2021–22 UConn Huskies women's basketball team
The 2021–22 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represents the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 37th season at UConn, split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center and are members of the Big East Conference, which they joined for women's basketball the previous season. UConn was previously a member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013, and one of the original women's basketball teams of that league in 1982.
| 2021–22 UConn Huskies women's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Big East Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 6 |
| AP | No. 7 (tie) |
| 2021–22 record | 6–2 (1–0 Big East) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Chris Dailey (37th season) |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion XL Center |
| 2021–22 Big East women's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DePaul | 2 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 8 | – | 2 | .800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | 2 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 8 | – | 2 | .800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Creighton | 2 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 6 | – | 2 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7т UConn | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 6 | – | 2 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. John's | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 5 | – | 5 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown | 1 | – | 1 | .500 | 5 | – | 4 | .556 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Providence | 1 | – | 1 | .500 | 6 | – | 5 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Villanova | 0 | – | 2 | .000 | 5 | – | 5 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seton Hall | 0 | – | 2 | .000 | 4 | – | 4 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xavier | 0 | – | 2 | .000 | 4 | – | 6 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler | 0 | – | 2 | .000 | 0 | – | 10 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2022 Big East Tournament winner As of December 14, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Returning from a 28–2 season with no graduations, the Huskies went into the season highly regarded.[1][2] They added several talented freshmen and started the season ranked second in the AP Poll. However, several of UConn's players transferred during the offseason and early in the regular season, and several others got injured.[3]
Offseason
Departures
The Huskies lost guards Autumn Chassion and Anna Makurat after the end of the previous season, but graduated no seniors. Chassion, who had successfully earned a place on the squad as a walk-on and played in eight games, chose to transfer to Louisiana State University at Eunice after the end of her freshman year.[4][5][6] Makurat, who had played in 48 games in her two seasons, ended her UConn career having averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and three assists per game[7] and after entering the NCAA transfer portal, chose instead to return to her native Poland and play professional basketball with AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski of the Basket Liga Kobiet.[8] Evina Westbrook was eligible to enter the 2021 WNBA draft but chose to exercise her redshirt year option to play with the Huskies through her last year of eligibility.[9][10] Just after the Huskies' first game, freshman Saylor Poffenbarger chose to leave the team and enter the transfer portal,[11] signing with Arkansas in late November.[12] On December 13, sophomore forward Mir McLean announced she would be leaving the team at the end of the fall term, and entering the transfer portal.[13]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Chassion | 2 | G | 5'8" | Sophomore | Lafayette, LA | Transferred to LSU Eunice |
| Saylor Poffenbarger | 4 | G | 6'2" | Freshman | Middletown, MD | Transferred to Arkansas |
| Mir McLean | 11 | F | 5'11" | Sophomore | Baltimore, MD | Transferred |
| Anna Makurat | 24 | F | 6'2" | Junior | Sierakowice, Poland | Signed with Basket Liga Kobiet |
Incoming transfers
The Huskies added forward Dorka Juhász, a graduate student transfer from Ohio State. Juhász was twice selected All-Big Ten for the Buckeyes, averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds per game in her junior campaign. Juhász has two years of eligibility remaining.[14][15]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorka Juhász | 14 | F | 6'4" | Senior | Pécs, Hungary | Ohio State |
Recruits
This season's Huskies includes one of the best recruiting classes in the nation,[16] again signing the #1 ranked high school player in Azzi Fudd,[16] and adding rangy guard Caroline Ducharme,[17] and 6'5" forward Amari DeBerry.[16] Saylor Poffenbarger started school during the 2021 spring semester, joining the team in January,[18] but decided to transfer to Arkansas in November 2021.[11]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azzi Fudd G |
Arlington, VA | St. John's College High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | N/A | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 98 | ||||||
| Caroline Ducharme G |
Milton, MA | Noble & Greenough School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 98 | ||||||
| Amari DeBerry F |
Williamsburg, NY | Williamsville South High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 | ||||||
| Saylor Poffenbarger G |
Middletown, MD | Middletown High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | N/A | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ESPN: 2 | ||||||
Sources:
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Recruiting class of 2022
| US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
| Isuneh Brady PG |
San Diego, CA | Cathedral Catholic High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 98 | ||||||
| Ayanna Patterson SG |
Fort Wayne, IN | Homestead High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 98 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Recruiting class of 2023
| US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
| Kamorea Arnold PG |
Germantown, WI | Germantown High School | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Coaching
Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma and Hall of Fame associate head coach Chris Dailey returned for their 37th season[19][20] coaching the UConn Huskies women's basketball team; Auriemma's contract was extended for five years in May.[21] UConn assistant coach and former Husky player Shea Ralph left the Connecticut program in April[22] to accept the head coaching position at Vanderbilt University,[23] leaving assistant coach Jamelle Elliott on the bench. After a nationwide search, another former UConn player, Morgan Valley, was hired as assistant.[24]
Roster
This year's team returns several Husky full-time starters, reliable seniors Christyn Williams, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, and Evina Westbrook plus accomplished sophomore Paige Bueckers. Two-time All-Big Ten forward Dorka Juhász, an Ohio State graduate transfer, adds experience and depth at the post position. Aubrey Griffin, who got five starts last season, is the sole returning junior. Nika Muhl (16 starts) and Aaliyah Edwards (6 starts) both return with fellow sophomore Piath Gabriel. Highly touted freshman recruits Azzi Fudd, Amari DeBerry, and Caroline Ducharme will compete for playing time.[25][26]
| 2021–22 UConn Huskies women's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Mir McLean was only on the roster for the fall semester after which she announced her intention to transfer.[13]
Schedule
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| November 7, 2021* 1:00 pm, Huskies All-access |
No. 2 | Fort Hays State Exhibition game |
W 111–47 | 20 – Williams | 8 – Juhasz | 9 – Bueckers | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (8,488) Storrs, CT | ||||
| Regular Season (6–2) | |||||||||||
| November 14, 2021* 1:00 pm, SNY |
No. 2 | Arkansas | W 95–80 | 1–0 |
34 – Bueckers | 8 – Tied | 5 – Westbrook | XL Center (9,359) Hartford, CT | |||
| November 20, 2021* 12:00 pm, FloHoops |
No. 2 | vs. Minnesota Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, quarterfinals |
W 88–58 | 2–0 |
31 – Williams | 8 – Nelson-Ododa | 8 – Bueckers | Imperial Arena (1,175) Paradise Island, Bahamas[27] | |||
| November 21, 2021* 12:00 pm, FloHoops |
No. 2 | vs. No. 23 South Florida Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, semifinals |
W 60–53 | 3–0 |
21 – Bueckers | 6 – Juhasz | 7 – Tied | Imperial Arena (1,124) Paradise Island, Bahamas | |||
| November 22, 2021* 12:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 2 | vs. No. 1 South Carolina Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, final |
L 57–73 | 3–1 |
19 – Bueckers | 5 – Tied | 7 – Bueckers | Imperial Arena (1,171) Paradise Island, Bahamas | |||
| December 3, 2021 7:00 pm, SNY |
No. 2 | at Seton Hall | W 74–49 | 4–1 (1–0) |
23 – Bueckers | 10 – Juhasz | 7 – Bueckers | Walsh Gymnasium (1,320) South Orange, NJ | |||
| December 5, 2021* 12:00 pm, FS1 |
No. 2 | No. 24 Notre Dame Rivalry |
W 73–54 | 5–1 |
22 – Bueckers | 13 – Nelson-Ododa | 6 – Williams | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167) Storrs, CT | |||
| December 9, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 |
No. 3 | at Georgia Tech | L 44–57 | 5–2 |
13 – Williams | 10 – Nelson-Ododa | 6 – Westbrook | McCamish Pavilion (4,587) Atlanta, GA | |||
| December 11, 2021* 1:00 pm, ABC |
No. 3 | vs. UCLA Never Forget Tribute Classic |
W 71–61 | 6–2 |
17 – Westbrook | 16 – Juhasz | 7 – Westbrook | Prudential Center Newark, NJ | |||
| December 19, 2021* 3:30 pm, ESPN |
No. 7т | No. 6 Louisville Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase |
Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT | ||||||||
| December 29, 2021 7:00 pm, SNY |
Marquette | XL Center Hartford, CT | |||||||||
| December 31, 2021 2:00 pm, SNY |
at DePaul | Wintrust Arena Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| January 5, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
at Georgetown | McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC | |||||||||
| January 7, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
at Villanova | Finneran Pavilion Villanova, PA | |||||||||
| January 9, 2022 1:00 pm, SNY |
Creighton | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT | |||||||||
| January 12, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
at Butler | Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN | |||||||||
| January 15, 2022 12:00 pm, SNY |
Xavier | XL Center Hartford, CT | |||||||||
| January 17, 2022* 5:00 pm, ESPN2 |
at Oregon | Matthew Knight Arena Eugene, OR | |||||||||
| January 21, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
Seton Hall | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT | |||||||||
| January 23, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
at St. John's | Carnesecca Arena Jamaica, NY | |||||||||
| January 27, 2022* 7:00 pm, ESPN |
at South Carolina | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC | |||||||||
| January 30, 2022 11:00 am, SNY |
at Providence | Alumni Hall Providence, RI | |||||||||
| February 2, 2022 7:30 pm, SNY |
at Creighton | D. J. Sokol Arena Omaha, NE | |||||||||
| February 4, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
Butler | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT | |||||||||
| February 6, 2022* 12:00 pm, FOX |
Tennessee | XL Center Hartford, CT | |||||||||
| February 9, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
Villanova | XL Center Hartford, CT | |||||||||
| February 11, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
DePaul | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT | |||||||||
| February 13, 2022 2:30 pm, FOX |
at Marquette | Al McGuire Center Milwaukee, WI | |||||||||
| February 18, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
at Xavier | Cintas Center Cincinnati, OH | |||||||||
| February 20, 2022 2:00 pm, CBSSN |
Georgetown | XL Center Hartford, CT | |||||||||
| February 25, 2022 7:00 pm, SNY |
St. John's | XL Center Hartford, CT | |||||||||
| February 27, 2022 2:00 pm, CBSSN |
Providence | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT | |||||||||
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2т | 7 | 7т | |||||||||||||||
| Coaches | 2т | 2т ^ | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
^Coaches' Poll did not release a second poll at the same time as the AP.
Player statistics
| Player | Games Played | Minutes | Field Goals | Three Pointers | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks | Steals | Points |
| Christyn Williams | 8 | 287 | 34 | 9 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 114 |
| Evina Westbrook | 8 | 259 | 16 | 10 | 23 | 24 | 30 | 0 | 11 | 85 |
| Olivia Nelson-Ododa | 8 | 240 | 21 | 0 | 10 | 62 | 23 | 17 | 9 | 72 |
| Paige Bueckers | 6 | 218 | 54 | 9 | 10 | 33 | 37 | 5 | 16 | 127 |
| Aaliyah Edwards | 8 | 182 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 48 |
| Dorka Juhász | 8 | 150 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 47 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 36 |
| Caroline Ducharme | 8 | 100 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 34 |
| Azzi Fudd | 4 | 78 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 30 |
| Nika Muhl | 6 | 63 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| Amari DeBerry | 2 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Mir McLean | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Piath Gabriel | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aubrey Griffin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
References
- Rynston-Lobel, Eric (April 12, 2021). "Way-Too-Early Women's Top 10 for 2021–22". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- "Women's basketball rankings: Preseason Power 10 for 2021-22 season | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- Voepel, Mechelle. "Mir McLean becomes second UConn women's basketball player to transfer this season". espn.com. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- Prather, Scott (April 27, 2021). "Lafayette Native Transferring From UConn Women's Basketball". SPORTS RADIO ESPN 1420. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- "Autumn Chassion to Transfer from UConn". University of Connecticut Athletics. April 26, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Connolly, Daniel (November 14, 2021). "Special edition: The ultimate UConn women's basketball 2021-22 season preview". UConn WBB Weekly. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- "UConn Huskies sophomore guard Anna Makurat to transfer". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- Connolly, Daniel (6 April 2021). "UConn women's basketball: Anna Makurat to pursue professional career in Europe". The UConn Blog. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Philippou, Alexa (May 4, 2021). "Evina Westbrook's unfinished business: leading the UConn women's basketball team to a national championship". The Union Democrat. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- Connolly, Daniel (July 8, 2021). "Evina Westbrook no longer just "Momma E"". uconnwbbweekly.substack.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- Voepel, Mechelle (November 15, 2021). "UConn women's guard Poffenbarger to transfer". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- Davenport, Richard (November 26, 2021). "UConn transfer Saylor Poffenbarger commits to Arkansas". wholehogsports.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- Connolly, Daniel (13 December 2021). "UConn sophomore Mir McLean enters transfer portal". The UConn Blog. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- Gauer, Megan (14 April 2021). "What Dorka Juhász brings to UConn women's basketball". The UConn Blog. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Lind, Andrew (April 12, 2021). "Former Ohio State Forward Dorka Juhasz Commits To UConn". Sports Illustrated Ohio State Buckeyes News, Analysis and More. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Laflin, Shane; Key, Jason (November 19, 2020). "2021 women's college basketball recruiting class rankings: UConn moves up with Azzi Fudd signing". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Dudek, Greg. "Milton's Caroline Ducharme carries chip on her shoulder to UConn women's basketball team". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- Connolly, Daniel (15 January 2021). "UConn women's basketball adds 2021 signee Saylor Poffenbarger a semester early". The UConn Blog. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- Auriemma, Geno. "How to Build Your Leadership Team". Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- Voepel, Mechelle (January 20, 2021). "Auriemma passes Summitt for 2nd on wins list". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- "UConn Extends Contracts of Auriemma, Cavanaugh". 21 May 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- Connolly, Daniel (April 13, 2021). "UConn assistant Shea Ralph named head coach at Vanderbilt". Vox Media. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- Sparks, Adam (August 31, 2021). "Shea Ralph building Vanderbilt women's basketball staff from UConn title teams and Commodores' winning years". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- Anthony, Mike (21 April 2021). "Morgan Valley on leaving Hartford for UConn: Returning to 'Mecca of basketball'". Connecticut Post. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- Vanoni, Maggie (October 7, 2021). "UConn questions and storylines: Bueckers & Fudd show, managing minutes, challenging schedule". CT Insider. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- "2021-22 Women's Basketball Roster". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- "Women's Basketball Tournament | Battle 4 Atlantis | Atlantis Bahamas". www.atlantisbahamas.com. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- "2021–2022 Schedule". UConnHuskies.com. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- Connolly, Daniel (2 September 2021). "UConn WBB Weekly: Ranking the Huskies' non-conference opponents". The UConn Blog. Retrieved 2 September 2021.