For a while on Sunday, it looked like Tennessee had UConn on its heels. But the thing about a team as talented and balanced as UConn’s is that it can find momentum even on its heels. Heck, Archie Forde and Sarah Strong might find motivation in the quicksand.
The two combined for 53 points in No. 1 UConn’s 96-66 victory over No. 15 Tennessee (14-5, 6-1 in SEC play). The duo’s ability to score from anywhere on the floor makes UConn (23-0, 12-0 Big East) not just a defensive mismatch, but an unsolvable problem — at least so far this season. After all, having Strong or Forde could make just about any team a championship contender. Have the best of both worlds? Well, that’s where UConn is for you.
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But for UConn to maintain its current dominance — the Huskies are coming off an 18th straight 25-point-plus victory — Forde and Strong will need to perform well.
“When we go into these types of games, we pretty much know that if we don’t have big plays in those two games, it’s going to be hard for us to win,” UConn coach Gino Auriemma said. “It’s not that we can’t, but it’s going to be really hard for us to win.”
Although Ford’s first seven points of the game foreshadowed a coming rout, the Huskies still hit some quicksand. UConn built a 15-point lead in the first quarter and allowed the Lady Vols to tie it at halftime, and the Huskies committed nearly as many turnovers in the first half as they have all game this year. However, with Strong and Forde, the feeling that the Huskies were going to win would never go away – the final 30-point advantage was the largest in series history and the second-worst loss in Tennessee’s history.
This season, Ford and Strong have combined to average 36.5 points per game, perfectly filling the scoring void left by Paige Bueckers, the offensive focus last season. Against their top rivals this season — five games against teams currently ranked in the top 15 — the pair are averaging 47.8 points per game. Their game against Tennessee marked the second time this season they combined for at least 50 points; they scored 50 points against Iowa State for another signature win.
The casting surrounding Forde and Strong also has its moments. The duo is bolstered by the energy and defensive prowess of KK Arnold (six steals), the all-around contributions of Ashlynn Shade, the continued growth of Sierra Williams and Kelly Hecker in the UConn system, and sharpshooter Allie Zibell (who hit a record 10 3-pointers in the Huskies’ last game and will need constant monitoring from the perimeter). Tennessee looked the underdog for much of the game, even with Blanca Quiñonez, one of the nation’s top freshmen, sitting day-to-day on UConn’s bench with a shoulder injury.
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For years, the women’s basketball schedule has revolved around the UConn-Tennessee game. This rivalry has helped build and sustain the sport for decades. Today, when it comes to the circus of the game, Forde said, “It’s not the same as it was back then.” But in those respects, this game still did for UConn what games past have done: It held a mirror up to a UConn team with national championship aspirations.
Auriemma doesn’t find fault in reflection. After Fuld finished with three rebounds and three assists, falling short of a triple-double (along with four steals and a block), he pointed out that she also had two turnovers. But UConn’s uncharacteristic errors in the second quarter, which allowed Tennessee’s defensive speed and pressure to impact the game, will resonate even more with the Huskies’ practice this week in Storrs than the margin of victory.
“You play these games to get a real test and learn some of the components of your team,” Auriemma said. “You have to regroup and find yourself, which is a good thing.”
UConn finds itself on Sunday. It played selfless basketball and won with an exclamation point. The Huskies have been perfect so far this year, with only a few hiccups here and there that have never hurt them at one point or for long enough, other than to learn a lesson. (UConn scored four points in the third quarter against No. 1 Michigan.)
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There’s no doubt that when any team sees UConn on its path in March, they’ll look at the occasional tough times UConn has endured. Could Tennessee or Michigan provide a roadmap for UConn’s future opponents? Is there any way to slow down the Huskies’ regrouping and find their stride?
Auriemma and his team will be tasked with formulating the opposite plan. His players need to learn from these drills to find new versions of themselves more quickly the next time they play. Work backwards to think about how to prevent problems at the first warning sign. The first thing to understand is how the yarn begins to unravel. That’s another “W” in the standings, putting the Huskies one step closer to another undefeated season. But it would be a warning sign for UConn (and a close call for Auriemma).
A perennial criticism of UConn is that because it plays in the Big East, it doesn’t face the same night-in and night-out challenges that teams in the SEC or Big Ten do. However, every SEC and Big Ten opponent on the Huskies’ schedule this year has suffered the same fate. Even in those games with cold or tough moments, UConn’s UConn style is unavoidable. The Huskies appear to be staying away from the field as they compete for back-to-back women’s basketball national championships for the first time since the program won titles in 2015 and 2016.
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For now, UConn remains perfect. That phrase has been typed a thousand times in women’s basketball over the past few decades. The Huskies’ last loss came 39 games ago last season in Knoxville. Since then, the only thing they’ve lost is the No. 1 WNBA draft pick. Somehow, the Huskies might be even more dominant this season with Forde and Strong at the helm.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Connecticut Huskies, women’s college basketball
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