STORRS — A lot can change in 8 months.
of UConn Women’s Basketball Team Three seniors (Evina Westbrook, Kristin Williams, Olivia Nelson Ododa) graduated last season and were eliminated Paige Bookers Missed the 2022-23 season due to an ACL injury.
North Carolina State lost four starters from last year’s team. Raina Perez and Kai Crutchfield have graduated, and Elissa Kunan and Taylor Jones have been selected in the 2022 WNBA Draft.
So the teams that played in the historic Double Overtime Elite Eight in Bridgeport last March are different. But that doesn’t make Sunday’s rematch (at 1pm, XL Center) any less dramatic or competitive.
“I hope his team plays with the same confidence they did when they came back after falling behind a year ago,” North Carolina State University coach Wes Moore said Wednesday. “…Yeah, they don’t have Bookers, but I don’t feel too sorry.….They have All-Americans across that roster and Geno (Auriemma) does a great job. He built the program from scratch and is now reaping the benefits. They can get top players and he knows how to coach them.
of Huskies beat Wolfpack in first two overtime games Elite Eight of the Women’s NCAA Tournament. The Bueckers gave UConn the win in just her nine games after missing her 19 games with a knee injury. Scored 15 out of 27 points after regulation.
there was that too Final match of Dorka Juhas of the year after breaking his wrist in the second quarter.
“It was a really cool environment,” said Caroline Ducharm. “Just like the intensity. It was shot for shot and stop for stop, so it was a really cool game. It was a great match and I’m looking forward to playing again.”
5th place husky dog Beat 3rd place Texas On Monday night, Azzi Fudd appeared in this year’s National Player of the Year conversation. Sophomores scored 17 of 20 UConn points They currently rank second nationally with 29.0 points per game in the team’s first two games.
Impressed with Monday’s performance, Auriemma said he would love to see more players on offense to help Fudd not burden the team every game.
“It’s scary to think what she could do if she put together 40 minutes like that,” Auriemma said Friday before the team’s practice. It’s not the end of the win. Keep Lou (Lopez Seneschal) out of foul trouble and keep moving Caroline to the floor. Get more Aubrey (Griffin) involved. was even better.”
Monday night was Ducharme’s season debut after missing both the UConn exhibition and the season opener with a stiff neck. Only sophomore he scored two goals in four minutes of play. Auriemma told the media on Friday that although Ducharme was able to fully participate in training, his time on court was limited.
“It’s frustrating, especially last year, when I had a hip problem all season and now it’s happening,” Ducharme said. “It’s kind of hard to know because it’s a day-to-day thing. There are really good days and bad days, so you just try to manage it.”
No. 10 North Carolina starts the season 4-0. However, Sunday’s game will be the Wolfpack’s first test of the season, as they will face ranked opponents for the first time. Diamond Johnson leads the pack with his 12.5 points per game, followed by Madison Hayes (11.5 points) and Jada Boyd (11.3 points).
Auilemma said he hasn’t rewatched the full replay of last year’s Elite Eight yet, while Moore said he rewatched the game a few days ago and still feels the pain of losing.
“Losing double overtime and having a chance to go to the Final Four just makes me sick,” Moore said. “I really regret not being a little more aggressive and trying to score instead of worrying about the remaining time, especially now that regulation is over.”
Maggie.Vanoni@hearstmediact.com @maggie_vanoni
