It’s the most wonderful time of the year for UConn students, the weather’s getting warmer, only two more months of school, but one thing seems to take the utmost importance, March Madness! At the proclaimed Basketball Capital of the World students (including me) are filled with anticipation to see if the Huskies will bring home another trophy to Storrs. I am going to give a recap of these very different seasons for both the men’s and women’s teams, as well as my personal predictions of how far these huskies will make it in the big dance.
the Men’s Team bumpy Road
As the men’s team began the season ranked #3 in the country and was coming off of back-to-back national championships fans across the country began the season with high expectations, but it has been a bit of a rocky season for the Huskies. The team lost four out of five starters to the NBA and had only returning starter Alex Karaban and senior Hassan Diarra to lead this relatively young team. The Huskies started out the season 4-0 before losing all three games in the Maui Invitational and it has been nothing but rocky since then. The team has been going back and forth with statement wins against ranked opponents such as Baylor at home, Marquette and Creighton on the road, and tough close losses against #6 St Johns, Xavier, and a gut-wrenching loss to Seton Hall in overtime. Another blow to the team was when star freshman guard Liam McNeely went out with an ankle injury and missed 8 games. The team had gone 3-3 without Mcneely until his return in February. The Huskies also went from being #3 in the country when the season began, to now being unranked and have a record of 22-9. There is still hope for the Huskies to go far in March, and they have a chance to win the Big East Tournament clinching a 3rd seed. The tournament begins on March 13th at Madison Square Garden where the Huskies will play the winner of Villanova vs Seton Hall.
The women’s team’s smooth ride
As for the women’s team, they have had a smoother season than the men. Led by star guard Paige Bueckers, the Huskies are currently ranked #3 in the country and are currently 31-3. The team has gone undefeated in Big East play and just won the Big East Championship against #23 Creighton at Mohegan Sun. Their three losses have been against top 10 teams, Notre Dame, USC, and Tennessee. While they had struggled against these ranked teams, at those times they were not fully healthy. They had a statement win against #4 South Carolina, beating them by 29 points and snapping South Carolina’s 71-game home winning streak. Another huge bright spot for the Huskies is freshman Sarah Strong who has been a game changer, averaging 16 points per game and 8.4 rebounds, and is currently a frontrunner for National Freshman of the Year. The return of Azzi Fudd has also been crucial for the team’s success this year. Fudd, who had a huge game against South Carolina, dropping 28 points and averaging 12.8 points is a huge part of the Huskies’ offense. As well as Fudd, the return of Aubrey Griffin has been extremely impactful for the Huskies’ defense. Overall, the women’s team has had a very successful season, but will it be enough to get that natty?
My March Madness predictions
While I am no sports analyst, I do try and watch every UConn basketball game, and because of that I do have some opinions on where I think the Huskies will end up during March, and if they will bring that trophy back where it belongs, the Basketball Capital of the World.
How far will the women’s team go?
When I think of the women’s team, the two main players I think of are Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong. I think that these two will lead this team to a national championship. They are arguably the best players on the team and the way that they play together is amazing. The pick-and-roll action between them is arguably some of the best in the country and I think that is a huge reason the Huskies can win that natty. While some may say that they lost to three ranked teams, I don’t see that as being a factor. The two games they lost, Notre Dame and USC, were both played when both Azzi Fudd and Aubrey Griffin were still recovering from injury and the team was still figuring things out. In their blowout win against South Carolina, Azzi Fudd shined with 28 points, and players off the bench like sophomore Ashlynn Shade, who had a big game with Ashlynn scoring nine points, making three total three-pointers. This is what UConn is really going to need coming into the tournament, multiple shooters who can score. As well as their shooters, forwards Jana El Alfy and Ice Brady have shown that they can step up to the plate and have a great post presence. We have seen in previous years that the Huskies can make the Final Four with extenuating circumstances like last year when they had only seven active players, and in 2022 when they made the championship game, and that was all because of Paige Bueckers taking over when needed. This team will go as far as Paige takes them, and with the bonus of Sarah Strong, and the rest of the team being healthy again, I believe that the Huskies have a real chance of winning the National Championship and will bring the trophy home to Storrs.
Can the men three-peat?
While I would love the men to win the championship and do an iconic three-peat, sadly I do not see that happening this year. Because of their bumpy season, and who they have lost to, I don’t think that they will make it as far in the NCAA tournament. As of now, the men are projected to be an eight-seed in the tournament, meaning that if they win the first round, then in the second round they would be playing the winner of #1 seed Duke vs a #16 seed. Assuming Duke wins that matchup, then it would be Duke vs UConn in the second round. While I will always root for the Huskies, this seems like it would be a tough win and a very tough second round matchup. While I have my doubts about how far the men will make it in the tournament, I do have hope that they can make an amazing run. They have so much talent, with sophomore Solo Ball leading the team with 14.8 points and senior Alex Karaban not far behind averaging 14.5 points again. Not to mention junior Tarris Reed Jr, a transfer from Michigan who has recently been having big games averaging 10 points and seven rebounds per game, and he just recently won Big East Sixth Man of the Year. Adding senior point guard Hassan Diarra, and senior center Samson Johnso,n and having some good points off the bench is what the Huskies will need to make a big run in the tournament. While I love rooting for the Huskies, I just do not see them bringing home that trophy this year, but who knows? It’s March!
Hopefully, both teams make a huge run in the tournament and bring home that trophy back to Storrs!