Hearing UConn Huskies described as ‘underdogs’ in this women’s Final Four nearly left Geno Auriemma speechless – for good reason.
Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong played lights out against USC, but, hey, the Huskies are a mere 2-seed, right?
Paige Bueckers shows ‘flair for the moment’ during March Madness, but this ‘pesky underdog’ lacks a 6-foot-7 center.
Geno Auriemma detected the sarcasm. He understood the joke. And still, hearing his UConn Huskies described as the “pesky underdogs” of this women’s Final Four nearly left him speechless.
“I’m still shocked over the words ‘underdogs,’ and ‘UConn’ coming out of your mouth at the same time,” Auriemma said with a chuckle, in response to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt’s ‘underdog’ quip about second-seeded UConn, the only non-No. 1 seed in either the men’s or women’s Final Four.
“I know you are (joking),’ Auriemma added. ‘I just don’t hear that. It’s funny.”
Downright hilarious, this idea of a pesky, plucky UConn sneaking its way into the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
Ever the outsider, this UConn program with 11 national championships and 24 Final Four appearances, coached by a legend.
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And never mind that oddsmakers favored UConn to win the championship since before the tournament tipped off, because only four No. 2 seeds won the national title in the previous 30 installments of a 64-team bracket.
However will UConn manage in the Final Four against UCLA, the No. 1 overall seed armed with a 6-foot-7 center who rules the paint? UConn must counter with a 6-5 center, and, good gosh, she’s a freshman! As Auriemma (perhaps warming to this underdog idea) put it, the Huskies have been “undersized all year.” They start two teenagers in their frontcourt.
UConn’s star is a wisp of a guard. Gal by the name of Paige Bueckers. Ever heard of her? Maybe not, UConn being an underdog and all.
All she does is drive past defenders, facilitate buckets for her teammates, or score at a high percentage from 2 feet, 15 feet or 23 feet. She averaged a mere 35 points the past three tournament games. Not bad for an underdog, I guess. As Auriemma tells it, Bueckers “has a flair for the moment.’ I suppose you could say the same of her coach, the self-proclaimed “past my prime” fella with too many rings to fit on 10 fingers.
Bueckers’ sidekick, Sarah Strong, has scored only 611 career points. That’s not all that much, right? Heck, that’s not even halfway to the 1,286 career tally of UCLA junior Lauren Betts. OK, sure, Strong is just a freshman – the best freshman in the country – and she’s on pace to be one of the top scorers in UConn history, and she’d be swiftly snapped up in the WNBA draft if she were eligible, and she’s a former No. 1-ranked recruit, but she’s never experienced the pressures of a Final Four!
Strong had never experienced an Elite Eight game, either, before she diced up Southern California for 22 points and 17 rebounds during Monday’s romp, but, I digress.
I’ve neglected to mention Azzi Fudd, who mixes 3-point barrages with back-cut layups. She scored 34 points in a win against St. John’s earlier this season. Pretty nice piece of the attack – for an underdog, anyway. And then there’s Kaitlyn Chen, the Princeton transfer who hit her stride this past month.
Add it up, and you’ll get this pesky, persistent, perseverant squad that’s won 14 straight games, stomping South Carolina along the way. Couldn’t fool the selection committee. They stuck a “2” next to UConn’s name and a “1” beside South Carolina’s, because the Gamecocks triumphed over the robust SEC. And they stuck a “1” next to Texas’ name, too, and beside that of UCLA and USC. Those teams proved themselves within the two toughest conferences, and so what if UConn possesses the nation’s best player, best freshman, best coach, best collection of shooters and the nation’s best-ranked defense?
That’s an impressive list, but the Huskies haven’t won a national championship in nine years. This is little ol’ UConn we’re talking about! Not a mighty No. 1 seed, but a nothing-to-see-here No. 2 seed.
And if that sounds funny to you, well, you’re not the only one.
If I were Auriemma, I’d be chuckling, too.
UConn, an underdog? Yeah, that’s a joke.
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.