UConn has not missed a beat since leaving the American Athletic Conference to rejoin the Big East in 2020.
For the fifth straight season since returning to the conference, the No. 3-ranked Huskies will play for the Big East tournament title, this time against No. 23 Creighton on Monday night in Uncasville, Conn.
UConn (30-3) secured the top seed in the Big East bracket after finishing 18-0 in conference play during the regular season for the second year in a row.
The Huskies beat St. John’s by 31 points before routing Villanova by 28 to close within one victory of their 30th Big East tournament championship.
Paige Bueckers has helped UConn glide through the tournament with 43 points on 57.6 percent shooting from the field across the Huskies’ first two games.
The Wooden Award finalist and conference Player of the Year leads UConn with averages of 18.8 points and 4.9 assists per contest.
Backcourt mate Azzi Fudd chips in 12.7 points, while Big East Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong paces the Huskies in rebounding (8.3), steals (2.3) and blocks (1.5) to go with her 16.1 scoring average. Strong recorded 20 points and a season-high 16 rebounds in Sunday’s 82-54 semifinal win over the Wildcats.
“She impacts the game in every single area,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of Strong. “Whether she’s defending somebody and it’s a steal, whether it’s a blocked shot, a defensive rebound, an offensive rebound.”
Strong flourished in both regular-season meetings against Creighton, scoring 48 total points while shooting 63.3 percent from the field.
The second-seeded Bluejays (26-5) will get their third crack at UConn after they followed a two-point win over Georgetown by blasting Seton Hall 73-44 on Sunday in the semifinals.
Lauren Jensen was Creighton’s top scorer in both games to push her team-leading scoring average to 18. Morgan Maly adds 17.6 points per game.
Even though Monday’s game is at a neutral site, Bluejays coach Jim Flanery said he expects a hostile environment given that UConn’s campus is about 30 miles away from Mohegan Sun Arena. UConn is 44-1 all-time at the venue.
Flanery stressed that remaining poised and protecting the ball will be vital for his team to avoid having the game spiral out of control.
“It really does come down to composure,” he said. “A 6-0 run can’t become a 12-0 run. … We cannot turn the ball over at the rate that we have the first two games because that’s easy baskets for them.”
Creighton had 18 turnovers in a 72-61 home loss to the Huskies on Jan. 25 and had 19 in a 72-53 road setback on Feb. 27.
–Field Level Media
