Mississippi State women see UConn as ultimate challenge
In an example of how dominant Connecticut has been during its run of 111 consecutive women’s basketball wins, the Huskies have won by fewer than five points only twice this season.
As if almost winning against UConn is a prize for opposing teams, one squad that came close to pulling off an upset was Florida State, which was eliminated in the Elite Eight on Monday. Connecticut beat Florida State 78-76 on Nov. 14.
“We probably shouldn’t have (won),” Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said.
The other team to make UConn sweat late in a game this season was Tulane, which went 18-15 and didn’t make the NCAA tournament. After losing at UConn 10056 on Jan. 22 in the teams’ first American Athletic Conference meeting, the Green Wave lost to the Huskies 63-60 on Feb. 18.
So is there hope for Mississippi State, which beat Tulane 66-49 on Nov. 16, when the Bulldogs (33-4) play Connecticut (36-0) in a Final Four semifinal Friday in Dallas?
“Well, it’s obviously going to be tough,” Tulane coach Lisa Stockton said. “One of the things is for your kids to go out and just play each play and not play UConn or chess. That’s easier said than done. One of the things UConn does is they come out of the gate, and they are ready to play. You don’t have any warm-up time when that jump ball goes up.
“Mississippi State is going to have some players rise up like they did against Baylor (in the Elite Eight) and be ready to make big plays. Connecticut doesn’t make a lot of turnovers. … Connecticut just doesn’t make many mistakes in general.”
Stockton would know. She has coached against UConn seven times in three years while also scrimmaging MSU in the past (in addition to playing the Bulldogs this season).
To this day, Stockton said she doesn’t exactly know how her team almost overcame a 17-point deficit against the four-time defending national champion last month, but that game suggests an upset for MSU is plausible. Last season, no team lost by fewer than 10 points to Connecticut.
“We’re really splitting hairs here, but I think they’re probably a little easier to score on, only because you don’t have (Breanna) Stewart out there,” Stockton said. “But one way defensively that they are a little more challenging is they don’t have a small player.”
That’s how matchups can become difficult for MSU.
“Where they are incredibly good is they switch off screens, which is no secret, and they are all about the same size,” Stockton said. “So when they switch all that, the difficult thing is when you have a bigger player on a smaller player, and they do a good job of when they are switching off, not letting the bigger players get the ball.”
Bulldogs coach Vic Schaefer laughed when he was reminded that national experts said before the season that UConn was more susceptible to a loss this season than it was last season. The Huskies are just as powerful offensively with Napheesa Collier averaging 20.6 points and Katie Lou Samuelson averaging 20.3. As a team, Connecticut averages 87.7 points.
“Everybody can get the outlet and go,” Stockton said. “If you don’t get back and match up, they are going to score on you. They are the best I’ve ever played at getting the ball down the floor and scoring fast.”
This not being MSU’s first goaround against Connecticut will likely work in the Bulldogs’ favor, from Stockton’s perspective. She added that it helps if the mystique wears off — and that’s what worked for Tulane, which had chances late against Connecticut but was doomed by turnovers in a game Huskies players called a wake-up call afterward.
UConn’s response since suggests its players might have taken the matchup lightly, which is something Auriemma said won’t happen against Mississippi State.
Connecticut beat MSU 98-38 in the Sweet 16 a year ago.
Schaefer said he would show his team parts of last year’s game during film sessions.
“They didn’t have a great game,” Stockton said. “But they have played them, and they probably know a little bit more what to expect.”
That’s one reason someone who knows both teams isn’t expecting a 60-point margin this time.
“It’s going to be a great matchup,” Stockton said. “It really is.”