The Husky Pack is Back with Determination

UConn's Evina Westbrook and Olivia Nelson-Ododa set up the two-man block to defend UCLA's, Jaelynn Penn. IMAGE: RICH SCHULTZ, GETTY IMAGES. EDITED: A.IRONS

The UConn Huskies are staying local this Sunday as they head to Mohegan Sun Area to face the Louisville Cardinals. The Huskies are coming off an astonishing win over the UCLA Bruins last Saturday. Being down three key players, the Huskies have had to face adversity to relearn all their plays this week. This is the first meeting with the Cardinals since the Elite Eight of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Let’s take a dive into the last meetup of the Huskies and Cardinals. On March 31st, 2019, the Huskies beat the Cardinal to advance to their twelfth straight Final Four. I was in attendance for this game. I remember that senior Katie Lou Samuelson was playing with an injured back and was the key leader that game. Samuelson posted 29 points while playing all but 8 minutes.

Taking a look at the statistics of that game, it surprised me to see UConn was not on their A-game for scoring. They did win 80-73, but the Huskies struggled to get some shots. Samuelson led with 7 made 3-pointers out of a total of 13 attempts. Christyn Williams, a sophomore at the time, was the second-leading scorer. She posted 16 points and had seven assists. Olivia Nelson-Ododa subbed in for Samuelson but did not make the boards.

Here is something interesting about this game. Coach Geno Auriemma had ten players suited up to play. He only played six, granted this was a tournament game. Going into this weekend’s game, Geno has eight players to use. Sophomore Paige Bueckers is out for eight weeks after having knee surgery this past Monday and there is no definite timeline of her potential return to the court.

Sophomore Nika Mühl is also out due to an ongoing ankle issue and freshman Azzi Fudd is also dealing with a foot injury. Junior Aubrey Griffin is still out with ongoing ankle and back problems with a possible return in the next few weeks. The Huskies took a hard hit with their second loss of the second last Thursday to Georgia Tech. Props have to be given to the Huskies for playing the best they could after only having one practice since Bueckers’ injury.

Dorka Juhász takes a shot during the matchup versus Arkansas on November 14th. IMAGE: STEPHEN SLADE, UCONN ATHLETICS. EDITED: A.IRONS

Last Saturday, the Huskies traveled to Newark, New Jersey to face the UCLA Bruins in the “Never Forget Tribute Classic.” Once again, they only got one practice in between games to rework their offensive. The game showed the resilience and determination the Huskies have to continue their season without one of their best offensive players. Louisville is currently ranked one spot above the Huskies in sixth on the Associated Press weekly ranking. Louisville lost their first game of the season to Arizona. They play tonight against Eastern Kentucky, an unranked opponent who the Cardinals outscored 101-58 in 2020.

What can the Huskies do Sunday to potentially take down the Cardinal is stick to what they know. Auriemma started a new lineup for the UCLA game which worked. The only problem; the Huskies do not have a set point guard. Senior Evina Westbrook stepped up to lead the team to victory. Westbrook showed what it takes to become a leader on a team of greats.

Westbrook had a superb game against the Bruins. No, she did not have a triple-double or 30 points, but she walked onto the court to lead the Huskies into a well-deserved victory. The Bruins were a tough opponent. Charisma Osborne scored on far-range threes and Ilmar'i Thomas was a tough defender to put an elbow into. Westbrook struggled to get her free throws down in the fourth but scored 20 points for the win. She was not the only one to struggle at the line. Dorka Juhász missed five of her ten free-throw attempts.

Who will Auiremma start on Sunday? He will conceivably play his lineup from Saturday, which would be a smart move. Joining Westbrook is ONO, Williams, Juhász, and freshman Caroline Ducharme. Sophomore Aaliyah Edwards will come in as the sixth man, or Amari DeBerry could take this role. Both players provide more height for the team. We are still waiting to see sophomore Piath Gabriel on the court more, maybe she will earn some well-deserved minutes. She has not seen much playing time due to academic reasons. 

Overall, the Huskies could take the victory Sunday. They have gotten in more practices this week than they did before and after the past three games. It will be an interesting game for sure. One thing to take note of is the tremendous work the seniors are doing. They are getting the time to showcase their talents in their final seasons. Dorka Juház may have another season with the Huskies, something to remember! Paige Bueckers might apply for the extra year that became available to players during last year’s Covid season instead of taking a redshirt. This means she will still be in for the draft, maybe a season later than expected but will gain more playing with her best friend Azzi Fudd.

*Additional note: The Huskies had almost two weeks' worth of practices between the South Carolina and Seton Hall games. Then they only had one practice before the Notre Game, one before the Georgia Tech, and one for the UCLA game. Before the Louisville game, the Huskies will maybe get close to five or six practices. Given that it has been finals week, the practice schedule is also shortened. 

*Thank you to R. Fields for reminding me to mention Dorka Juhász's free-throw stats.