Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma share final thoughts ahead of South Carolina-UConn game
UConn coach Geno Auriemma put his team’s rivalry with South Carolina into perspective after his 1,200th career win Wednesday night.
“In the beginning, we’d go down there and we’d blow them out,” Auriemma said. “And it wasn’t a rivalry. It was nothing. Then it became one, because both people have to win in order for it to be a rivalry. And you start to appreciate that when you had the best team, you could go down there — and not just there. You could go anywhere, really, and play a team of that magnitude and know you’re gonna win. And then there’s some years you know that it’s gonna be a titanic struggle.”
In 2008, then-No. 1 UConn walloped coach Dawn Staley’s first USC team, 77-48, at Colonial Life Arena. Since then, Staley has molded South Carolina women’s basketball into a juggernaut. The Gamecocks and Huskies have played each other every year since 2015. USC has won four of the last five meetings with UConn and is currently the No. 1-ranked team in the country.
This Sunday’s edition of the South Carolina-UConn rivalry has the potential to fall into the “titanic struggle” category Auriemma described. No team has found a way to defeat the Gamecocks so far this season.
“I think we know what we’re up against,” Auriemma said. “We know who they are and what they can do and what they’ve done. And I know our guys are excited to go down and play.”
In Columbia, the Gamecocks are operating “business as usual,” Staley said during her Friday news conference in advance of Sunday’s game.
Not underestimating the shorthanded Huskies
Both No. 1 South Carolina (22-0) and No. 11 UConn (20-4) are operating with just nine available players.
The Gamecocks are without 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso (who’s in Brazil for an Olympic qualifying tournament) and freshman reserve Sahnya Jah (out indefinitely due to conduct detrimental to the team). The Huskies are without five players who have had season-ending injuries (Ayanna Patterson, knee surgery; Aubrey Griffin, ACL tear; Jana El Alfy, Achilles tear; Azzi Fudd, ACL and meniscus tear; Caroline Ducharme, head/neck spasms).
Through it all, UConn has played one of the toughest schedules in the country and accumulated just four losses, three to Top 25 opponents.
“I mean, that’s what they do,” Staley said. “It’s the fabric of who they are as the best program in this century, to be quite honest with you.
“So through the injuries, we’re not going to take them lightly because they’ve still got a team of All-Americans.”
More from Staley:
Does this year’s edition of the rivalry have the same hype?
“Yeah, because you’re always playing a tradition of their program. And they’re always in striking distance of winning any basketball game that they play.”
High praise for Paige Bueckers
“There’s no fat to Paige’s game. It’s all lean. Everything that she does has a purpose. There’s no wasted movements out there on the floor. So if you have some slippage defensively, she’s gonna make you pay with her shot. She’s gonna make you pay with her vision. She’s gonna make you pay with rebounding the basketball. She’s that kind of player. Just super well put together. And I do think she’s put the work in to have the type of performances. To have a guard shoot almost 50% from 3, 52%, 53%, 54% from the floor. Very, very dangerous.”
How Raven Johnson’s speed could affect the game
“Raven knows what her superpower is. She gives it to us on a day-to-day basis. Every time she steps on the floor she’s playing very fast on both sides of the basketball. I do think it helps us tremendously defensively, and it might hurt us a little bit offensively. But I’d rather have her that way than have to motivate her to play faster, quicker. I’d rather say, ‘Whoa, whoa, Raven, slow down a little bit.’ Because it’s hard to get going when you don’t have a motor like Raven.”
The impact of scheduling UConn during SEC play
“For UConn, I think it helps with the NET and getting another quality win or game on the road. Because you get a lot more points when you play someone like us on the road than you do at home. For us, it’s getting ready for the NCAA Tournament. Because UConn, to play them once, I think it’s advantageous to them. To play them during this time in the season then have to play them to the tournament, the sting isn’t as big. Whether you win or lose the basketball game, you’re more familiar with how they play.”
Will the series continue next season?
“I think they come back to us. Because we didn’t play them two years ago because of injuries, and we wanted to get our SEC game in. So they’re coming back next year.”
This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 12:00 AM.
