Visiting Locker Room: The UConn Blog talks about the reigning champs

Back in 2023, the planets aligned and Ohio State women’s basketball got the best of the UConn Huskies in the Sweet Sixteen. After six-straight defeats to head coach Geno Auriemma’s Huskies, the Buckeyes shocked the college basketball world when they defeated the now 12-time national champions.

On Sunday, Ohio State travels to Connecticut to play the first game of a two-game home-and-home series against the 2025 NCAA champions. To learn more about this edition of the Huskies, Land-Grant Holy Land reached out to Daniel Connolly over at The UConn Blog.

Advertisement

Connolly answered questions about a familiar name to Big Ten basketball fans, any potential weaknesses for this year’s Huskies, could this UConn squad go undefeated this season, and more.

Land-Grant Holy Land: Ohio State fans know Serah Williams from her three seasons in Wisconsin. Playing up in Madison meant that Williams was pretty hidden from widespread attention, but now plays for the strongest program in women’s college basketball history. How is Williams adjusting to both the team and the uptick in attention?

The UConn Blog: Williams hasn’t quite put it together at UConn. She really struggled during an open practice in September then looked like one of the team’s best players during the two exhibitions. Now, she’s sitting somewhere in between those extremes through three regular season contests. Williams put together a strong third quarter against Florida State last Sunday and followed it up with her first 10-point game on Wednesday vs. Loyola Chicago, so she’s trending in the right direction.

Transfers typically need some time to settle in with the Huskies – guard Kaitlyn Chen (Princeton) didn’t feel comfortable calling her own number until January last year while old friend Dorka Juhász needed a full season under her belt before making a major impact – so this is par for the course.

There’s very little concern with Williams at the moment. The talent is evident and Geno speaks very highly of her, so she should continue to improve as the season progresses. Williams might not look like the player Ohio State is used to seeing on Sunday but by the time March rolls around, she should be a force for this UConn team.

LGHL: It feels like the Buckeyes’ upset win over the Huskies in 2023 was another lifetime ago. Paige Bueckers was out with an injury, Aaliyah Edwards was neutralized by early fouls, and Azzi Fudd was just coming back from one of her injuries. What can fans expect from a healthy Fudd this weekend?

UB: I think about that Ohio State loss a lot. It ended UConn’s Final Four streak at 14 and yet it’s hard to be all that upset about it. The Huskies were hammered with injuries – they finished that game with essentially four healthy players. As you mentioned, Bueckers was out and Fudd was a shell of herself but even Lou Lopez Sénéchal suffered a knee injury that kept her out for her entire WNBA rookie season. UConn had nothing left and it ran into the worst possible matchup with Ohio State. Such is life.

Fudd is coming off a career-high 34 games played last year and entered the season healthy for just the second time. She’s picked up where she left off after winning Final Four Most Outstanding Player, showing off a newfound confidence and aggressiveness with the ball in her hands. Fudd has put up 20+ points twice already and is liable to blow any game open with her 3-point shooting ability. While Sarah Strong is viewed as the national player of the year favorite, don’t be surprised if Fudd ends up in that conversation, too.

LGHL: On paper, this is as lopsided a matchup as most of UConn’s Big East conference games. What kinds of weaknesses do the defending champions have early in the season?

UB: UConn definitely isn’t a finished product at this point in the calendar but it’s been pretty good through three games, all things considered. The Huskies are currently at their best when deploying their press defense, which turns teams over at a high rate and leads to easy points in transition the other way. When teams get through the press, UConn has struggled defending the perimeter and allowed opponents to shoot 32.5 percent from three, which ranks in the bottom third nationally. In the half-court, the Huskies’ offense hasn’t quite found their groove. When they’re getting open shots, they aren’t hitting them – illustrated by their 28.6 percent clip from three so far. They also have a tendency to get sped up, which can lead to forced looks or turnovers.

Another factor: For the first time in years, UConn has quality depth. Geno is currently rolling with a rotation of at least nine deep, which can stretch to 10 depending on the day. While that will eventually be a major strength, the Huskies are still figuring out which lineups and combinations work best together. As they experiment in the early going, there will be stretches where it doesn’t look so good on the floor.

LGHL: What are the chances that this UConn team goes undefeated for the first time in 10 years?

UB: Barring injuries, I don’t know how anyone stops UConn from winning its 13th national title this season. Fudd and Strong are probably good enough to do it by themselves but the Huskies have a ridiculous amount of depth behind them. There’s the aforementioned Williams along with Jana El Alfy, who was central to the national championship run by getting the best of Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers, USC’s Kiki Iriafen and UCLA’s Lauren Betts in the NCAA Tournament. KK Arnold and Kayleigh Heckel have both been great at point guard so far. Next to them in the backcourt, Ashlynn Shade has proven to be an impact player through two seasons already while Allie Ziebell is in the midst of a break out after a quiet freshman year. In addition to all that, keep an eye on freshman Blanca Quiñonez on Sunday. She’s incredibly fun to watch with her combination of size, length, athleticism and skill. Quiñonez has the potential to be UConn’s next superstar – and sooner rather than later.

UConn has high-end talent, quality depth and the best coaching staff in the country. The team just needs to stay healthy.

Will they go undefeated? I think so, though it’s not a lock like some years. The roster is ridiculous and the schedule is relatively light. The Big East is a joke, so the Huskies won’t drop a game there. In the non-conference, while all but one game is against Power Four competition, there’s no heavyweight matchup with the likes of South Carolina, UCLA or LSU. The toughest games project to be against No. 8 USC (away on Dec. 13), No. 18 Notre Dame (home on Jan. 19) and No. 12 Tennessee (home Feb. 1). A loss would certainly benefit this UConn team but as it stands, it’s hard to imagine it happening.