What competition will the UConn women face in the Big East? Fox Sports analyst Kim Adams breaks down what to expect
After going 139-0 in seven seasons in the AAC, the UConn women’s basketball team returns to the Big East with the same goal in mind and a good shot at making it happen: going undefeated in conference play and bringing home conference title after conference title.
The Big East of 2020 is far different from the conference UConn left in 2013, where the Huskies’ battles against Notre Dame became legendary and other schools like Louisville, Rutgers and West Virginia vied for top spots. Though even before UConn joined the AAC, the Huskies still pretty much dominated the Big East, going undefeated in conference play nine times and boasting a combined 37 Big East regular season and tournament titles.
Still, the new Big East (sixth in conference RPI) is a welcomed upgrade that certainly offers more competition than the AAC did (ninth in conference RPI). That’s also manifested in the Big East sending more teams to the NCAA Tournament year after year — including likely three teams this past season had winter championships not been canceled. The AAC would’ve only been represented by UConn.
To get an inside look at what to expect from the conference whenever basketball returns, The Courant spoke to Fox Sports analyst Kim Adams, who has covered or worked for the conference since 2015.
Conference reaction
DePaul has largely dominated the conference in its current form, winning five of the last seven Big East Tournament titles. But the 11-time national championship Huskies make for a whole different level of an opponent for teams to regularly go up against.
“All the coaches I’ve talked to are both very excited but I think also on alert, realizing that an additional challenge is now going to be presented to them because they obviously know the level of excellence that UConn has, the success they have year after year, and most of them have played UConn in the Big East just a couple years ago,” Adams said.
Even if UConn has a firm handle on the conference, there’s a sense, too, that the league will ultimately benefit as a whole, Adams said. More Big East games will be nationally televised, and more coaches will now feel the pressure to recruit players that can help them compete against the Huskies, thereby elevating the level of play. And if teams can go toe-to-toe with the Huskies, the NCAA Tournament selection committee should take notice.
“I think everyone realizes this has the opportunity to be really good for the conference, in terms of the conference’s overall reputation and ranking amongst other conferences when it comes down to how many teams are getting into the NCAA Tournament and all of that,” Adams said. “So there’s a lot of excitement.”
DePaul reigns supreme - for now
There’s no doubt that Doug Bruno’s job as head coach at DePaul got a lot tougher on July 1. The coach will be looking for a fourth straight conference tournament title next season, but now will have to go through longtime pal Geno Auriemma to earn it.
Bruno may be 0-17 against Auriemma, but their teams’ matchup this past season demonstrated why it’s so difficult to play DePaul. UConn led by 26 before the Blue Demons used a barrage of threes to pull within four in the fourth quarter, though the Huskies ultimately held on for a 10-point victory. DePaul ended the season with a 28-5 record (15-3 in Big East play) and a No. 15 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.
Now, UConn gets to play them twice a year in the regular season and likely once more in the conference tournament.
“You have to be so mentally prepared and locked in when you play DePaul,” Adams said. “Once they get those threes going, they just ride that wave. So if you take a defensive possession off, if you don’t box out, they are kicking those rebounds back out for made threes, and all of a sudden it’s like a 12-0 DePaul run... And I also think you have to be very keyed in on the scout and know that pretty much any player that steps on the floor for them can shoot the three.”
The Blue Demons graduated top scorer Chante Stonewall and point guard Kelly Campbell, but Adams suspects juniors Sonya Morris and Lexi Held, who earned all-Big East honors last season, will smoothly take the reins. After all, consistency is a hallmark of Bruno’s program: Prior to the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, DePaul had made 17 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, something that only Connecticut, Stanford and Tennessee have accomplished.
Second tier and everyone else
In Adams’ eyes, not too far behind DePaul is Marquette, who has appeared in the last four Big East Tournament title games and won it all in 2017. It was a pleasant surprise that the program did so well this past year, in which they finished 24-8 overall (13-5 in conference) under new head coach Megan Duffy and had just graduated program greats Allazia Blockton and Natisha Hiedeman.
Adams described St. John’s and Seton Hall as comprising the tier behind DePaul and Marquette and as teams that often make for a tough road trip. St. John’s has a strong rising sophomore in Leilani Correa, while Seton Hall is graduating top player Shadeen Samuels but has a talented crop of young guards and typically brings in good transfers.
The teams below those four may not be as strong, but they’re still known for playing hard, with some attempting to make things difficult for opponents by slowing down the game.
All eyes will be on the trajectory of Villanova, where Denise Dillon has taken over following the retirement of Harry Perretta, and whether she can elevate the Wildcats atop the conference.
“Anytime you bring in [as a coach] somebody who is a former player in that program, they have a renewed sense of spirit and energy,” Adams said. “And I think it’s always exciting to have a new face around. Obviously, we all love Harry, everyone loved Harry, but I think it’ll be cool for Villanova to enter this next chapter and see what they can do after an incredible legacy left by Harry Perretta.”
What it means for UConn
The Huskies were not challenged in the AAC, winning all 139 contests and 137 of those by double figures, while notching an average of victory of roughly 30 points.
Will UConn still be favorites to win the conference regular season and tournament? Yes. Will more games, especially on the road, be hard-fought and competitive? Also yes.
“Grit is a good word for the conference,” Adams said. “Any away game is going to be tough. A lot of the coaches have been at their schools for a while now and have really built up good cultures.
“UConn will come in as preseason favorites, top dog. But I think right off the bat, they’ll see that these teams aren’t going to back down from them, and these coaches are going to do all that they can to prepare their teams for these matchups.”
UConn will continue to put together a strong non-conference slate, but having more competition in conference play — by facing DePaul so often and taking on other NCAA Tournament-caliber teams — will only help the Huskies prepare for better squads in the postseason.
“Hopefully it helps elevate the overall talent level of the league,” Adams said. “It will be fun to see this new wave of Big East and what the rivalries will be.”
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com
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