Huskies have dynamic duo in post
Nelson-Ododa and Edwards have become quite the pair inside for top-ranked UConn
If, on a given night, the UConn women's basketball team isn't making a lot of shots from the perimeter, the Huskies always have an alternative plan when it comes to scoring: the front-line tandem of Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aaliyah Edwards.
"What Aaliyah and Olivia did, that's the next best thing to making a lot of shots," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said earlier this week following a low-scoring 63-53 victory over Marquette. "Rebound the ones that didn't go in."
Nelson-Ododa is a 6-foot-5 junior forward, named Thursday as the Big East Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Friday as one of five finalists for the Lisa Leslie Award, which goes to the nation's top center. Nelson-Ododa had 19 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high six blocked shots against Marquette, her sixth double-double of the year.
Edwards, a 6-foot-3 freshman, joined Nelson-Ododa at forward this season and was named the Big East's Sixth-Woman of the Year. On Monday, she had 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals off the bench to complement Nelson-Ododa's performance.
"I'm convinced we would not have
won that game Monday night if it wasn't for Liv and Aaliyah," Auriemma said.
Suddenly, entering the postseason, top-ranked UConn (21-1) has something that makes it especially dangerous: a dual threat in the post, especially during the times Auriemma has them out on the court at the same time.
No. 1-seeded UConn begins play in the Big East tournament at noon Saturday (FS1) at Mohegan Sun Arena with a quarterfinal matchup with No. 8 St. John's (8-14).
"I think it's a great dynamic that we have," Nelson-Ododa said. "I think it definitely helps us, especially preparing for March in the tournament. (Edwards) is getting better every single game and her confidence has just soared.
"So being able to play with her in the low post, when she's in the low post and I'm in the high or vice versa, just kind of getting more experience with the high-low and kind of looking for her and she's looking for me, I think we're getting better at that too."
Ododa, a second team All-American Athletic Conference pick last year and a second team All-Big East selection this year, ranks ninth alltime at UConn with 194 career blocks.
She has a soft touch, capable of knocking down a shot from the foul line or stepping back for a 3-pointer — she's 4-for-15 from long range this season. She provides a steadiness, one of three UConn juniors on a team without seniors, leading by example, making sure the seven freshmen are familiar with their roles on the court and allowing them to feel at home during the months-andmonths-long stretch they've spent on campus due to COVID-19.
Edwards, who has two starts to her credit, took some time to acclimate herself. Auriemma said that's to be expected with a post player getting used to the college game.
"Freshman post players it takes a little bit of time," Auriemma said. "It takes being out there enough times to realize the game's a little bit different than it was when you were in high school because the people they're playing against are more their size and their aggressiveness and their ability to contest what you want to do.
"... It takes time to get comfortable with the physicality of the game and what's going on and how hard you have to work."
Edwards is relentless. Twice recently she's come into the game and made an impact in mere seconds. On Monday it took her 11 seconds from the time she entered the game in the first quarter to come up with an impressive post move.
Edwards recorded her first double-double of the season on Feb. 20 at Xavier with 16 points and 11 rebounds. That gave her the confidence to do it again two games later, leading the team in scoring with 24 points and adding 14 rebounds Feb. 27 at Butler.
"Aaliayh today played the way she normally competes," Auriemma said after the Butler game. "Some days it's more pronounced than others. You saw the real Aaliyah Edwards today because that's who she is. That's her as a competitor. She gives us a dimension that we didn't have last year; she gives us a presence that we didn't have last year."
Nelson-Ododa is averaging 13.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. She is shooting 59%.
Edwards averages 10.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and is shooting 70.4%. In the last six games, in which she's missed no more than two shots per game, she is shooting 77.8% (35-for45).
"The fact that they're different helps them a lot," Auriemma said of the working relationship between Nelson-Ododa and Edwards. "They don't step all over each other. Aaliyah's comfortable down low. She's comfortable playing a physical game. Liv is comfortable playing a more finesse game. So they're always on opposite sides of the lane. One's high. One's low. They both can put the ball on the floor but they don't run into each other.
"Defensively, they complement each other because they can both be long enough to cause problems. Aaliyah maybe more so on the perimeter can do some things and Liv's a better shot blocker. I just think because they're opposites they complement each other perfectly."
Edwards was a wing in high school, the No. 23-ranked player in the high school Class of 2020 according to ESPN and rated third at her position. Her mentor as she learned to play in the post: Nelson-Ododa.
"Coming in this year, the post play was new to me," Edwards said, "New position, new role for me. So definitely just kind of talking to Liv and mirroring what she does in practice so that I can be successful as well. She's been great at helping me with any questions I have.
"I think we always just play to our strengths and off that we just build off each other's energy and momentum . ... We're really cohesive in our movement and that shows. I think just keeping the defense on its toes is what helps us be successful down there in the post."