UConn’s top task: Stop Ionescu
STORRS — A nationally televised game. A top-5 opponent. An expected sellout crowd at Gampel Pavilion.
Oh, and the great Sabrina. With No. 3 Oregon coming to town, Monday is shaping up to be a big night for No. 4 UConn.
“It’s going to put pressure on us to play really good basketball,” UConn senior Crystal Dangerfield said Sunday. “It’s not a game where we can relax and have lulls for long stretches of time. We’re going to have to play good basketball for 40 minutes and not fall asleep.”
With Sabrina Ionescu running the point, the Ducks (19-2) operate at a level superior to most. The reigning national player of the year has notched 23 triple-doubles over her career, more than anyone (men’s or women’s) in NCAA history.
“In the last four years, she’s probably redefined what’s possible for a point guard,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said.
But it’s not just Ionescu that the Huskies (19-1) need to worry about. Forwards Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard are also a handful. The Ducks’ roster is one of the deepest and most talented in the country.
“They’re a Final Four team with a lot of players back,” Auriemma said. “They’re a very confident team. Most parts of their game they have under control. There may be teams around the country that are bigger than them, that maybe are more athletic than
them or quicker than them, who knows. But they have enough things offensively that you have to play exceptionally well to keep them from scoring.”
The Huskies have done that at times, but not often enough. Consistency has been lacking in their performance. But there’s confidence that will change.
“We’ve seen it in practice, we’ve seen it in games for stretches, but we have to put it together for 40 minutes tomorrow,” Dangerfield said.
Anything less won’t suffice. Aureimma knows that. The Huskies need players like Dangerfield, Megan Walker and Christyn Williams to play great and get some help. The trio has accounted for 63.1% of the team’s scoring.
“We’ve got to play this game 5-on-5,” Auriemma said. “That’s how we’ve got to win, as opposed to a couple years ago … ‘Gabby’s (Williams) is going to win this game by herself or Pheesa’s (Napheesa Collier) going to get 35 in this game tonight and she’s going to win this game by herself.’ We’ve had enough of those players over the years that it took some of the pressure off the other guys. This year, the pressure’s on all of them because they all have to play great.”
That, Auriemma said, is why teams need superstars. Oregon has one in Ionescu, the favorite to go No. 1 in April’s WNBA draft. Ionescu is averaging 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.6 assists. She has 108 more helpers than the top Husky.
UConn can’t afford to slip up.
“They make things difficult for you because you don’t say, ‘If we do this, they won’t score.’ That’s really not true,” Auriemma said. “The reason why they don’t score is they miss shots. It’s hard to take away aspects of their game. They’ve got a talented bunch.”
More talented than anyone the Huskies have played this season outside of No. 2 Baylor. The Huskies lost that, but have wins over No. 11 DePaul and No. 22 Tennessee. Monday night offers the chance for another marquee win.
Sunday visitors: Washington Mystics assistant coaches Asjha Jones and Eric Thibault watched practice at Gampel Pavilion.
Jones won national championships with UConn in 2000 and 2002.
Also in attendance was Mount Notre Dame High School (Ohio) guard KK
Bransford. ESPN ranks her the No. 9 prospect in the Class of 2022.