With ‘slashed’ offensive playbook, UConn women look to keep momentum vs. Villanova: How to watch

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When the UConn women’s basketball team hosts Villanova for a Big East matchup at Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday night, it will mark the first time the Huskies have played back-to-back games on campus all season.

No. 6 UConn hasn’t been tested much in the Big East, averaging a 35-point margin of victory, but the Huskies’ schedule is a grind. The team played four of its first five games after the holiday break on the road, and it will also finish the season with four of its five ranked non-conference matchups played at neutral or road sites. Even the XL Center doesn’t bring the same home-arena feel for the team, which stays overnight at a hotel before games in Hartford, and it was clear in Sunday’s 96-36 rout of Seton Hall how much the Huskies benefit from playing in Storrs.

“We’re mentally tired, we’ve been on the road a lot, and I think the Georgetown game especially and the St. John’s game, for long stretches both of those games were played at a pace that doesn’t necessarily suit us,” Auriemma said. “Then we get back home a couple days, and now we’re on our own court, in our crowd, and we’re flying up the floor … I really am happy for them. They looked like they were having fun. Sometimes this time of year right before school starts back up again, these are like the dark days.”

UConn (17-2, 8-0 Big East) will embark on another brutal stretch of away games after facing the Wildcats (10-9, 4-3), facing four of their next six opponents on the road including No. 17 Tennessee and No. 2 South Carolina. Knowing that things aren’t going to get any easier from here for his inexperienced roster, coach Geno Auriemma said the coaching staff made a decision to simplify the offense dramatically following a 71-45 win at St. John’s last Wednesday.

“The last couple days of practice (we) kind of slashed our offensive playbook a lot. I think there were way too many things to choose from,” Auriemma said after beating Seton Hall. “We gave them a bar menu…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/slashed-offensive-playbook-uconn-women-183900939.html

Author : Hartford Courant

Publish date : 2025-01-21 18:39:00

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