WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY NO. 2 UCONN VS. NO. 15 VERMONT

When: Saturday, 3 p.m.

What: NCAA Tournament first round

Where: Gampel Pavilion

Records: UConn (29-5), Vermont (25-6)

TV: ABC

Radio: UConn Sports Network, WGCH 1490 AM (Greenwich), WAVZ 1300 AM (New Haven), WATR 1320 AM (Waterbury), 97.9 FM-ESPN

KEEP AN EYE ON

The journey begins: UConn women’s basketball’s path to Dallas and a 15th straight Final Four starts Saturday.

The No. 2 seed Huskies host No. 15 Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 3 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion.

The Huskies have turned around their up-and-down season and shifted into a new gear to kick off the postseason. With the return of Azzi Fudd, UConn dismantled opponents by an average of 23.3 points in its three games in the Big East Tournament to win its 10th-straight conference tournament crown.

Fudd’s return gave the Huskies 10 available players for the first time since Nov. 14. All 10 active players are expected to play in Saturday’s first round despite Aubrey Griffin sitting out the second half of the Big East championship game on March 6 due to back spasms.

Well rested: UConn’s had the past 10 days off from games to focus on rest and preparation.

While the Huskies haven’t lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament since 1993, the Madness begins this weekend and as we’ve seen before, anything can happen in March.

Scouting Vermont: The Catamounts defeated Albany 38-36 in the America East championship to earn the conference’s automatic qualifying spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Vermont and Albany went back and forth the enitire game, including ending the first quarter tied 4-4. The Catamounts began to find their offense and led 17-10 at the half and 30-17 heading into the final quarter. But the Great Danes fought back and got within one with less than 10 seconds left. Senior forward Delaney Richason made one of two free throws to secure Vermont the win and keep its season alive. Vermont tied the conference championship record with 53 rebounds and held Albany to a record-low 14 made field goals in the title game.

The win extended Vermont’s program-record 17-game win streak to mark its longest in 30 years. The Catamounts’ appearance in this year’s NCAA Tournament is their first in the Big Dance since 2010. Vermont’s only win in the tournament came in 2010 as they reached the second round after defeating No. 7 Wisconsin 64-55. Vermont has made seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Saturday’s meeting with UConn will be Vermont’s second matchup this season against a Power Five program. The Catamounts lost at then-No. 11 Indiana on Nov. 8 in their season opener, 86-49. Despite the loss, Vermont learned how to have confidence in tough environments.

“We learned that we have nothing to be afraid of,’ Richason told media Wednesday. “Like we are a very good team. We have a lot of weapons. We have a lot of things that we’re good at when we really just, not necessarily slow down, but we really think about what we’re doing and we work together and we’re a very good team when we’re at our best.”

Senior guard Emma Utterback leads Vermont with 14.0 points and 35.3 minutes per game and with a team-high 130 assists and 38 steals. Junior forward Anna Olson leads with 6.7 rebounds per game while Richason leads with 33 blocks on the year.

Vermont is led by former Marist point guard Alisa Kresge. This season marks Kresge’s fourth as Vermont’s head coach after being the interim head coach during the 2018-19 season and the associate head coach from 2016-2018.

Kresge played at Marist from 2003-2007 and finished her collegiate career as the program’s leader in assists (596) and second in steals (222). On Nov. 12, 2005, UConn beat Kresge and Marist 71-45 in Storrs to open the 2005-06 season.

A little history: This will be UConn’s 12th all-time meeting with Vermont and the second time these teams have faced off in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies defeated the Catamounts in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, 104-65. UConn is 11-0 all-time over Vermont with the teams’ last meeting on Dec. 3, 2009, with the Huskies winning 84-42.

The winner of Saturday’s game will face the winner of No. 7 BaylorNo. 10 Alabama in Monday’s second round in Storrs.

Jeff Dean/Associated Press UConn opens up NCAA Tournament play on Saturday when it hosts Vermont.