2020–21 UConn Huskies women's basketball team

The 2020–21 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 36th season at UConn, split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center and were members of the Big East Conference, which they joined for women's basketball that season. UConn was previously a member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013, and one of the original women's basketball teams of that league in 1982.

2020–21 UConn Huskies women's basketball
Big East Tournament champions
Big East regular season champions
NCAA Tournament, Final Four
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 1
2020–21 record28–2 (18–0 Big East)
Head coach
Associate head coachChris Dailey (36th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHarry A. Gampel Pavilion
XL Center
2020–21 Big East Conference women's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 UConn†18–0 1.00028–2  .933
Marquette14–4 .77819–7  .731
Seton Hall12–5 .70614–7  .667
DePaul11–5 .68814–10  .583
Villanova9–5 .64317–7  .708
Creighton6–7 .46210–12  .455
Providence4–10 .2867–14  .333
St. John's4–12 .2508–15  .348
Xavier2–8 .2005–10  .333
Butler3–15 .1673–17  .150
Georgetown2–14 .1252–15  .118
† Big East Tournament winner
As of April 3, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll

UConn was ranked no. 3 in both the AP and Coaches pre-season polls. During the regular season, they had a record of 21–1, including 18–0 in the Big East to win the conference regular season championship. In February 2021, they defeated no. 1 ranked South Carolina; it was UConn freshman Paige Bueckers' third straight 30-point game. UConn won the Big East Tournament, winning all three of their games by over 30 points. They were ranked no. 1 in both polls at that time. As a no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they won their region with a victory over no. 5 ranked Baylor in the Elite Eight. UConn then lost to Arizona in the Final Four and finished their campaign with a record of 28–2. Bueckers, the team's leading scorer, won several awards at the end of the season, including the Naismith College Player of the Year.

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightYearHometownReason for departure
Megan Walker3F6'1"JuniorChesterfield, VADeclared for 2020 WNBA draft
Crystal Dangerfield5G5'5"SeniorMurfreesboro, TNGraduated / 2020 WNBA draft
Molly Bent10G5'9"SeniorCenterville, MAGraduated
Evelyn Adebayo14F6'1"RS SeniorLondon, EnglandCompleted college eligibility[lower-alpha 1]
Kyla Irwin25F6'2"SeniorState College, PAGraduated
Batouly Camara32F6'2"RS SeniorNew York, NYGraduated
  1. Adebayo was a graduate transfer in the 2019–20 season, having graduated from Murray State.

Recruits
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Paige Bueckers
PG		 Eden Prairie, MN Hopkins High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 98
Aaliyah Edwards
W		 Kingston, ON Crestwood Secondary School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 97
Mir McLean
W		 Owings Mills, MD Roland Park Country School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 97
Piath Gabriel
F		 Manchester, NH N/A 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 90
Nika Muhl
PG		 Zagreb, Croatia N/A 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.

    Recruiting class of 2021

    Recruiting class of 2022

    Roster
    2020–21 UConn Huskies women's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 2 Autumn Chassion (W) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) FrLafayette Christian Academy Lafayette, LA
    F 3 Aaliyah Edwards 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) FrCrestwood Preparatory College Kingston, ON
    G 4 Saylor Poffenbarger 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) FrMiddletown Middletown, MD
    G 5 Paige Bueckers 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) FrHopkins Hopkins, MN
    G 10 Nika Muhl 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) FrIII. Gimnazija Zagreb Zagreb, Croatia
    F 11 Mir McLean 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) FrRoland Park Country Baltimore, MD
    G 13 Christyn Williams 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) JrCentral Arkansas Christian Little Rock, AR
    F 20 Olivia Nelson-Ododa 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) JrWinder-Barrow Winder, GA
    G 22 Evina Westbrook 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) RS JrTennessee Salem, OR
    G 24 Anna Makurat 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) SoSport Championship School Sierakowice, Poland
    F 32 Piath Gabriel 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) FrBradford Christian Academy Manchester, NH
    G 44 Aubrey Griffin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) SoOssining Ossining, NY
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    • Saylor Poffenbarger was only on the roster for the spring semester, joining the team in January.[1]

    Schedule

    [2]

    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Regular season
    November 28, 2020*
    12:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 vs. Quinnipac
    Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Challenge semifinals    		 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Mohegan Sun Arena 
    Uncasville, CT
    November 29, 2020*
     ESPN    		 No. 3 vs. Maine or No. 6 Mississippi State
    Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Challenge    		 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Mohegan Sun Arena 
    Uncasville, CT
    December 4, 2020*
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 3 vs. No. 5 Louisville Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Mohegan Sun Arena 
    Uncasville, CT
    December 12, 2020*
    1:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 UMass Lowell W 79–23  1–0
    		  17 – Bueckers  9 – Tied  5 – Tied  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    December 15, 2020
    6:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 at Seton Hall W 92–65  2–0
    (1–0)    		  25 – Bueckers  10 – Nelson-Ododa  7 – Tied  Walsh Gymnasium 
    South Orange, NJ
    December 17, 2020
    6:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 Creighton W 80–47  3–0
    (2–0)    		  24 – Nelson-Ododa  8 – Tied  5 – Bueckers  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    December 19, 2020
    1:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 Xavier W 106–59  4–0
    (3–0)    		  24 – Williams  11 – Nelson-Ododa  9 – Bueckers  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    December 22, 2020
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 at Villanova W 90–52  5–0
    (4–0)    		  19 – Tied  9 – Makurat  7 – Williams  Finneran Pavilion 
    Villanova, PA
    December 29, 2020
    6:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 4 No. 18 DePaul W 75–52  6–0
    (5–0)    		  18 – Bueckers  14 – Nelson-Ododa  5 – Williams  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    January 7, 2021*
    8:30 pm, ESPN    		 No. 3 at No. 6 Baylor Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Ferrell Center 
    Waco, TX
    January 9, 2021
    1:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 Providence W 87–50  7–0
    (6–0)    		  23 – Bueckers  9 – Griffin  5 – Bueckers  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    January 16, 2021
    1:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 4 Villanova Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    January 19, 2021
    6:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 Butler W 103–35  8–0
    (7–0)    		  18 – Nelson-Ododa  10 – Griffin  8 – Bueckers  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    January 21, 2021*
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 3 at No. 25 Tennessee
    Rivalry    		 W 67–61  9–0
    		  20 – Williams  11 – Nelson-Ododa  7 – Bueckers  Thompson–Boling Arena (3,553)
    Knoxville, TN
    January 23, 2021
    2:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 Georgetown W 72–41  10–0
    (8–0)    		  19 – Nelson-Ododa  9 – Nelson-Ododa  9 – Westbrook  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    January 26, 2021
    		 No. 3 at Providence Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Alumni Hall 
    Providence, RI
    January 28, 2021*
    6:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 3 at No. 19 Arkansas L 87–90  10–1
    		  27 – Bueckers  6 – 3 tied  7 – Westbrook  Bud Walton Arena (4,400)
    Fayetteville, AR
    January 31, 2021
    1:00 pm, FOX    		 No. 3 at No. 17 DePaul W 100–67  11–1
    (9–0)    		  29 – Williams  14 – Westbrook  10 – Bueckers  Wintrust Arena 
    Chicago, IL
    February 3, 2021
    6:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 St. John's W 94–62  12–1
    (10–0)    		  32 – Bueckers  9 – Edwards  7 – Tied  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    February 5, 2021
    7:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 3 at Marquette W 87–58  13–1
    (11–0)    		  30 – Bueckers  8 – Nelson-Ododa  9 – Muhl  Al McGuire Center 
    Milwaukee, WI
    February 8, 2021*
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 2 No. 1 South Carolina W 63–59 OT 14–1
    		  31 – Bueckers  7 – Tied  6 – Nelson-Ododa  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    February 10, 2021
    6:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 2 Seton Hall W 70–49  15–1
    (12–0)    		  23 – Bueckers  13 – Nelson-Ododa  7 – Westbrook  Gampel Pavillon 
    Storrs, CT
    February 12, 2021
    6:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 2 at Georgetown W 64–40  16–1
    (13–0)    		  19 – Tied  7 – Tied  9 – Bueckers  McDonough Gymnasium 
    Washington, D.C.
    February 17, 2021
    6:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 1 at St. John's W 77–32  17–1
    (14–0)    		  21 – Williams  8 – Westbrook  9 – Bueckers  Carnesecca Arena 
    New York, NY
    February 20, 2021
    3:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 1 at Xavier W 83–32  18–1
    (15–0)    		  22 – Williams  11 – Edwards  7 – Bueckers  Cintas Center (922)
    Cincinnati, OH
    February 25, 2021
    5:00 pm, SNY    		 No. 1 at Creighton W 81–49  19–1
    (16–0)    		  19 – Muhl  11 – Nelson-Ododa  9 – Bueckers  D. J. Sokol Arena (278)
    Omaha, NE
    February 27, 2021
    4:30 pm, SNY    		 No. 1 at Butler W 97–68  20–1
    (17–0)    		  24 – Edwards  14 – Edwards  14 – Bueckers  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,721)
    Indianapolis, IN
    March 1, 2021
    8:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 1 Marquette W 63–53  21–1
    (18–0)    		  19 – Nelson-Ododa  10 – Nelson-Ododa  3 – Tied  Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, CT
    Big East Women's Tournament
    March 6, 2021
    12:00 pm, FS1    		 (1) No. 1 vs. (8) St. John's
    Quarterfinals    		 W 77–41  22–1
    		  17 – Bueckers  11 – Nelson-Ododa  3 – Bueckers  Mohegan Sun Arena 
    Uncasville, CT
    March 7, 2021
    3:00 pm, FS1    		 (1) No. 1 vs. (5) Villanova
    Semifinals    		 W 84–39  23–1
    		  26 – Williams  7 – Tied  8 – Bueckers  Mohegan Sun Arena 
    Uncasville, CT
    March 8, 2021
    8:00 pm, FS1    		 (1) No. 1 vs. (2) Marquette
    Championship    		 W 73–39  24–1
    		  23 – Bueckers  8 – Edwards  5 – Nelson-Ododa  Mohegan Sun Arena 
    Uncasville, CT
    NCAA Tournament
    March 21, 2021*
    8:00 pm, ESPN    		 (1 R) No. 1 vs. (16 R) High Point
    First Round    		 W 102–59  25–1
    		  24 – Bueckers  12 – Edwards  6 – Bueckers  Alamodome 
    San Antonio, TX
    March 23, 2021*
    9:00 pm, ESPN    		 (1 R) No. 1 vs. (8 R) Syracuse
    Second Round    		 W 83–47  26–1
    		  20 – Bueckers  8 – Nelson-Ododa  4 – 3 tied  Alamodome 
    San Antonio, TX
    March 27, 2021*
    1:00 pm, ABC    		 (1 R) No. 1 vs. (5 R) Iowa
    Sweet Sixteen    		 W 92–72  27–1
    		  27 – Williams  11 – Nelson-Ododa  10 – Westbrook  Alamodome 
    San Antonio, TX
    March 29, 2021*
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 (1 R) No. 1 vs. (2 R) No. 5 Baylor
    Elite Eight    		 W 69–67  28–1
    		  28 – Bueckers  8 – Nelson-Ododa  4 – Nelson-Ododa  Alamodome 
    San Antonio, TX
    April 2, 2021*
    9:30 pm, ESPN    		 (1 R) No. 1 vs. (3 M) No. 11 Arizona
    Final Four    		 L 59–69  28–2
    		  20 – Williams  7 – Edwards  4 – Bueckers  Alamodome 
    San Antonio, TX
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. R=River Walk M=Mercado.
    All times are in EST.

    Rankings
    Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
    Regular Season Polls
    PollPre-
    Season    		Week
    2    		Week
    3    		Week
    4    		Week
    5    		Week
    6    		Week
    7    		Week
    8    		Week
    9    		Week
    10    		Week
    11    		Week
    12    		Week
    13    		Week
    14    		Week
    15    		Week
    16    		Week
    17    		Final
    AP 3 3 3 (2) 3 (1) 3 (1) 4 (1) 4 (1) 4 3 (1) 3 (1) 3 2 1 (26) 1 (28) 1 (27) 1 (22) 1 (23) N/A
    Coaches 3 3^ 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 1 (17) 1 (22) 1 (30) 1 (29) 1 (27) 1 (27) 3
    Legend
      Increase in ranking
      Decrease in ranking
      Not ranked previous week
    RV   Received votes
    NR   Not ranked
    ( )   Number of first place votes

    ^ Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll

    Player statistics
    PlayerGames PlayedMinutesField GoalsThree PointersFree ThrowsReboundsAssistsBlocksStealsPoints
    BueckersPaige Bueckers29104922264731411681166581
    WilliamsChristyn Williams299981874949124641427472
    WestbrookEvina Westbrook3092010440351581282052283
    Nelson-OdodaOlivia Nelson-Ododa30783152452234875319360
    EdwardsAaliyah Edwards29631131049164262928311
    MuhlNika Muhl23562402485662440112
    GriffinAubrey Griffin2948669340138242334181
    MakuratAnna Makurat1632721134523851559
    McLeanMir McLean241672611551116668
    GabrielPiath Gabriel22556031225015
    PoffenbargerSaylor Poffenbarger123221140106
    ChassionAutumn Chassion81532023008

    [3]

    Awards and honors
    • Olivia Nelson-Ododa
      • Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year[13]
      • Second-team All-Big East[13]
    • Aaliyah Edwards
      • Big East Sixth Woman of the Year[13]
      • Big East All-Freshman Team[13]
    • Christyn Williams
      • First-team All-Big East[13]
    • Geno Auriemma
      • Big East Coach of the Year[13]

    See also

    References
    1. "UConn women's basketball adds 2021 signee Saylor Poffenbarger a semester early". 15 January 2021.
    2. "2020–2021 Schedule". UConnHuskies.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
    3. "2020-21 Women's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". uconnhuskies.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
    4. "Bueckers Becomes First Freshman to Earn Naismith Trophy". University of Connecticut Athletics. April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
    5. "UConn's Bueckers Wins 2020-21 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award" (Press release). United States Basketball Writers Association. April 4, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
    6. Feinberg, Doug (March 31, 2021). "UConn's Paige Bueckers is AP women's player of the year". Associated Press. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
    7. "UConn Huskies freshman Paige Bueckers caps standout season, wins John R. Wooden Award". espn.com. April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
    8. "Basketball Hall of Fame Reveals Winners of Women's Naismith Starting Five Awards" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 4, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
    9. "UConn freshman Paige Bueckers leads women's AP All-America team". ESPN. Associated Press. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
    10. "USBWA Names Tamika Catchings Award, Coach of the Year Winners" (Press release). United States Basketball Writers Association. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
    11. "Bueckers Tabbed to WBCA Coaches' All-America Team". University of Connecticut Athletics. April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
    12. "UConn's Bueckers, Iowa's Clark named 2021 WBCA NCAA Division I Co-Freshmen of the Year presented by adidas". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
    13. "Bueckers Sweeps BIG EAST Player, Freshman of the Year Honors". Big East Conference. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
    14. "Paige Bueckers, UConn Huskies beat Marquette Golden Eagles for Big East women's basketball title". ESPN. Associated Press. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.