NO. 1 UCONN VS. NO. 16 HIGH POINT
NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
River Walk Region
Location: Alamodome, San Antonio
Tip: 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Records: High Point 22-6 overall, UConn 24-1.
Last game: High Point beat Campbell in the Big South final March 14 6246; UConn beat Marquette in the Big East final March 8 73-39.
Probable starters: High Point, 5-8 G Jenson Edwards (14.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.1 apg), 6-0 G Skyler Curran (17.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg), 6-0 G Chyna McMichel (2.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg), 5-7 G Jordan Edwards (7.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.0 apg), 6-1 G Claire Wyatt (8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg).
UConn, 5-11 G Paige Bueckers (19.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.1 apg, 2.3 spg), 5-10 G Nika Muhl (5.1 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1.8 spg), 5-11 G Christyn Williams (15.8 ppg,
4.2 rpg, 2.3 apg), 6-5 F Olivia Nelson-Ododa (12.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.8 bpg), 6-0 G Evina Westbrook (9.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.9 spg).
Noteworthy: As UConn coach Geno Auriemma gets reminded of every day, the Huskies will try to advance to their 13th straight Final Four with a roster featuring seven freshmen. Can it be done? "We have a lot of young players and they don't know enough to know what they don't know," Auriemma said. "They're going into this tournament for the first time and they don't know what's out there. They don't know what it means. They don't know what it's all about. They read about it, they heard about it, obviously it's something they've all wanted to be in. What do they say? 'Ignorance is bliss,' right? I hope we get enough bliss to last us six games." ... UConn, which allowed a season-high 90 points against Arkansas in its only loss of the season Jan. 28, gave up an average of just 39.7 points per game against St. John's, Villanova and Marquette in the Big East tournament, smothering its opponents. Are the Huskies, who average 82.0 points per game, becoming known just as much for their defense? High Point coach Chelsea Banbury was asked whether it was UConn's offense or defense she was more impressed with. "Yes," she said with a laugh, implying that the answer was both. "I'm definitely impressed with their offense; they have five players on the court that can score. I'm going to say I'm more impressed defensively. They make you work for every pass, every dribble almost. I think overall what I've been impressed with is their defense because they do, they put it all out there." ... High Point topped Campbell 62-46 on March 14 to capture the Big South tournament championship and earn its first NCAA bid. Jenson Edwards was named MVP of the tournament for the Panthers, finishing with 19 points and five assists. Banbury calls Edwards the team's "glue." "She's a worker," Banbury said. "She gets out there, she works on the defensive end, she works on the offensive end. She'll keep moving. No matter what the score is, she's going to play hard and give it her all and she definitely keeps us together as a group." ... High Point finished with 10 3-pointers against Campbell to set the Big South championship game record. The Panthers average 10.5 made 3-pointer per game . ... UConn is a No. 1 seed for the 22nd time in NCAA tournament history and is 101-11 all-time as a No. 1. The Huskies haven't lost a first-round game since 1993 . ... UConn's Paige Bueckers was named to the Associated Press All-America Team this week, only the third freshman in history to do so, and is a finalist for several national player of the year honors.