UConn women’s basketball vs. Baylor, NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
SAN ANTONIO — It’s the matchup basketball fans eagerly awaited in early January before it was canceled due to COVID-19 issues. It’s happening nearly three months later, but with the stakes — a spot in the Final Four — muchhigher than what was initially on the table.
No. 1 seed UConn and No. 2 seed Baylor will duke it out in the River Walk Region final of the NCAATournament on Monday at 7 p.m. Winners of the 2019 national title, Baylor is out to keep its hopes alive of repeating
The basics
NCAATournament Elite Eight
Site: Alamodome (San Antonio) Time: 7 p.m.
Series: Tied, 4-4
Last meeting: No. 6 Baylor 74, No. 1 UConn 58, in Hartford, Jan. 9, 2020 TV: ESPN (Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe)
Radio: UConn IMG Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN
Baylor’s probable starters, sixth man
NaLyssa Smith, F, 6-2, Jr.; Queen Egbo, C, 6-3, Jr.; DiDi Richards, G, 6-2, Sr.; Moon Ursin, G, 5-6, Sr.; Trinity Oliver, G, 5-9, R-Jr.; DiJonai Carrington, G, 5-11, Sr.
UConn’s 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.; Aaliyah Edwards, F, 6-3, Fr.; Aubrey Griffin, F, 6-1, So.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Sunday that he doesn’t anticipate Nika Muhl (right ankle sprain) will play Monday.
The matchup
UConn’s offense: The Huskies
(83.1 points per game, 51.9 percent shooting) have shown in the tournament that anyone on the court is capable of putting up big offensive numbers any given night. Bueckers has scored at least 18 in each game, Edwards at least 17 andWilliams had the most stellar outing of all with 27 against Iowa. Nelson-Ododa was a scorer early but against Iowa thrived as a facilitator, while Westbrook can give you a little bit of everything. Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said Edwards’and Nelson-Ododa’s contrasting styles “makes them very difficult to defend,” while Bueckers has“unbelievable court vision. ... I hate that we’re playing as champion, while UConn must advance to its 13th straight Final Four if it wants to take homethe program’s 12th national title.
Baylor dropped two games in the first half of the season (83-78againstArkansasinDecemberand75-71toIowaState in January) before stringing together 20 straight victories. Threeofthosegamesweredecidedbysingledigits, including Baylor’s 78-75Sweet16overtimewinoverMichigan.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup: against her because she mayburn us. She’s that good on passing.”
UConn’s defense: UConn (51.5 opponent ppg, 33.3 percent shooting) has been a fairly disciplined defensive team, especially in the second half of the season. Iowa (72 points) was the only team other than Arkansas to crack 70 points against the Huskies this season. Williams has emerged as a lockdown defender, but the team has worked together incredibly well as a unit. Mulkey said UConn plays defense with“a level of intelligence of,‘we can play great, aggressive defense and contest shots without fouling.’ ” Baylor’s offense: Baylor (82.4 ppg, 48.7 percent shooting) is spearheaded by Smith, who like Bueckers is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and WoodenAward. She enters the matchup averaging 18.2 points on 56.4 shooting, along with 8.8 rebounds per game — and went 11-for-11 from the field against Michigan in the Sweet 16.“I don’t think there’s a big kid in the country that is as versatile as she is,” Auriemma said. Carrington (13.8 ppg) and Ursin (12.6 ppg) are also capable
of going off: They had 19 and 20 points, respectively, against Michigan on Saturday.
Baylor’s defense: The Bears’defense — which Auriemma called exceptional — and rebounding is their bread and butter. The unit has held opponents to 54.9 points per game on 32.3 percent shooting, including on average of 20.5 points in the paint and 5.8 fastbreak points per CBBAnalytics. The Bears have also outrebounded opponents by a 19.2 margin this season, and their 62.3 percent rebounding rate is No. 1 in the country per Her Hoop Stats. UConnkeys: Disrupt Smith; rebound on both ends; keep Baylor from getting going in transition; hit some 3s and be patient offensively against Baylor’s length
Players to watch: Onboth ends down low, Nelson-Ododa and Edwards need to come through big against Smith and Egbo. Willams will also need to play at the level she exhibited Saturday, particularly if Richards throws Bueckers offhergame. AboutBaylor’s coach: Mulkey entered this season, her 21st at the helm, with 604 career victories and an 85.7 winning percentage. The latter is the second best mark among the winningest active Division I head coaches, only behind Auriemma. She was named to the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class after leading Baylor to national championships in 2005, 2012 and 2019, compiling 19 NCAATournament bids overall and Elite Eight appearances at the minimum in all but two of the last 11 tournaments. Baylor’s mascot: Bruiser and Marigold (costumed mascots); Judge Joy Reynolds andJudge Sue“Lady” Sloan (live bear mascots) Famousalumni: Actress Angela Kinsey, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III