UCONN WOMEN: Breaking down the roster

The UConn women’s basketball team has played only four out of 34 games this year with all 10 available players. Just like last season, when 10 out of 12 players missed at least one game or more due to injury or illness, the Huskies were again hit with a rash of injuries.

The injuries took a toll as UConn lost two in a row for the first time in 30 years and seemed fatigued by the end of the regular season.

Yet, the Huskies managed to reboot for the Big East Tournament and cruised to three wins. Still, there were bumps and bruises, from Caroline Ducharme taking an elbow to the head to Aubrey Griffin suffering back spasms to Lou Lopez Sénéchal dealing with a sore ankle.

Is the roster healthy enough for UConn to reach its 15th consecutive Final Four? With a break before the tournament, UConn should be ready to make a run.

Let’s break down the roster:

3 Aaliyah Edwards 6-3 Jr. F

UConn plays the best when Edwards is dominating on both ends of the court. The power forward has quickness and can poke out loose balls, chase them down, and score on the other end. On the flip side, however, the Huskies often struggle when the junior has an off night. Edwards, who emerged as an All-American candidate, needs to continue being a physical force under the basket while playing more in control to avoid turnovers.

10 Nika Mühl 5-10 Jr. G

While she’s the team’s pace-setter and best passer, Mühl needs to look to create more shots for herself. She doesn’t need to be the highest scorer, but contributing more points will help ease the burden off UConn’s other players while limiting her turnovers (she leads with 115 total).

11 Lou Lopez Sénécahl 6-1 GR. G/F

The Fairfield grad transfer has become UConn’s unexpected bright spot this season. She scored in double figures in 28 out of 31 regular-season games. However, because of her workload and production on the court, she’s been dealing with some ongoing soreness issues and has been limited in practice. She needs to take as much time before the NCAA Tournament to rest to be at full strength for UConn to make a deep run.

14 Dorka Juhász 6-5 GR F

Juhász sat out the regular season finale with a sprained ankle but rejoined the team and averaged 30 minutes per game in the Big East Tournament. Juhász told the media she’s been dealing with an ongoing ankle sprain since the week leading up to UConn’s game at Villanova on Feb. 18. UConn needs her to be fully healthy to help Edwards in the post. Juhász is currently the team’s leading rebounder (10.0 per game), so her health is crucial to UConn’s postseason success.

21 Inês Bettencourt 5-9 Fr. G

Bettencourt checks in often to relieve Mühl and give the point guard rest from bringing the ball up the floor. The freshman has had some clutch moments this season, but Auriemma wants to see more controlled ball movement from Bettencourt.

33 Caroline Ducharme 6-2 So. G

After missing 13 games due to a concussion, Ducharme came up big for UConn and sealed its close win over Creighton from the free-throw line. While she’s still managing some ongoing symptoms from the concussion — on top of getting hit in the head during the Big East quarterfinals — she’s averaged 19 minutes in her first eight games back. Ducharme will need to continue monitoring her health because when she is on, she can be UConn’s best player on the floor.

34 Ayanna Patterson 6-2 Fr. F

The freshman is usually the first sub off the bench and provides a fresh, physical force under the basket. However, Patterson is still learning how to best use her body to not foul and will need to work on this to help UConn avoid running out of reinforcements early in games.

35 Azzi Fudd 5-11 So. G

Fudd returned for the Big East Tournament after sitting out more than half the season with a knee injury. While it took a minute for the sophomore’s shots to begin to fall, once they did she was back to her usual dominant self. Fudd progressively added more minutes to her plate too, going from 16 to 21 to 32. She’ll need to keep her knee in good shape and continue balancing her workload before eventually jumping back into the starting lineup.

42 Amari DeBerry 6-5 So. F

DeBerry continues to be a solid option off the bench to help rest Edwards and Juhász. The sophomore will need to focus on not being being tentative with her shot instead of passing it to teammates who are guarded. DeBerry’s ability to jump and use her size to block opponents will come in handy in the NCAA Tournament.

44 Aubrey Griffin 6-1 R-Jr. F

Griffin has had a dominant season after missing all last year. However, her most recent flare up of back spasms is concerning. While it’s a common symptom after back surgery, Griffin having to miss a whole half of a game because of the pain isn’t a great sign. The redshirt junior provides UConn with unmatched athleticism and agility. She’ll need to continue working on her confidence on top of resting her back and healing heading into the NCAA Tournament.

5 Paige Bueckers 5-11 Jr. G and 25 Ice Brady 6-3 Fr. F

Both Bueckers and Brady remain out for the year recovering from knee injuries. Buckers tore her ACL in August and spent the season rehabbing. Brady’s debut for UConn has been delayed a season after the freshman dislocated her patella in October. Both have been seen slowly incorporating themselves back into drills in practice as part of their recovery.

24 Jana El Alfy 6-4 Fr. C

The freshman from Egypt enrolled a semester early and is not expected to play this season. But her presence in practice has given UConn’s forwards more rest while providing another body to practice against.