Connecticut Huskies
American (32-0, 18-0)
The Connecticut Huskies just keep rolling along as they are the unquestioned top seed heading into the NCAA Tournament and a heavy favorite to lay claim to their fourth consecutive national championship. Thanks to a combination of a balanced offense and relentless defense, the Huskies continually rise to the occasion on a nightly basis. Bottom line, it is going to take an extraordinary performance by someone to dethrone Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 11/16 at Ohio State (100-56), 12/5 Notre Dame (91-81), 2/8 at South Carolina (66-54)
Bad Losses: None
Coach: Geno Auriemma
Why They Can Surprise:
As the unquestioned favorite to win it all, it is going to be difficult for Connecticut to really surprise their fans and women’s college basketball fans anymore because of how consistent they are on a nightly basis. The trio of Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson, and Morgan Tuck is just about impossible to stop when all three players all rolling. Now, what could be an underrated factor in the Huskies play in the postseason is the development of some key role players that don’t get the attention like Stewart, Tuck, and Jefferson do. Coach Geno Auriemma made a bold move in mid-February for a game against Cincinnati by shaking up the starting lineup and bringing Stewart, Tuck, and Jefferson off of the bench to force other players to be more proactive. The bottom line is there will be a moment during the NCAA Tournament where someone will push the Huskies for the opening two quarters and get the game into the second half with it still being competitive and someone like Gabby Williams, Kia Nurse or Katie Lou Samuelson will have to step up and make a key play to spark Connecticut at a critical moment.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The potential for disappoint is there for the Huskies if they fall short of defending their national championship once again. Connecticut has the rare killer instinct that very few teams in any sport have and if you are going to pull the upset as an opposing team you can’t play in fear of them. On the other hand, for the Huskies they can’t rest on their laurels and think that just they have won the last three national championships that they can just show up and win by 40 points or more like they do in their American Athletic Conference games. If they let an inferior team hang into the fourth quarter during the NCAA Tournament at any moment, then they will be at some risk of disappointing their fans by actually losing.
Probable Starters:
Moriah Jefferson, Senior, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 2.7 spg
Kia Nurse, Sophomore, Guard, 9.3 ppg, 2.7 apg
Katie Lou Samuelson, Freshman, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 2.3 apg
Breanna Stewart, Senior, Forward, 19.2 ppg, 4.0 apg, 8.3 rpg, 3.5 bpg
Morgan Tuck, Senior, Forward, 12.5 ppg, 3.2 apg, 5.7 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Gabby Williams, Sophomore, Guard, 9.4 ppg, 1.4 apg, 5.9 rpg, 2.0 spg
Saniya Chong, Junior, Guard, 4.1 ppg, 1.2 apg
Naphessa Collier, Freshman, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Natalie Butler, Sophomore, Center, 6.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 88.0 (1st in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 48.1 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 52.0 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 32.8 (4, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.6 (32, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.8 (26, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 80.1 (1, 1)
Rebound Margin: 10.9 (9, 1)
Assists Per Game: 21.7 (1, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.8 (7, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA First Round win over St. Francis Brooklyn
2015 NCAA Second Round win over Rutgers
2015 NCAA Third Round win over Texas
2015 NCAA Quarterfinal win over Dayton
2015 NCAA Semifinal win over Maryland
2015 NCAA Final win over Notre Dame
2014 NCAA First Round win over Prairie View A&M
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Saint Joseph's
2014 NCAA Third Round win over BYU
2014 NCAA Quarterfinal win over Texas A&M
2014 NCAA Semifinal win over Stanford
2014 NCAA National Final win over Notre Dame
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Idaho
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Vanderbilt
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Maryland
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Kentucky
2013 NCAA National Semifinal win over Notre Dame
2013 NCAA National Final win over Louisville
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Prairie View A&M
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kansas State
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Penn State
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over Kentucky
2012 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Notre Dame
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hartford
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Purdue
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Georgetown
2011 NCAA Regional Final win over Duke
2011 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Notre Dame
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Southern
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Temple
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Iowa State
2010 NCAA Regional Final win over Florida State
2010 NCAA National Semifinal win over Baylor
2010 NCAA National Final win over Stanford
*all team stats through 3/3
