No. 2 UConn women’s basketball vs. Arkansas: time, how to watch, broadcasters, revenge top of mind for the Huskies
The No. 2 UConn women’s basketball team’s season opening matchup against Arkansas has a bit more spice than first games of the season usually do.
Arkansas (2-0) started the 2021-22 campaign unranked, but it is a quality SEC program that secured a four-seed in the last NCAA Tournament. What’s more, the Razorbacks are the only team to beat UConn in the regular season last season, where they put up 90 points as Chelsea Dungee scored 37 alone.
The Huskies said that game was a turning point to the season, and players came together following an embarrassing defensive performance. From that point the defense became one of the best in the country.
When the ball tips Sunday at the XL Center, it’ll be a fresh season and a different matchup with a new-look Arkansas team and newcomer-heavy UConn. But the Huskies are no doubt coming in with an extra edge, eager to avenge what happened last season.
“It’s not your traditional cupcake opener, right?” coach Geno Auriemma said. “It’s a great challenge for us because not only are they a good team that challenges your premier defense, and the fact that they beat us last year at their place. ... I think there’s a little more angst going into it.”
Even freshman Azzi Fudd is well familiar with how it all went down — the bad, but also the good that came from it.
“I’ve heard a lot about how that was a huge turning point for them,” she said. “After that game, they realized that they really needed to pick things up and as a team, they just got on the same page with talking and they realized how important that was and how they needed to pick that up together.”
Certain players have things to prove on an individual level, too. Senior Christyn Williams, a Little Rock, Arkansas, native, is not about to let the Razorbacks beat her twice in her career. Last season’s meeting was her homecoming game, and this weekend she’s expecting about a dozen loved ones to make the trip to Hartford.
“I caught some flack from it, but that’s expected,” Williams said about last season’s loss. “It’s all good though.”
Senior Olivia Nelson-Ododa had one of her worst performances of the season that game too, finishing with just two points on two shot attempts, with two rebounds and three turnovers in 20 minutes. She believes she’s a different player today than the one who struggled against the undersized Razorbacks 10 months ago.
“I reflect on [that game] a lot, just looking at the maturity level, not only myself but our team,” Nelson-Ododa said. “Just how we approach those type of games or how we did when we weren’t doing so well and kind of figuring out how we need to build off of that, whether it’s when things don’t go our way, do we just crumble or do we just figure out different ways to get back into it and stay in the game.
“I think that’s something that as an individual, I’ve had to work on but also as a team, I think we’ve really, really had to step up.”
Here’s what else you need to know about the matchup.
Site: XL Center
Time: 1 p.m.
Series: Tied, 1-1
Last meeting: No. 19 Arkansas 90, No. 3 UConn 87 in Fayetteville, Ark., Jan. 28, 2021
TV: SNY: Allen Bestwick (pxp), Meghan Culmo (analyst), Maria Marino (sideline)
Streaming: In-market SNY viewers can watch at SNY.tv or through the NBC Sports App. Out-of-market viewers can watch the game on the Fox Sports App or at https://www.foxsports.com/. The games might not appear on those sites until right around tipoff.
Radio: UConn IMG Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN
Arkansas probable starters, sixth man
Erynn Barnum, F, 6-2, R-Jr.; Makayla Daniels, G, 5-8, Jr.; Sasha Goforth, G, 6-1, So.; Amber Ramirez, G, 5-9, R-Sr.; Samara Spencer, G, 5-7, Fr.; Jersey Wolfenbarger, G/F, 6-5, Fr.
UConn probable starters, sixth man
Christyn Williams, G, 5-11, Sr.; Olivia Nelson-Ododa, F, 6-5, Sr.; Evina Westbrook, G, 6-0, R-Sr.; Paige Bueckers, G, 5-11, So.; Aaliyah Edwards, F, 6-3, So.; Azzi Fudd, G, 5-11, Fr.
The matchup
UConn’s offense: If the exhibition gave any indication, UConn’s offense will likely be more balanced than last year with the return of most major contributors plus the addition of graduate transfer Dorka Juhász, Fudd and fellow freshman Caroline Ducharme. Williams is eager to be a consistent slashing threat, which would help take some of the scoring load off Bueckers’ shoulders. Bueckers, meanwhile, looks to get back to her pass-first ways, though there’s little doubt who’d get the ball in crunch time.
UConn’s defense: The Huskies have a chance to build off of a pretty good defensive team from last year while adding solid defenders in Juhász and Fudd. There could be some early growing pains while incorporating new pieces.
Arkansas’ offense: Similar to last year’s team, Arkansas scores a lot of its points by jacking up 3s and getting to the free-throw line. Through two games, Barnum, Eaton and Spencer are all averaging roughly 13 points per game, and Daniels adds 10. Eaton is their most frequent 3-point shooter and hits 40% of her shots from deep. The team averaged 90.5 points across their first two games against Tarleton St. and Arkansas Pine-Bluff.
Arkansas’ defense: Against much weaker competition, the Razorbacks have allowed just 43.0 points this season on 23.9% shooting. Defense wasn’t a strong suit of last year’s team, though, which allowed 73.8 points per game, among the country’s worst marks.
UConn keys: Perimeter defense, keep Arkansas off foul line, control pace, rebounding, ball movement on offense
Players to watch: An exhibition against a Division II opponent is one thing. How do UConn’s newcomers — specifically Juhász, Fudd and Ducharme — fare in their first real game against a tough, well-coached SEC opponent?
About Arkansas’ coach: Mike Neighbors, a University of Arkansas alum, is in his fifth year in Fayetteville after previous stints at Washington, where current UConn assistant Morgan Valley worked under him for two seasons. By going 9-6 in the SEC in 2020-21, Neighbors secured the program’s first back-to-back winning seasons in the league since they joined in 1991.
Arkansas’ mascot: Tusk (live mascot) & Big Red (costumed mascot)
Famous alumni: Late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright, former NFL coach and analyst Jimmy Johnson, MLB player Dallas Keuchel
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com
