No. 3 UConn women’s basketball vs. Butler: time, how to watch, broadcasters, preview
After another unexpectedly long hiatus, the No. 3 UConn women are finally back in action.
As of now, the Huskies (7-0, 6-0 Big East) are set to begin a five-day stretch featuring three games, starting Tuesday when they host Butler at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SNY.
Butler’s sole conference win was 58-40 over Georgetown. Otherwise, the Bulldogs (1-8, 1-7) are coming off a pair of 15-point losses to Seton Hall this past week.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:
Site: Gampel Pavilion
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Series: First-ever meeting
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
Butler probable starters, sixth man:
Okako Adika, G/F, 6-0, Jr.; Genesis Parker, G, 5-8, R-Sr.; Jaia Alexander, G, 5-11, R-Sr.; Micah Scheetz, G, 5-8, Gr.; Annilia Dawn, G, 5-5, Jr.; Tenley Dowell, G, 6-0, R-Fr.
UConn probable starters, sixth man:
Christyn Williams, G, 5-11, Jr.; Olivia Nelson-Ododa, F, 6-5, Jr.; Anna Makurat, G, 6-2, So.; Evina Westbrook, G, 6-0, R-Jr.; Paige Bueckers, G, 5-11, Fr.; Aaliyah Edwards, F, 6-3, Fr.
The matchup
UConn’s offense: Bueckers is coming off her second-best scoring game of the season, dropping 23 points on 10 shots against Providence. Geno Auriemma still wants her to keep shooting even more. That game Aubrey Griffin showed some life with a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds, as did Makurat with a season-best three 3-pointers. But the Huskies’ junior duo of Williams and Nelson-Ododa struggled out of the gate, the former finishing scoreless and the latter shooting 5-for-10 from the field.
UConn’s defense: The Huskies have limited their last three opponents — including DePaul and Villanova — to 52 or fewer points, while only Seton Hall has cracked the 60-point threshold (scoring 65 in the second game of the season). Providence’s 38.2 field goal percentage was the “ best against UConn all season. Teams are shooting 29.4 percent against the Huskies and 23.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Butler’s offense: Butler has one of the slowest-paced, lowest scoring offenses in the nation, averaging 54.2 points on 34.6 percent shooting. Those marks are in the ninth and 13th percentiles of Division I teams nationwide, according to Her Hoop Stats. The Bulldogs do, however, take a lot of 3-pointers — approximately 37.9 percent of their shots are from beyond the arc, with Parker leading the way in average attempts (7.4) but Adika in shooting percentage (44.7 percent). The team as a whole only makes 32.5 percent from deep.
Butler’s defense: Butler’s defense is slightly better than its offense, holding opponents to 70.9 points on 44.6 percent shooting. The Bulldogs struggle on the glass on both ends, coming away with a minus-6.7 average rebound margin. In recent meetings against Seton Hall, the Pirates destroyed Butler from beyond the arc, hitting 11 and 15 3s across both games. Butler also only has one player who is taller than 6 feet 1, and she’s a freshman.
UConn keys: Perimeter defense. Crash the boards. Take advantage of Edwards’ and Nelson-Ododa’s size advantage.
Players to watch: Williams had her worse game ever last time out against Providence, finishing with zero points on zero shot attempts in 14 minutes. Will the junior be able to put that game behind her and find the confidence and aggressive play that she’s shown in spurts earlier this season?
About Butler’s coach: Kurt Godlevske is in his seventh season as head coach at Butler. After earning Big East coach of the year in 2018-19 following a 23-10 season, he guided the Bulldogs within reach of another 20-win campaign in 2019-20 before the cancellation of the postseason.
Butler’s mascot: Butler Blue IV
Famous alumni: Baylor men’s basketball coach Scott Drew, Second Lady Karen Pence, NBA player Gordon Hayward
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com.
