with a little less than five minutes remaining against the No. 7 Knights.
But after both Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aaliyah Edwards fouled out, UCF went on one final surge to get within three with 22 seconds left. UConn prevailed 52-47, but it wasn’t easy.
UConn has often won its first two games of the NCAA Tournament in blowouts. After beating Mercer by 45-points in the first round, Monday’s game was a different experience — and much like other games in the tournament this year.
“Over the years, you know, we’ve kind of made it seem commonplace,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “But if you look around the country, these games are supposed to be difficult. They’re supposed to be tough. And you do learn a lot. You find out a little bit about yourself and you don’t necessarily have to shoot 60 percent from the floor to win a game.”
With its NCAA Tournament record of consecutive Sweet 16 appearances on the line and the Huskies already knee-deep in a season-worst shooting performance, UConn relied on its free throw shooting to seal the win. Senior Christyn Williams and freshman Azzi Fudd hit two free throws each in the final 20 seconds, providing UConn with just enough to win.
The Huskies had their worst shooting performance of the season (29.2%) and they struggled inside (2 of 12 on layups). But UConn also made 18 of 23 free throws — including 6 of 6 in the fourth quarter.
Despite the struggles, UConn escaped.
“There’s something to be said for that, that you can win a game that you probably would look back and say I’m not sure how we won that game, but we did,” Auriemma said. “And Christyn and Azzi were really tough down the stretch. And Christyn played like the kind of senior you need to be at this time of her career. So, we need to be a lot better on Saturday, that’s for sure.”
The Huskies advanced to their NCAA-Tournament record 28th straight Sweet 16. They’ll face No. 3 Indiana at 2 p.m. Saturday at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport for a chance to play in the Elite Eight against either No. 1 N.C. State or No. 5 Notre Dame Monday.
But the path to Bridgeport wasn’t easy. It was ugly and it was physical.
Forty-five total fouls were called with all but three players (across both teams) being called for at least two personals. UConn was second in the nation with a 48.8 field goal percentage before Monday. Against the Knights, UConn missed 34 of 48 shots.
UConn’s 52 points was a program low in any NCAA Tournament win.
Nelson-Ododa and Edwards fouled out late in the game, leaving the Huskies overmatched in the paint in the final minutes. UConn was outrebounded 35-29 overall, as Nelson-Ododa and Dorka Juhasz led with five rebounds each.
“I think there’s always value when you have to struggle to get something,” Auriemma said. “Not that there isn’t in playing exceptionally well and winning by a lot because you executed great. There’s obviously value in that as well. But I do think at this time of the year, those games should be an exception rather than the rule.”
Indiana defeated No. 11 Princeton, 56-55, to earn its spot against the Huskies. While UConn has played in 15 straight Elite Eights, the Hoosiers advanced to their first last season.
The teams have never met before. UConn’s last early exit in the NCAA Tournament came in 2007 when the then-No. 4 Huskies fell to No. 12 LSU 73-50 in the Elite Eight.
Auriemma said himself: UConn needs to play better Saturday. Williams agreed.
“We didn’t have our best game today, but I’m really proud of our team,” Williams said. “We grinded it out. It was very ugly, but we got the dub and that’s all that matters.”