After a nearly weeklong hiatus in between games, the UConn women’s basketball team will be back up and running Saturday to kick off what should shape up to be a thrilling Thanksgiving hoops tournament.
The No. 2 Huskies will take on Minnesota Saturday in their first game of the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis women’s tournament, held at the iconic Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. UConn will then play either USF or Syracuse Sunday with a potential 1-vs-2 matchup against top-ranked South Carolina looming Monday.
“For a young team, this is a great way to get the season off and running,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Friday.
While the Huskies are plenty familiar with the Gamecocks (whom they beat in overtime in February), Oregon (who’s on the other side of the bracket), as well as the likes of former conference foes USF and Syracuse, Auriemma hasn’t faced the Gophers since Diana Taurasi and then-player Lindsay Whalen squared off in the 2004 national semifinal game. The Huskies won that one 67-58 on their way to taking home their third straight championship.
A lot has happened since then: Whalen went on to have a legendary career in the WNBA and with USA Basketball, where Auriemma was coached her at the London and Rio Olympics, and now as head coach for Minnesota.
“[Playing Whalen is] torture because it’s another reminder of how old I am,” Auriemma quipped.
“It’s just great when really good players, like Lindsay was in college, become really good players in the WNBA and become All-Stars and then decide to stay in the game and try to impart some of what they know to the players that are coming up today,” he continued. “I just think it’s a great thing. I wish more former players would do it.”
Upon assuming the helm at Minnesota, Whalen tried to recruit phenom Paige Bueckers, a Hopkins, Minnesota native, to stay home. Bueckers admired Whalen, having grown up watching her win four titles with the Minnesota Lynx, but stuck with her gut and went to her dream school of UConn.
This season, the Gophers are 3-1, winners of three straight after dropping their season opener to Jacksonville. They followed that with an overtime win over Arizona State.
Here’s what else you need to know about the matchup.
The basics
Site: Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas
Time: Noon ET
Series: UConn leads 2-0
Last meeting: No. 6 UConn 67, No. 24 Minnesota 58 in New Orleans, April 4, 2004
Streaming: The only way to watch UConn-Minnesota and the Huskies’ second game of the tournament Sunday is on the online streaming site FloHoops. FloHoops offers monthly and yearly subscriptions. The monthly rate is $29.99, while the yearly one is $12.50 per month.
Broadcasters: Jill Painter Lopez (pxp), Helen Williams (analyst), Dani Wexelman (sideline)
Radio: The River 105.9, Bob Joyce (pxp), Debbie Fiske (analyst)
Next up: UConn will play either USF or Syracuse Sunday
Other side of the bracket: Buffalo, Oregon, South Carolina, Oklahoma
Minnesota probable starters, sixth man
Sara Scalia, G, 5-10, Jr.; Jasmine Powell, G, 5-6, Jr.; Kadiatou Sissoko, F, 6-2, R-Jr.; Gadiva Hubbard, G, 5-9, Gr.; Bailey Helgren, F, 6-5, Gr.; Deja Winters, G, 5-11, Gr.
UConn probable starters, sixth man
Christyn Williams, G, 5-11, Sr.; Olivia Nelson-Ododa, F, 6-5, Sr.; Evina Westbrook, G, 6-0, R-Sr.; Paige Bueckers, G, 5-11, So.; Aaliyah Edwards, F, 6-3, So.; Azzi Fudd, G, 5-11, Fr.
The matchup
UConn’s offense: In the Huskies’ season opener, Bueckers carried the load after the first quarter with 34 points. Westbrook and Williams had strong starts and finished with at least 15 points apiece. As the season goes on, UConn figures to have more scoring depth than exhibited Sunday, though Bueckers will no doubt still have the ball in her hands a lot, either as a facilitator or at times the primary scorer.
UConn’s defense: One of the weaker points of UConn’s opener, the Huskies’ defense allowed 80 points to Arkansas, as both the guards struggled to keep players in front of them and the posts fouled too much.
Minnesota’s offense: Offense has been tougher to come by for the Gophers. They are averaging 63.3 points per game on 37.2% shooting (31.6% on 3s) and scored just 48 points against George Washington recently. Scalia leads the team with 14.5 points per game. The Gophers play at a slow pace (70.3 possessions per 40 minutes). The team told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that they’re looking to get into the paint more and have better ball movement.
Minnesota’s defense: A primary focus for the Gophers in the offseason, the unit has allowed just 54.0 points per game on 35.5% shooting. The team is pretty solid on the defensive glass, where they come away with 78.5% of rebounds. Sissoko is their top rebounder with 6.5 boards per game.
UConn keys: Though Minnesota isn’t impressive offensively, Auriemma will be looking for his team to have a better outing defensively after it struggled against Arkansas. As always, rebounding on both ends and ball movement on offense will be key. A more balanced offensive performance would also be ideal.
Players to watch: Do the newcomers look more comfortable after somewhat ineffective outings Sunday?
About Minnesota’s coach: A basketball legend, Whalen is in her fourth season as head coach at her alma mater. The Minnesota native is a four-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and is the WNBA’s all-time wins leader. She sported a 45-39 record entering the 2021-22 season.
Minnesota’s mascot: Goldy Gopher.
Famous alumni: Musician Bob Dylan, WWE wrestler Ric Flair, late vice president Hubert Humphrey.
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com.
