Geno Auriemma led UConn back to the top of women’s college basketball last season as the Huskies won their 12th national championship.
The top-ranked team in the AP preseason poll will try and become the first team to repeat as champions since the Huskies won four in a row from 2013-16. It won’t be easy with the other three Final Four participants — South Carolina, Texas and UCLA — all loaded up again this season.
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UConn lost star Paige Bueckers to graduation, but Auriemma’s team is deep and led by All-America forward Sarah Strong and stellar guard Azzi Fudd.
Auriemma compared the situation to previous seasons when his team lost superstars. He knows UConn can overcome the challenge, though.
“But it’s like when Stewie (Breanna Stewart) left, it’s like when Diana (Taurasi) left, it’s like when Maya (Moore) left, you know, or Tina (Charles), or you know, anytime you have someone that’s so dominant at their position, it takes some new getting used to,” he said.
Also missing this season is JuJu Watkins, the AP player of the year who is recovering from an ACL injury she suffered in the NCAA Tournament last spring. The USC star announced on social media she was going to take the season to recover from the injury.
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Even with Bueckers and Watkins gone, there is a host of talented players across the country. UCLA has Lauren Betts, South Carolina is led by Joyce Edwards and Notre Dame has Hannah Hidalgo.
The season opens Nov. 3 with the national championship game on April 5 in Phoenix.
Old faces in new places
Some of the game’s top players changed schools.
Ta’Niya Latson — who led the country in scoring last season and was a preseason AP All-American — left Florida State to join South Carolina. She replaces MiLaysia Fulwiley, who transfered to LSU.
Other guards making moves included Olivia Miles heading to TCU from Notre Dame, Yarden Garzon going to Maryland from Indiana and Kiyomi McMiller leaving Rutgers for Penn State. McMiller was suspended in early January and didn’t play after Feb. 6 .
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In the frontcourt, Cotie McMahon is one of eight new players that Ole Miss brought in. The former Ohio State star is the best of that group. UConn also got bigger up front with the addition of 6-foot-2 Wisconsin transfer Serah Williams.
Talented freshmen
There is a host of promising freshmen led by Oklahoma’s Aaliyah Chavez, UCLA’s Sienna Betts and Southern California’s Jazzy Davidson.
The trio should make instant impacts for their schools. Chavez was the top-ranked player coming out of high school and joins an already stacked Sooners squad. Betts will play with her sister Lauren and gives the Bruins a standout frontcourt.
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Davidson will try and pick up some of the scoring slack for the Trojans with Watkins out.
Coaching carousel
No bigger shoes were there to fill then at DePaul where Jill Pizzotti was promoted to take over for Doug Bruno, who retired after suffering a medical incident last year. Pizzotti was the interim coach last season for the Bruins. Bruno won 786 games in his 39 years at the school.
Other major coaching changes include Adia Barnes leaving Arizona for SMU; Matthew Mitchell returning to the sidelines at Houston after stepping away in 2020 from Kentucky; Kellie Harper taking over at Missouri; and Michele Woods-Baxter replacing Jose Fernandez at USF after he left to pursue a WNBA coaching job in Dallas.
