March Madness: Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and UConn look like an NCAA tournament juggernaut once again
The reason Lindsay Gottlieb felt 'disrespected' her USC Trojans were seeded as the fourth No. 1 was on full display in Storrs, Connecticut, during the first round of the NCAA tournament.
A 50-point margin while shooting nearly 70% from the floor. Eight 3-pointers. Eleven steals. Nine blocks. Three players in double figures. And that was only the first half of No. 2 UConn's 103-34 monster home win over No. 15 Arkansas State.
The Huskies' 69-point win is the largest margin of victory of the tournament so far, besting No. 2 overall seed South Carolina's 60-point victory and No. 2 seeded Duke's 61-point margin.
The Huskies are one of the most experienced programs in March, and the most successful with a record 11 national championships. That they haven't won the trophy since 2016 barely matters. Head coach Geno Auriemma and his rolodex of No. 1 recruits are always ready to go come March and Gottlieb knows it firsthand.
As the fourth No. 1 seed, USC is on a collision course for an Elite Eight rematch against UConn, the fifth overall seed by the NCAA Division I women's basketball committee. Gottlieb can make the argument that three-loss USC, the only program to defeat No. 1 overall season UCLA (and do it twice), could have slid up to the second or third No. 1 seed. That would have placed them with Duke or TCU.
Instead, they will likely draw a familiar foe playing its best basketball of the season behind a healthy group of starters hungry for their first, and in some cases only, national championship. In the 2024 Elite Eight, the Huskies won 80-73, despite an injury-riddled season that left them without shooting guard Azzi Fudd. The senior also wasn't healthy for a December non-conference rematch in Connecticut that USC won, 72-70.
In her first NCAA tournament game since March 25, 2023, Fudd came out aggressive to score 13 points with three 3s, two assists, three steals and two blocks in the first quarter. She finished with a team-high 27 points in 22 minutes, shooting 6-for-9 from beyond the arc and adding seven assists, six steals and two blocks. She's a projected first-round pick who has an redshirt year available, and has not announced whether she'll be leaving for the WNBA Draft.
Freshman Sarah Strong guided the Huskies down low with 13 first-quarter points that grew to 20 by the game's end on an efficient 9-of-10 day. She's had a double-double in all four postseason games. It was her 12th 20-point game of the season, trailing Bueckers (14) and Maya Moore (14) for most by a freshman in UConn history over the last 25 seasons. And with 12 rebounds, five assists and five blocks (in 21 minutes), it's a stat line that's never been seen in the tournament since 2010, when Her Hoop Stats data began.
Bueckers (11 points on 5-for-9 shooting) guided the offense and added four assists, two blocks and two steals. She has said it is in her final year at UConn and she's projected to go No. 1 to the WNBA's Dallas Wings. It is the second NCAA tournament Fudd and Bueckers are playing together.
Jada El Alfy set the tone with four first-half blocks, giving UConn size in its starting lineup. Ashlynn Shade, an X-factor in their major wins, scored an efficient 20 in 17 minutes, including a nine-point second quarter. Caroline Ducharme, who missed all but 10 games over the past two seasons with head/neck injuries, chipped in with six points and four rebounds.
That's a lot of pieces clicking together at the right time for any team to defend. No disrespect to the Trojans, who enter the tournament with one of the better defenses. Because not only do they have to stop UConn, they have to answer them. That could be difficult given their scoring draughts beyond player of the year contender JuJu Watkins.
The concern for Gottlieb and everyone else: UConn is going vintage. They didn't break all-time scoring records (94 points in a half, 140 in a game), but did put them on watch. The Huskies went up 34-5 in the first 10 minutes and kept the pressure on down the back 30. The 34 points is the fewest they have allowed in the tournament since 2015. UConn became the fourth team in this tournament to break the century mark, joining South Carolina (108), Notre Dame (106) and Tennessee (101).
To put respect on its name, USC will likely need to go through the game's resurging Goliath. It's looking like they'll have the chance next weekend.
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