The UConn women’s basketball team needed three things to fall into place during the postseason in order to become a true Final Four and national championship contender.
They needed freshmen to prove that they were indeed fearless and ready for the pressure of playing on a bigger stage.
The Huskies then needed to be tested, because dominating the Big East is good for your record and your confidence, but doesn’t test your mettle.
Finally, they needed Paige Bueckers to prove that she is the best player in the country once again.
All three things came to fruition in the Huskies’ 72-64 NCAA Tournament second-round victory over Syracuse.
Bueckers scored 32 points while freshmen Ashlynn Shade (19 points) and KK Arnold (11 points) made huge plays down the stretch.
Shade knocked the ball away from Syracuse star Dyaisha Fair in the final minute of a three-point game.
Then, Arnold followed by hitting a three on the ensuing possession to seal the win.
The confident Orange kept battling and applying pressure. They held their own on the boards against the Huskies. They made 13 threes. They forced UConn to match their physical play, and got Nika Muhl to foul out, which shortened the Huskies’ limited playing rotation to five players Coach Geno Auriemma trusts.
“For us to be able to do it with this group under these circumstances is exceptionally rewarding,” Auriemma said. “I really feel good for this team. They have battled, and they have worked. They have fought through just an overwhelming amount of things. Being able to handle anything that comes our way, that is pretty remarkable for this group.”
Bueckers wasn’t going to allow the team to lose. For the first time in her career in the postseason, she eclipsed 30 points on 14-for-25 shooting. She also grabbed 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, all of which have come in the last four games.
“You learn throughout the season, especially with what we have been through with the circumstances and the blows we have taken that we really don’t have any choice but to step up,” Bueckers said.
“We called a huddle after Nika went out and said, ‘Somebody is going to have to step up to the challenge. We have to take care of the ball, get great shots on offense and be even more locked in on defense.’
“Going through what we have has prepared us for these moments, and I thought we responded really well. The situation actually happened in the Notre Dame game, and we handled it in a much better way this game.”
Against Notre Dame, Muhl fouled out 9:29 to play with the Huskies leading by a point in a game they ended up losing by 15.
The Huskies have grown since then. Bueckers has acquiesced to Auriemma’s demands that she dominate games by scoring more, but she has also found her own happy place by playing with tremendous efficiency.
Since the Notre Dame game, she has scored 20 or more points in 13 of her 15 games, dipping below that benchmark only in two blowout wins.
In her five postseason games – three in the Big East Tournament and two in the NCAA Tournament – she is averaging 28.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Two years ago, the Huskies had to dig deep to win a 52-47 game against UCF in the second round at Gampel.
It was a very physical, draining game, but the mental toughness the Huskies showed provided them with the momentum and confidence they needed to advance all the way to the national championship game, where they lost to South Carolina.
They followed the UCF game with a solid Sweet 16 win over Indiana before posting an epic double-overtime Elite 8 victory against NC State.
Bueckers – who was just nine games into her return from a knee injury that forced her to miss 17 games that season – had a miraculous performance.
For one game, she looked like the pain and limitations of the injury didn’t exist as she scored 27 points, including 15 in the two overtime periods, as the Huskies won, 91-87, to secure their 14th consecutive trip to the Final Four.
This postseason she is completely healthy and is playing with a razor sharp focus.
Auriemma said that for the Huskies to accomplish more than going to their 30th consecutive Sweet 16, they need Bueckers to keep dominating.
“The culture of your program and what your program stands for can probably get you to the regionals just about every year. Once you get there, that doesn’t mean diddly. Now you better have that guy that gets you from there to the next thing or two, or in our case, sometimes three or four.
“It is no secret either. Paige’s freshman year, we go to the Final Four. Sophomore year we are playing in the national championship game. Last year, she doesn’t play, and we lose in the Sweet 16.”
Everything is in place now for that final surge.”For us to be able to do it with this group under these circumstances is exceptionally rewarding,” Auriemma said. “I really feel good for this team. They have battled, and they have worked. They have fought through just an overwhelming amount of things. Being able to handle anything that comes our way, that is pretty remarkable for this group.”
Bueckers wasn’t going to allow the team to lose. For the first time in her career in the postseason, she eclipsed 30 points on 14-for-25 shooting. She also grabbed 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, all of which have come in the last four games.
“You learn throughout the season, especially with what we have been through with the circumstances and the blows we have taken that we really don’t have any choice but to step up,” Bueckers said. “We called a huddle after Nika went out and said, ‘Somebody is going to have to step up to the challenge. We have to take care of the ball, get great shots on offense and be even more locked in on defense.’
“Going through what we have has prepared us for these moments, and I thought we responded really well. The situation actually happened in the Notre Dame game, and we handled it in a much better way this game.”
Against Notre Dame, Muhl fouled out 9:29 to play with the Huskies leading by a point in a game they ended up losing by 15.
The Huskies have grown since then. Bueckers has acquiesced to Auriemma’s demands that she dominate games by scoring more, but she has also found her own happy place by playing with tremendous efficiency.
Since the Notre Dame game, she has scored 20 or more points in 13 of her 15 games, dipping below that benchmark only in two blowout wins. In her five postseason games – three in the Big East Tournament and two in the NCAA Tournament – she is averaging 28.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Two years ago, the Huskies had to dig deep to win a 52-47 game against UCF in the second round at Gampel. It was a very physical, draining game, but the mental toughness the Huskies showed provided them with the momentum and confidence they needed to advance all the way to the national championship game, where they lost to South Carolina.
They followed the UCF game with a solid Sweet 16 win over Indiana before posting an epic double-overtime Elite 8 victory against NC State.
Bueckers – who was just nine games into her return from a knee injury that forced her to miss 17 games that season – had a miraculous performance. For one game, she looked like the pain and limitations of the injury didn’t exist as she scored 27 points, including 15 in the two overtime periods, as the Huskies won, 91-87, to secure their 14th consecutive trip to the Final Four.
This postseason she is completely healthy and is playing with a razor sharp focus.
Auriemma said that for the Huskies to accomplish more than going to their 30th consecutive Sweet 16, they need Bueckers to keep dominating.
“The culture of your program and what your program stands for can probably get you to the regionals just about every year. Once you get there, that doesn’t mean diddly. Now you better have that guy that gets you from there to the next thing or two, or in our case, sometimes three or four.
“It is no secret either. Paige’s freshman year, we go to the Final Four. Sophomore year we are playing in the national championship game. Last year she doesn’t play, and we lose in the Sweet 16.”
Everything is in place now for that final surge.
