No. 3 UConn women’s basketball vs. Georgetown: time, how to watch, broadcasters, preview
Following a thriller Thursday night in Knoxville, another quick turnaround awaits the No. 3 UConn Huskies (9-0, 7-0 Big East), who face conference opponent Georgetown Saturday at 2 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion. It’ll be their third game in five days, as well as their final tune-up before they take on another tough SEC opponent on the road Thursday in No. 15 Arkansas.
Georgetown (1-4, 1-4) faced a lot of COVID-19-related disruption earlier in the season, playing three of its five games over the last two weeks. The sole win came against Butler (56-45), which UConn beat 103-35 earlier this week.
Site: Gampel Pavilion
Time: 2 p.m.
Series: UConn leads, 45-6
Last meeting: No. 3 UConn 75, Georgetown 48 in Washington, D.C., Jan. 9, 2013
TV: SNY (Meghan Culmo and Allen Bestwick)
Livestream: Fans outside of SNY’s market can watch the game on the Fox Sports App or https://www.foxsports.com/. Some fans said they can only access games via fox.com/sports or the Fox Now app, though, so try that if needed. The games might not appear on those sites until right around tipoff.
Radio: UConn IMG Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN
Georgetown probable starters, sixth man
Yasmin Ott, G, 5-7, Fr.; Kelsey Ransom, G, 5-10, Fr.; Graceann Bennett, F, 6-3, So.; Milan Bolden-Morris, G, 5-10, Gr.; Jillian Archer, F, 6-2, Jr.; Jazmyn Harmon, G, 5-8, Fr.
UConn probable starters, sixth man
Christyn Williams, G, 5-11, Jr.; Olivia Nelson-Ododa, F, 6-5, Jr.; Evina Westbrook, G, 6-0, R-Jr.; Paige Bueckers, G, 5-11, Fr.; Aubrey Griffin, F, 6-1, So.; Anna Makurat, G, 6-2, So.
The match-up
UConn’s offense: When they’re at their best, the Huskies come out with a balanced scoring effort behind all three junior leaders, Bueckers and one or two others. Williams is coming off her best performance of the season, scoring a team-high 20 points against Tennessee. Westbrook keeps looking better and better, and has dropped double-figure scoring in each of the last six games. Bueckers had her worse shooting night of her young career, but still made her impact felt with seven assists and the win-sealing shot.
UConn’s defense: UConn’s defense isn’t a finished product, but the Huskies came out with their strongest effort on that end of the floor to close out Thursday’s game, limiting the Lady Vols to a mere 26 second-half points. Opponents average 49.3 points on 30.3 percent shooting against UConn, and the Huskies force 14.4 turnovers per game.
Georgetown’s offense: By measure of multiple metrics, Georgetown’s offense is among the worst in the country. The Hoyas average 48.8 points per game on 31.8 percent shooting, while also turning the ball over 21.8 times per game. The top scorer — Bolden-Morris, a midseason graduate student transfer from Boston College — is the only player to average double figure scoring at 10.3 points per game on 29.3 percent shooting. Ransom is behind her with 9.2 points per game. The team collects a lot of offensive boards off its misses, averaging 15.2 per game.
Georgetown’s defense: The Hoyas fare better on the defensive end, limiting opponents to a respectable 65.0 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting. Between the 6-3 Bennett and 6-2 Archer, they have decent size down low, allowing them to average 4.8 blocks. They also force nine steals per game.
UConn keys: Defensive pressure to force Georgetown turnovers, defensive rebounding, movement on offense, better free throw shooting
Player to watch: Does Bueckers play after spraining her ankle at the end of the Tennessee game? And if so, how well does she move? It’s not a bad game to rest her to ensure she’s ready to go before another big road trip to Arkansas on Thursday.
About Georgetown’s coach: James Howard joined the Hoyas prior to the 2017 season and has since guided them to a pair of seasons with a .500 record or better, as well as two WNIT and two Big East Tournament semifinal appearances. The team faltered last season, finishing 5-25.
Georgetown’s mascot: Jack the Bulldog
Famous alumni: President Bill Clinton, actor Bradley Cooper, basketball players Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com
