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A victory against South Carolina in Sunday night’s NCAA championship game would have given the Huskies 12 national titles and sole possession of the record they share with the UCLA men’s basketball team. It was not meant to be this year.
South Carolina beat UConn 64-49 Sunday night to win their second national championship.
What’s next for the Huskies?
Speaking of next year, we might as well quickly address that. No doubt, the moment is painful for UConn and the seniors that won’t be here next year – Christyn Williams, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Evina Westbrook. They’ll be able to look back at successful careers for one of the most successful program in women’s college basketball history. Their legacy will be decided years from now, of course. In the present moment, people will be quick to point out their inability to win a national championship. Is that the ultimate judgement? It depends who is asked.
Next year, the Huskies return a wildly talented team and will add depth to the frontcourt with a couple of talented freshmen. Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Aliyah Edwards and others will all be a year older, wiser, strong and, frankly, better. This UConn team – if they stay healthy – isnt’t going anywhere. Start thinking about the Final Four now (in Dallas) because this team can easily be pictured headed back there.
What went wrong for UConn?
There’s a lot that went wrong for UConn in this game, but the Huskies never completely faded like they could have.
They key stat? Rebounds. You can’t win a game when the opponent doubles your rebounds. The other? Free throws. UConn had only 4 attempts from the free throw line. South Carolina had 26, sinking 17. Another? UConn had 5 second chance points to South Carolina’s 22.
UConn struggled on and off all night finding good shots and against a tough defense. Oddly enough, they shot better than South Carolina, but UConn just came up short in getting their hands on the ball enough. It’s a tough way to lose, but it also makes it very clear what they need to do better next season.
UConn loses to South Carolina
UConn will have to wait at least another year for a 12th national championship. The Huskies fall to South Carolina 64-49. For the Gamecocks, it’s their second national title, both under Dawn Staley.
It was clear from the outset that South Carolina was the stronger team and was clearly able to execute their gameplan. UConn was a good team this season that turned great down the stretch. They overcame the injuries, battled some tough teams in the tournament, won in double overtime in the Elite 8, but came up just short of the fairytale ending.
South Carolina is pulling away from UConn
Things aren’t looking good for UConn as it appears an incredible run for the Huskies is coming to an end. Coach Geno Auriemma said over the weekend it would be a “magical” year if UConn won this game, but that the magic would still be there if they lost. They overcame more than most teams to get to this point.
UConn is running out of time
Just over 3 minutes left with South Carolina holding a 10-point lead. The Huskies are at their best when they play their own pace. With not much time left, however, they’re going to have to rush some shots and see what they can do to get quick, open looks.
Few coaches show as much emotion on the sidelines as UConn’s Geno Auriemma. ESPN showed him, head down, after Aliyah Boston was fouled there. Was he upset about the foul or perhaps coming to grips with the fact the Huskies may not come up on the winning end this year? Things aren’t looking good for the Huskies with just 5 minutes left.
Huskies lacking physicality?
Hearst Connecticut UConn men’s beat writer Dave Borges makes a good point on Twitter. UConn has had plenty more success than Gonzaga, historically, but in the last few years the Huskies have struggled against physical teams. Since the Breanna Stewart years, the Huskies have fallen or at least struggled against teams able to push the Huskies around.
South Carolina starts fourth quarter strong
This has not been a good start to the fourth quarter for UConn. The Huskies needed to get a couple of baskets early in the period, but instead it’s been the Gamecocks with the scoring, now holding an 11-point advantage. If the Huskies can’t get something going out of this timeout, UConn fans will have to wait at least another year for a 12th national championship.
UConn down 46-37 entering fourth quarter
Head coach Geno Auriemma of the Connecticut Huskies wipes his face as they play the South Carolina Gamecocks during the championship game of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Target Center on April 3, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty ImagesAt the end of the third quarter, UConn is down 46-37. It’s still a long way to go for the Huskies, who have shown in spurts that they can hang with South Carolina. That 10-0 run is keeping UConn in the game. The only way to win this is to have another similar run. Destanni Henderson has looked great for South Carolina all night, up to 16 points. She’s also flustered the Huskies on defense.
The Huskies deserve some credit for keeping Aliyah Boston under control. She does have 9 rebounds at the end of the third quarter, but it could be worse. She has 8 points on 3 for 7 shooting. She’s turned the ball over 3 times and UConn has collapsed on her quite often throughout the game.
Huskies on a run
That’s how to start closing the gap. Back-to-back 3 pointers from Caroline Ducharme and Evina Westbrook pull the Huskies to within 6 points following a 10-0 run. The Huskies hadn’t hit a 3-point shot until then. Maybe those weren’t the players we were expecting to step up, but UConn will gladly take it.
The seniors have been mostly quiet
It was UConn’s seniors that showed up in big spots Friday night in the Final Four game against Stanford. Tonight? Not so much. Olivia Nelson-Odda has 4 points, 1 rebound and 3 turnovers. Christyn Williams had played 15 minutes and has 0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 fouls. Evina Westbrook has 4 points, but has added 4 rebounds.
Huskies start second half with scoreless streak
UConn has felt competitive in the second half, but it took nearly five minutes for the Huskies to score their first basket in the third quarter. South Carolina came out of the locker room with a concerted effort to shut the Huskies down.
Paige Bueckers still leads the Huskies with 11 points and has looked good. The rest of the team? Not so much. No player has more than 4 points and Azzi Fudd and Christyn Williams remain scoreless.
Azzi Fudd on the floor to start the second half
As the second half gets underway, Azzi Fudd is starting on the floor for the Huskies. ESPN’s Holly Rowe said Fudd was “very sick” last night and UConn was concerned about her ability to play tonight. Coach Geno Auriemma’s hope was to get Fudd some looks and see if she could help the Huskies early on. She played 49 minutes in the game against NC State last week, but only 5 in the first half tonight.
Sue Bird’s UConn memories
Over on the ESPN Megacast, Sue Bird was talking about how UConn wasn’t “all that yet.”
“They had a lot of fans, I’ll give em that. They were what South Carolina is now. They had one championship, they had made it to another Final Four. and they hadn’t been back to a Final Four,” Bird said. “So funny enough, when we first made the Final Four my sophomore year, we cut down the nets, we were hyped, we were so excited. We had finally gotten back to the Final Four. That was our championship.”
A souvenir from that Final Four? The players got to keep their chairs that they sat on on the UConn bench.
Halftime observations
Here are a few more observations at halftime:
- UConn hasn’t hit a 3-pointer. That seems crazy at this point, but the Huskies are 0 for 5. They can’t keep that up, right?
- UConn has only been to the free throw line once, with Paige Bueckers hitting 1 of 2.
- Both teams have 20 points in the paint – that’s a bright spot (at least on offense) for UConn, which struggled in the first half down there Friday night.
- UConn is still being out-rebounded but is closing the gap. The Gamecocks lead by a 25-13 margin.
- UConn needs to stop turning the ball over if they hope to win this. They have 9 to South Carolina’s 4. Many of the Huskies’ turnovers have been somewhat careless.
- It’s at least a little surprising to see UConn is shooting 54% to South Carolina’s 37%. South Carolina, however, has taken 41 shots to UConn’s 24.
Paige Bueckers of the UConn Huskies and LeLe Grissett of the South Carolina Gamecocks battle for the ball during the second quarter during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game at Target Center on April 03, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Elsa/Getty ImagesUConn trails South Carolina 35-27 at halftime
That first half was… interesting. UConn is down 35-27 after the game looked over at one point. Paige Bueckers leads the Huskies with 9 points. Aaliyah Edwards, Caroline Ducharme, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Evina Westbrook all have 4 points. Christyn Williams and Azzi Fudd are scoreless at this point, which is a problem for the Huskies. Fudd has only played 5 minutes, while Williams has only played 11. It seems to be a bit strategic that she hasn’t played as much.
The Huskies are missing Fudd, who has played serious minutes the last few weeks and is known to stretch the floor for the Huskies.
UConn is closing in on South Carolina
This is a heck of a comeback we’re seeing from UConn right now. UConn’s confidence has taken off the last few minutes, they’ve been pressuring South Carolina and forcing them into mistakes and are starting to figure out some mismatches. Perhaps there’s some fatigue on South Carolina’s end at this point, too, after playing some tough defense in the first quarter.
Action for Amari
It’s a bit of a surprise to see Amari DeBerry in the NCAA championship game for UConn. However, it does make sense. South Carolina’s bigs are no doubt wearing UConn’s down, and UConn needs to stay out of foul trouble. This gets Olivia Nelson-Ododa some rest and gives UConn a big body down low – something they need. No doubt it would have been Dorka Juhász in that spot and perhaps with plenty more minutes, but she is sidelined with the broken wrist.
Huskies showing some fight
UConn is down 32-19 midway through the 2nd quarter, but has looked a bit better and certainly more aggressive. It seems they have realized where South Carolina stands in terms of talent. Put quite simply: they’re really good.
So now, UConn is working to try to get the Gamecocks to make some mistakes. Olivia Nelson-Ododa took a good charge, they’re putting additional pressure on when the post players get the ball, and they are looking to force bad passes. They will need to keep he pressure up throughout to close the gap.
Can Paige Bueckers take over?
We weren’t in the huddle, but it’s likely coach Geno Auriemma told Paige Bueckers needed to be more aggressive. She’s now up to six pints, looking to force turnovers and disrupt South Carolina. Bueckers loves to share the ball, but tonight is the night for her to take over if she can figure out a way to do so.
Meanwhile, it’s worth noting Olivia Nelson-Ododa has two fouls, making the UConn rotation complicated for post players. Evina Westbrook is playing defense against Aliyah Boston. Calling it a difficult task would be an understatement.
Checking in on the Bird-Taurasi MegaCast
Meanwhile, on ESPN2, things are a little less about the game and a little more about LeBron James, who is chatting with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. Asked where he would have went to school and not allowed to say Ohio State, James said it would have been between Duke and North Carolina.
James, however, admitted that by the time his junior year happened, coaches knew he was going to bypass college for the NBA.
“With the NIL, it would have made me think more,” James said. “I always wanted to experience campus life. But it came down to my mom, what I could provide for her.”
UConn down big after first quarter
Victaria Saxton of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Aaliyah Edwards of the UConn Huskies battle for a rebound during the first quarter during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game at Target Center on April 03, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesThere’s not a lot to be excited about at the end of the first quarter. The Huskies have given up 22 points. The’ve only scored 8 – the fewest of a first quarter in any game this season. UConn has 5 turnovers, Olivia Nelson-Ododa is already in foul trouble with 2. And the Huskies are being out-rebounded 12 to 3. That’s a recipe for a loss.
Perhaps the most concerning stat is that UConn has only taken 9 shots compared with South Carolina’s 20. They continue to look a bit lost on offense, have passed up some shots and are struggling with the pressure. No player has more than 2 points.
“It is what it is.” That’s what Geno Auriemma had to say to ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the first quarter. He seemed concerned about the Huskies and rightfully so. He said the Huskies have to be aggressive and get some rebounds.
More turnovers
About five minutes in, Olivia Nelson-Ododa now has three turnovers – two errant passes and a travel. That can’t happen in a national title game. As much as that’s hampering the Huskies early, you can’t win if you’re giving South Carolina these second-chance opportunities. The Gamecocks have 9 second-chance points and a 13-2 lead.
Azzi Fudd on the court
It’s good to see Azzi Fudd out there after the first timeout. She missed the pregame shootaround, according to the ESPN broadcast, due to sickness. If she can sink a few 3-pointers, the Huskies can get right back in this. That’s a big if as they’re struggling to get much going on offense at this point.
UConn takes an early timeout
It’s 11-2 already and UConn needs a timeout to regroup. How? It’s pretty simple: rebounds. South Carolina has an 8 to 1 rebounding advantage, including 5 on the offensive glass in the first three and a half minutes. If they can’t grab some boards, this could be a long night.
Turnover trouble
As good as UConn has looked in recent games, they’ve had some careless turnovers. There was a bad pass to Christyn Williams the other night, the inbounds issue with Aaliyah Edwards, they’ve struggled when trapped. Olivia Nelson-Ododa already has one of those turnovers tonight. They need to ultra careful tonight.
Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi’s keys to the game
Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird must have been checking out the live updates on the Hearst Connecticut websites! (OK, maybe not.) But they have some similar keys to the game. Over on ESPN2, Bird says Paige needs to be the player she can be and facilitate the offense.
“She will learn that the best way to facilitate is to be aggressive and look for your shot first,” she said.
Taurasi said a key will be for Christyn Williams to step up. She’s been good, but she needs to be great tonight.
It’s time for tip-off
Well, it’s time. The entire season comes down to UConn vs. South Carolina. The preseason No. 2 vs. the preseason No. 1. Just like we all expected, right? OK, maybe not quite. It’s truly impressive UConn is here when you think about it. Many thought the season was over when Paige Bueckers went down with an injury. Losses to Georgia Tech and Villanova especially were cause for plenty of concern as some wondered whether she’d even return. But here we are, and both teams are playing some of their best basketball of the year.
The view from Storrs
If you aren’t at Gampel Pavilion tonight, it looks like you’re missing out. About 10,000 people were expected, and it looks like the building is full. The team drew a solid crowd there for its first NCAA Tournament game against Mercer. Two nights later, though, really impressed people at UConn. The building was packed, especially with students, for the game against UCF. There isn’t even basketball being played in the building and it’s packed tonight.
Geno Auriemma’s pre-game comments
In an interview before the game with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, UConn coach Geno Auriemma said the Huskies have to be better on offense than they were on Friday vs. Stanford. The Huskies scored 63 Friday, shooting only about 37%. They also struggled attacking at the basket early in the game.
He also talked about Paige Bueckers, who is playing in her hometown. The team, he said, hasn’t mentioned the hometown aspect, treating it like a typical road game as much as possible. He added that more than just Bueckers need to step up tonight for the Huskies to win.
How UConn can lose to South Carolina
Of course there are also plenty of ways the UConn women’s basketball team can lose. They had five losses this season, but none while the Huskies were at full strength. OK, we’re ruling out the South Carolina game in November – Azzi Fudd was apparently dealing with an unannounced injury and these Huskies were a bit different than the ones taking the floor tonight. As much as this game is winnable, all it will take is a few things going wrong to lose this.
- Aliyah Boston can’t be stopped: If the Huskies can’t contain Boston and if Olivia Nelson-Ododa and/or Aaliyah Edwards get into foul trouble, it’ll be a problem for the Huskies.
- The Huskies go cold: As much as the Huskies are capable of a hot streak or two, but they also have seen streaks of recent games going cold – Christyn Williams in particular. But if the Huskies aren’t controlling the paint and are relying on the jump shots, they’ll need to hit them consistently.
- South Carolina looks like No. 1: Let’s face it, the Gamecocks are good. Really good. If the true No. 1 team in the country shows up tonight, the Huskies could be in trouble. The Huskies should be optimistic their defense can contain South Carolina, but it’s not guaranteed.
How UConn can beat South Carolina
It’s less than an hour until the national title game tips off. Here are three ways the UConn women’s basketball team could pull off the win:
- Paige is Paige: If the national player of the year version of Paige Bueckers is present tonight, watch out. Why? When she elevates herself, she elevates the rest of the team. So, if she gets going, chances are a few other Huskies get going.
- Azzi goes off: Geno Auriemma has talked about it a few times this season, but if Azzi Fudd catches fire from 3-point land, South Carolina could be in trouble. She has broken games open in a matter of minutes and can do just that again in the blink of an eye.
- The bigs gain control: It’s a lot to ask, guarding Aliyah Boston. But if Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa can stay out of foul trouble and at least contain Boston, UConn has a serious chance. We know the defense on the perimeter will be good, but what the Huskies can do in the paint and guarding the paint will likely matter most.
South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, left, was recruited by UConn.
Eric Gay / Associated PressUConn wanted Aliyah Boston. She chose South Carolina.
ESPN ranked Aliyah Boston third in the Class of 2019. Playing a little more than an hour from Storrs in Worcester, Massachusetts, she was very much on UConn’s radar.
But Boston chose to play for South Carolina, turning down UConn, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
“I’m really glad that UConn took the time to recruit me,” Boston said while making her announcement in November 2018. “There was nothing bad to say about it.”
On Sunday, the Huskies will get another close-up look at what might have been.
Read more about the South Carolina star who is standing between the Huskies and an NCAA title.
South Carolina is favored to win
Looking to place a bet on the UConn-South Carolina game? The bad news in Connecticut is that you can’t legally bet on this due to state statute. Those placing bets just over the border or anywhere in the country, really, can bet on the game. And if you have, say, an offshore account, well, things are wide open.
South Carolina, which won the matchup earlier this season, is favored by 4 points, according to Caesars Sportsbook, with the over-under set at 126.5. Both coaches said this week they were throwing the earlier matchup this season out the window because both teams have changed and developed quite a bit. With both teams playing strong defensive basketball, a high-scoring game isn’t anticipated – but anything goes in the championship matchup.
Here come the Huskies
Anticipation is in the air at the Target Center in Minneapolis where the championship game is being played tonight. It happens to be the site of UConn’s first national championship back in 1995.
Fans are filing into the building and both UConn and South Carolina have arrived from their hotels down the road.
An odd rivalry
UConn and South Carolina have a bit of an odd “rivalry,” but credit goes to South Carolina these last few years. Is it even a rivalry?
If defined by Wikipedia, well, not so much. No rivalry page even exists. There’s UConn vs. Tennessee with a long entry and UConn vs. Notre Dame. But UConn vs. South Carolina? Not yet even though the teams have played at least once per year since 2015.
UConn started the rivalry 8-0, beating the Gamecocks in 2007 and 2008 and then 2015, 2016, 2017, twice in 2018 and then in 2019. But South Carolina dominated the Huskies in 2020 at home – a game in which Crystal Dangerfield scored 28 and Megan Walker and Olivia Nelson-Ododa each had 10. Beyond that? UConn only had 4 points scored.
That was without Paige Bueckers, who, in her freshman campaign, launched a 3-pointer at the end of regulation against South Carolina and tied the game to send the teams to overtime where the Huskies picked up a win. Earlier this season, UConn looked competitive initially, but out of sorts the rest of the way and fell to the Gamecocks in the Bahamas.
UConn and South Carolina canceled a regular season earlier this year amid COVID-related scheduling issues. But here we are, UConn leading the series 9-2 all-time. The Huskies come in as a bit of an underdog. The fact South Carolina has established itself as a perennial contender under Dawn Staley these last few years certainly help the rivalry – it’s likely the two powerhouses will continue to play regularly.
Excitement is building in Storrs
We’re still more than two hours from tip-off of UConn vs. South Carolina, but the excitement level is already quite high in Storrs.
The university is holding a watch party at Gampel Pavilion and more than 10,000 fans have claimed tickets to check out the Huskies.
For those watching from home, ESPN will have its regular broadcast on its main channel with Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo announcing. There will also be the ESPN “Megacast” on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN+ featuring Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird.
They had plenty of stories to share on Friday night for UConn’s Final Four game Geno Auriemma, however, has no plans of watching a recording.
“I didn’t record it, and the chances of me watching it are less than zero,” Auriemma said. “When you’ve been around those two as long as I have, I really truly have no interest in hearing anything they have to say. On any topic, especially me. But I’m sure they were funny as hell, and I’m sure whatever I see they were drinking didn’t come from the store.”
Azzi Fudd feels ready for national championship moment
UConn’s Azzi Fudd is the Huskies’ first No. 1-ranked recruit to play as a freshman in the NCAA Tournament national championship game since Katie Lou Samuelson in 2015.
“This is something that you dream of. And it’s so surreal. I can’t believe (it),” Fudd said. “When I committed, this is where I hope to be playing in the national championship game.”
Fudd has found a groove since returning from a foot injury, and on Sunday she’ll be playing in front of a crowd made up of her parents, brothers, grandparents, cousins and great aunts and uncles — plus a large group of close friends all making the trip to this year’s Final Four.
“Minneapolis, (is) like my second home,” Fudd said.
Read more about what Azzi Fudd had to say ahead of the NCAA championship game.
Evina Westbrook from way downtown
Meanwhile, it appears Azzi Fudd isn’t the only player ready for the NCAA championship game.
UConn-South Carolina: By the numbers
Neither team has lost an NCAA championship game, though South Carolina has only been to one before Sunday. UConn, meanwhile, is 11-0 all-time in the championship. UConn also leads the all-time series against South Carolina 9-2, and won the only previous NCAA tournament matchup between the two teams — a 94-65 Elite Eight victory in 2018.
Take a deeper look at the numbers ahead of Sunday night’s tip-off.
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