With Paige Bueckers potentially missing time, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Caroline Ducharme are on the rise for the UConn women heading into Georgia Tech game

Early on in UConn’s season, it was largely the Paige Bueckers, Christyn Williams and Evina Westbrook show, as that trio accounted for two-thirds of the Huskies’ points across their first four games of the season.

Since the Huskies have returned from the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, we’ve seen flashes of their depth emerge, which will be all the more important with Bueckers possibly missing time due to a left knee injury she suffered at the end of Sunday’s win against Notre Dame. As of Monday evening, the school had not shared an update on her status.

Against Seton Hall, Aaliyah Edwards and Dorka Juhász had nice outings. Sunday against the Irish, it was senior Olivia Nelson-Ododa and freshman Caroline Ducharme who stood out most. Sophomore Nika Mühl has also looked to be regaining her form from last season.

Here’s more on UConn’s emerging depth and who’s on the rise heading into the Huskies’ next game at Georgia Tech on Thursday:

Caroline Ducharme

After receiving rave reviews this summer/preseason and a strong showing in UConn’s exhibition, Ducharme looked rushed and was turnover-prone in her first few real games.

She appeared to be turning the corner Sunday. She started the fourth quarter, with Notre Dame trailing by seven, and scored 14 of the Huskies’ 22 points, their highest scoring period of the game.

“When Caroline came in,” Auriemma said, “I think she changed the complexion of the game.”

Ducharme first got on the board with a drive into the lane, sinking a hook shot. Later on, she slashed to the hoop again and scored off a reverse layup. The freshman also made the first 3-pointers of her young career, going 3 for 5 overall, by hitting one near the baseline on an inbounds play and two more from wing.

Ducharme said her approach was to “[be] aggressive and try not to overthink things. I think the last few games, I’ve just been overthinking what I needed to do, and today I just tried to go out and play and not think about things too much ... just having fun and enjoying it, and taking shots that are open and not overthinking about making a mistake or taking bad shots.”

Ducharme wasn’t expected to play a big role as a freshman with so much backcourt depth, but with Westbrook and Williams inconsistent from 3, and Bueckers and sharp-shooter Azzi Fudd injured, the freshman’s 3-point shooting and ability to create for herself off the bounce could be an invaluable asset for UConn.

“Playing a game like today on national television, against Notre Dame and all that, I think that’s going to help her a ton going forward,” Auriemma said.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa

Nelson-Ododa may not have shined the first few games of the season, but she did when it mattered most during UConn’s battle against top-ranked South Carolina. Her defensive presence was a big reason why the Huskies led most of the first half, and she played with a tenacity that hasn’t always been noticeable in her game.

Since then, Nelson-Ododa has looked much more aggressive, answering the coaching staff’s call for the bigs to crash the glass.

There’s also an element of personal motivation driving her.

“That loss was heartbreaking for me,” Nelson-Ododa said. “I took that very personal and ever since then, just really try to be intentional in practice about what I’m doing, how I’m doing things and just listening to the coaching staff.”

“I think that really illuminated for her, ‘This is what I can be,’” Auriemma said. “Because we can talk about it all we want, we can show her film and we can do all the things that most coaches do with their players, but [it doesn’t matter as much] until you actually do it, until you actually experience it.

“I bet you for the first time in her career at UConn, Liv was really devastated after that South Carolina game. I think a lot of it has to do with what she put into it, and the more you put into it, the more it hurts when you’re not successful at the end of the game.”

The one thing missing from Nelson-Ododa in that loss was an aggression on the offensive end, but she came out with that Sunday, her 14-point, 13-rebound performance marking her first double-double of the season. She largely succeeded by creating second-chance opportunities for herself.

Auriemma also wants her to play smarter on defense so she doesn’t get into foul trouble as she did Sunday.

“Still not there yet, but we’re way ahead of where we were before, and I’m guessing it’s going to keep getting better,” Auriemma said.

Nika Mühl

Auriemma has repeatedly pointed out that the Huskies’ offense isn’t operating smoothly, in part because not enough players are making outside shots. Ducharme can help with that. The same can be said for the defensive-minded Mühl, who on Sunday made her first two triples after missing her previous six attempts on the season.

Even on Friday at Seton Hall, Mühl looked more like herself, or as Auriemma put it, “like an assassin from Croatia.” He reiterated that the team needs her minutes, but that she needs to help herself by staying out of foul trouble.

Assuming Bueckers misses time, Mühl will have to step up even more as a point guard. She hasn’t done very much facilitating this season, with only five assists through six games and a 0.71 assist-to-turnover ratio.

UConn falls to No. 3 in AP rankings

UConn fell to No. 3 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll after being tied for second with NC State the week before. This week, NC State (which got a big win over Indiana) bested UConn 708-700 for second place. Future Huskies opponent Tennessee entered the top 10 with a No. 9 ranking while Louisville, which UConn plays in two weeks, sits at No. 7.

Bueckers wins Big East player of the week

As the basketball world awaits news regarding the seriousness of Bueckers’ injury, the sophomore took home Big East player of the week for the second time this season after averaging a conference-best 22.5 points and 5.0 steals in two games, while her 5.5 assists per contest ranked second in the league.

Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com.