FIVE KEYS FOR THE UCONN WOMEN

All that’s left for UConn women’s basketball this season is the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskies are guaranteed one game and anything after that is win or go home. They’ll be trying to avenge last year’s national championship loss — the only such loss in program history — while also trying to extend their Final Four streak to 15 tournaments in a row.

It’s the most important and exciting part of the season and it all starts Sunday with the NCAA Selection Show.

After ending the regular season losing three of their last eight games and then clinching their third-straight Big East Tournament crown last weekend, the Huskies understand their path to Dallas (site of the Final Four) isn’t going to be easy.

Sure, some of it will depend on the luck of who UConn gets placed against in the bracket, but the majority of the Huskies’ run in the NCAA Tournament will be based on how well they’re able to stay consistent.

What will take to make a deep run? Here are five keys for the Huskies.

GOOD HEALTH

Only two of UConn’s 10 active players played in all 31 regular season games. The team has only played four games with all 10 players available because of so many injuries and absences. This meant the starters’ workload was increased every game with each one averaging about 32 minutes or more.

Dorka Juhász sat out the regular season finale due to an ongoing ankle sprain, Lou Lopez Sénéchal has been limited in practices due to soreness from overwork. Aubrey Griffin sat out the second half of the Big East Tournament championship due to back spasms. And Caroline Ducharme has continued to deal with ongoing symptoms from a concussion earlier this season.

Unlike other teams, the Huskies don’t have players on the bench that can score at the same rate as their starters, making their lack of depth an issue as starters deal with health problems.

Remaining healthy and prioritizing rest before the tournament and between games will be the biggest priority for UConn to keep players available and at full strength on the court.

BETTER BALL MOVEMENT

Turnovers have been UConn’s biggest downfall during games. The Huskies finished the regular season ranked second-to-last in the Big East with 16.7 turnovers per game. They had 21 out of 31 games with 15 or more turnovers, including a season-worst 27 against Princeton on Dec. 8. Poor ball movement is often the leading cause of turnovers which is caused when plays are rushed and not directed toward the most open player or option while also playing stagnant on offense.

With the team now back to having 10 available players, the extra depth gives UConn options to rotate a player out if they’re racking up too many turnovers and fouls. But the Huskies will need to focus on playing more in control to limit turnovers and prevent opponents from getting opportunities on offense.

CONSISTENCY

Because of so many players weaving in and out of the lineup due to injuries and the constant battle of fatigue, the Huskies have struggled the most this season with inconsistency. The Huskies have been up and down all year. Some games, they came out dominant and led for 40 minutes. In others, they let opponents outplay them and had to work quickly to make crucial last-minute plays to secure wins. Not one player has consistently led throughout each of the teams’ 34 games so far. The roller coaster resulted in UConn ending the season with 10 straight games decided by 10 points or fewer.

Having Azzi Fudd now back will help with the consistency as her return allows for a better distribution of minutes, but ultimately fixing inconsistency comes down to having enough rest to be able to play at a certain level for longer. And that, again, goes back to having good health.

AZZI FUDD

Fudd returned to the court on March 4 in the Big East Tournament after missing 14 straight games with a right knee injury. While she’s UConn’s best shooter and most consistent outside threat, they don’t need her to knock down six-plus 3-pointers a night or be the highest scorer to be successful. What they do need is simply her presence. Outside of Nika Mühl, Fudd is the team’s best ball handler and sje can bring the ball up while also spreading the team’s offense. Her defense is also vital. She had a game-high two steals in the Big East Tournament championship.

In her 12 games this season, she’s averaged 15.5 points on a 49.3 field goal percentage in 26.6 minutes per game. Sure, the Huskies can win without Fudd (they went 11-3 in her most absence) but having her on the floor raises UConn to whole another level.

LUCK OF THE BRACKET

As with every March Madness, luck is also a factor. While the NCAA committee could place UConn back on the No. 1-seed line on Sunday, the opponents the Huskies get paired with in their bracket could just as easily affect their postseason run.

In the first NCAA Top-16 reveal the Huskies were paired up with LSU, Michigan and Virginia Tech in Seattle. In the second reveal, where UConn was a No. 2 seed, it joined Indiana, Notre Dame and Arizona in Greenville. Following UConn’s title win in the Big East Tournament, ESPN’s Charlie Creme had UConn as a No. 2 seed in Greenville with Indiana, UCLA and Notre Dame.

Come Sunday’s Selection Show’s official seeding anything could be possible.

There are Cinderella teams every year (we saw as such with Creighton reaching the Elite Eight last season) and each team, no matter their seed or regular-season record, will want to take UConn down.

“Everybody’s had their turn. Everybody’s looked the part. Everybody’s looked the other way. Which is a great sign for the NCAA Tournament, which means that more teams are in the mix, as it should be,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “... Where you’re seeded maybe is important, but whose bracket you’re in and you catch the wrong team at the wrong time. Years ago, that didn’t matter as much because the favorites just kind of rolled through everybody. The talent has spread out a little bit more now and I think this might be one of the more exciting NCAA Tournaments in recent years.”