2023–24 UConn Huskies women's basketball
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 10
APNo. 9
Record15–3 (7–0 Big East)
Head coach
Associate head coachChris Dailey (39th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHarry A. Gampel Pavilion
XL Center
2023–24 Big East women's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 9 UConn7–0 1.00015–3  .833
Villanova5–1 .83312–5  .706
St. John's5–2 .71411–8  .579
No. 21 Creighton4–2 .66713–3  .813
No. 22 Marquette4–3 .57115–3  .833
Georgetown3–3 .50013–4  .765
Seton Hall3–4 .42911–7  .611
DePaul2–4 .33310–9  .526
Providence2–4 .3338–11  .421
Butler0–6 .0008–9  .471
Xavier0–6 .0001–14  .067
† 2024 Big East tournament winner
As of January 17, 2024
Rankings from AP poll
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, where the Huskies played home games

The 2023–24 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represents the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 39th season at UConn, split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on their campus in Storrs, Connecticut, and the XL Center in Hartford. UConn is a member of the Big East Conference, which it rejoined in the 2020–21 season; it had been a member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013, and one of the original women's basketball teams in that conference in 1982.[lower-alpha 1]

Even after graduating two WNBA draftees, the Huskies entered the season with six reliable and tested starters, led by seniors Nika Mühl, Aubrey Griffin, and 2023 All-American Aaliyah Edwards. Juniors Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme, and 2021 All-American Paige Bueckers returned in the backcourt. UConn began ranked no. 2 in both preseason AP and Coaches polls, but injuries led to three early season losses against quality opponents.

Previous season

The 2022–23 UConn Huskies began with season-ending injuries to All-American junior guard Paige Bueckers and freshman forward Ice Brady. The team played well in the early season, but injuries to Azzi Fudd, Dorka Juhász, and Caroline Ducharme often forced starters like Nika Mühl, Aaliyah Edwards, and Aubrey Griffin to play full games and graduate transfer Lou Lopez Sénéchal to take on scoring responsibilities. Mühl led all NCAA women for assists most of the season, UConn relying on her high energy and court vision to make Husky touches in the paint quick and decisive. With a light bench, Edwards, Mühl, Juhász, Lopez Sénéchal, and Griffin became a durable quintet in January; when Fudd and Ducharme returned, the team quickly improved. UConn dominated the Big East Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, they advanced to their 29th consecutive Sweet Sixteen before being upset by a swarming Ohio State Buckeyes defense. This was the first time the Huskies failed to reach the Final Four since 2007 (not counting the COVID-disrupted 2019–20 season in which the NCAA tournament was not held).

Offseason

Departures

The Huskies graduated senior starters Dorka Juhász and Lou Lopez Sénéchal from the 2022–23 roster, and both were drafted into the Women's National Basketball Association.

NameNumberPos.HeightYearHometownReason for departure
Lou Lopez Sénéchal11G6'1"Graduate StudentGrenoble, FranceDrafted by the WNBA's Dallas Wings
Dorka Juhász14F6'5"Graduate StudentPécs, HungaryDrafted by the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx

Injuries

Tour of Huskies' team facilities
video icon UCONN Women's Basketball Virtual Tour

Freshman forward Jana El Alfy suffered a knee injury in August while playing for the Egyptian national U19 team. After corrective surgery, El Alfy will not play this season.[1] After a non-contact injury in practice in November, Fudd was diagnosed with an ACL injury and will sit out the rest of the season as well.[2] Additionally, forward Ayanna Patterson will be out for the season with a knee injury.[3] Aubrey Griffin experienced an ACL tear in her left knee during the Creighton game on January 3 and will miss the remainder of the season.[4]

Recruiting

ESPN evaluated UConn's class of 2023 as the fourth-ranked group in the country, behind LSU, South Carolina, and Arizona.[5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kamorea "KK" Arnold
PG		 Germantown, WI Germantown High School 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 97
Ashlynn Shade
G		 Noblesville, IN La Lumiere School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 96
Qadence Samuels
W		 Forestville, MD Bishop McNamara High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Jana El Alfy
F		 Cairo, Egypt Al Ahly Sporting Club 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:   ESPN: 4
  • 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:

  • "2023 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.

Recruiting class of 2024

On December 3, 2022, UConn received a verbal commitment from five-star guard Allie Ziebell of Neenah, Wisconsin.[6] ESPN ranked UConn's 2024 class as the sixth-best in the country.[7]

US college sports recruiting information for 2024 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Allie Ziebell
G		 Neenah, WI Neenah High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 98
Morgan Cheli
G		 San Jose, CA Archbishop Mitty High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings:   ESPN: 6
  • 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:

Recruiting class of 2025

US college sports recruiting information for 2025 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kelis Fisher
PG		 Baltimore, MD IMG Academy 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 96
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:

Coaching

Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma and Hall of Fame associate head coach Chris Dailey returned for their 39th season. Assistant coach Jamelle Elliott was a UConn assistant coach from 1998 to 2009 and returned after a nine-year head coaching stint at Cincinnati. Assistant coach Morgan Valley was the head coach of the Hartford Hawks when hired by the Huskies. Elliott and Valley are both former UConn players.[8][9] Tonya Cardoza, another former Huskies assistant returned to UConn in June after serving as Temple's head coach for 15 years.[10] Also in June, UConn announced Ben Kantor as promoted to assistant coach from his previous staff position serving as the team's video coordinator since 2015.[10]

Roster

2023–24 UConn Huskies women's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 2 KK Arnold 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) FrGermantown Germantown, WI
F 3 Aaliyah Edwards 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) SrCrestwood Preparatory Kingston, Ontario
G 4 Qadence Samuels 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) FrBishop McNamara Forestville, MD
G 5 Paige Bueckers 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) RS JrHopkins Hopkins, MN
G 10 Nika Mühl 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) SrIII. Gimnazija Zagreb Zagreb, Croatia
G 12 Ashlynn Shade 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) FrLa Lumiere Noblesville, IN
G 21 Inês Bettencourt 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) SoClube União Sportiva São Miguel, Portugal
C 24 Jana El Alfy Injured 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) FrAl Ahly SC Cairo, Egypt
F 25 Ice Brady 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) RS FrCathedral Catholic San Diego, CA
G 33 Caroline Ducharme Injured 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) JrNoble & Greenough Milton, MA
F 34 Ayanna Patterson Injured 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) SoHomestead Fort Wayne, IN
G 35 Azzi Fudd Injured 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) JrSt. John's College HS Arlington, VA
F 42 Amari DeBerry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) JrWilliamsville South Williamsville, NY
F 44 Aubrey Griffin Injured 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS SrOssining Ossining, NY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: January 8, 2024

Schedule

Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 4, 2023*
1:00 pm, UConn+		 No. 2 Southern Connecticut W 97–38 
 18 – Fudd  10 – Edwards  7 – Bueckers  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (9,664)
Storrs, CT
Regular season
November 8, 2023*
7:00 pm, SNY		 No. 2 Dayton W 102–58  1–0
  23 – Edwards  9 – Edwards  7 – Arnold  XL Center (9,126)
Hartford, CT
November 12, 2023*
3:00 pm, ABC		 No. 2 at NC State L 81–92  1–1
  27 – Bueckers  6 – Edwards  6 – Mühl  Reynolds Coliseum (5,500)
Raleigh, NC
November 16, 2023*
6:30 pm, FS1		 No. 8 No. 20 Maryland W 80–48  2–1
  24 – Bueckers  13 – Griffin  5 – Tied  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
November 19, 2023*
5:00 pm, FS1		 No. 8 at Minnesota W 62–44  3–1
  16 – Edwards  9 – Edwards  4 – Bueckers  Williams Arena (10,869)
Minneapolis, MN
November 24, 2023*
7:30 pm, FloHoops		 No. 6 vs. No. 2 UCLA
Cayman Islands Classic		 L 67–78  3–2
  31 – Bueckers  7 – Griffin  3 – Tied  John Gray Gymnasium (300)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 25, 2023*
7:30 pm, FloHoops		 No. 6 vs. Kansas
Cayman Islands Classic		 W 71–63  4–2
  22 – Bueckers  8 – Griffin  6 – Mühl  John Gray Gymnasium (1,650)
George Town, Cayman Islands
December 3, 2023*
3:00 pm, ABC		 No. 11 at No. 10 Texas
Jimmy V Classic		 L 68–80  4–3
  22 – Edwards  6 – Tied  4 – Bueckers  Moody Center (10,763)
Austin, TX
December 6, 2023*
7:00 pm, SNY		 No. 17 Ball State W 90–63  5–3
  18 – Edwards  12 – Edwards  4 – Tied  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (9,273)
Storrs, CT
December 10, 2023*
5:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 17 vs. No. 24 North Carolina
Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase		 W 76–64  6–3
  26 – Bueckers  11 – Edwards  6 – Mühl  Mohegan Sun Arena (8,428)
Uncasville, CT
December 16, 2023*
12:00 pm, FOX		 No. 17 No. 18 Louisville W 86–62  7–3
  25 – Griffin  7 – Tied  10 – Mühl  XL Center (13,028)
Hartford, CT
December 18, 2023
7:00 pm, SNY		 No. 17 Butler W 88–62  8–3
(1–0)		  22 – Shade  12 – Edwards  7 – Bueckers  XL Center (9,354)
Hartford, CT
December 20, 2023*
6:00 pm, FS2		 No. 17 at Toronto Metropolitan W 111–34  9–3
  26 – Edwards  10 – Edwards  8 – Mühl  Mattamy Athletic Centre (2,734)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
December 31, 2023
1:00 pm, SNY		 No. 15 No. 18 Marquette W 95–64  10–3
(2–0)		  25 – Bueckers  12 – Edwards  7 – Mühl  XL Center (15,684)
Hartford, CT
January 3, 2024
7:00 pm, SNY		 No. 12 at No. 21 Creighton W 94–50  11–3
(3–0)		  24 – Bueckers  11 – Edwards  7 – Tied  D. J. Sokol Arena (2,374)
Omaha, NE
January 7, 2024
1:30 pm, SNY		 No. 12 at Georgetown W 83–55  12–3
(4–0)		  18 – Edwards  6 – Edwards  8 – Mühl  McDonough Gymnasium (2,937)
Washington, D.C.
January 10, 2024
6:30 pm, SNY		 No. 13 Providence W 85–41  13–3
(5–0)		  17 – Shade  9 – Bueckers  13 – Mühl  XL Center (10,210)
Hartford, CT
January 13, 2024
2:00 pm, SNY		 No. 13 at St. John's W 92–49  14–3
(6–0)		  22 – Bueckers  10 – Edwards  7 – Arnold  UBS Arena (2,858)
Elmont, NY
January 17, 2024
8:30 pm, SNY		 No. 9 at Seton Hall W 83–59  15–3
(7–0)		  32 – Bueckers  9 – Edwards  10 – Mühl  Walsh Gymnasium (1,296)
South Orange, NJ
January 20, 2024
2:00 pm, SNY		 No. 9 DePaul     Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 
Storrs, CT
January 23, 2024
7:00 pm, SNY		 at Marquette     Al McGuire Center 
Milwaukee, WI
January 27, 2024*
8:00 pm, FOX		 Notre Dame
Rivalry		     XL Center 
Hartford, CT
January 31, 2024
6:30 pm, SNY		 at Villanova     Finneran Pavilion 
Villanova, PA
February 4, 2024
3:00 pm, CBSSN		 St. John's     Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 
Storrs, CT
February 7, 2024
7:00 pm, SNY		 Seton Hall     XL Center 
Hartford, CT
February 11, 2024*
2:00 pm, ESPN		 at South Carolina     Colonial Life Arena 
Columbia, SC
February 14, 2024
7:00 pm, SNY		 at Xavier     Cintas Center 
Cincinnati, OH
February 16, 2024
7:00 pm, SNY		 Georgetown     Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 
Storrs, CT
February 19, 2024
12:00 pm, FOX		 Creighton     XL Center 
Hartford, CT
February 25, 2024
6:00 pm, CBSSN		 at DePaul     Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
February 28, 2024
7:00 pm, SNY		 Villanova     Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 
Storrs, CT
March 2, 2024
7:00 pm, SNY		 at Providence     Alumni Hall 
Providence, RI
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

[11]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP2 (1)86111717171512139Not released
Coaches2 (3)871217181717151410

Player statistics

PlayerGames PlayedMinutesField GoalsThree PointersFree ThrowsReboundsAssistsBlocksStealsPoints
Nika Mühl175184624566100018121
Aaliyah Edwards17487121041141392640283
Paige Bueckers17486116355778643924324
KK Arnold174576210313656045165
Ashlynn Shade164157026123524310178
Aubrey Griffin143084733684201321133
Ice Brady17251283846152467
Qadence Samuels172183920348736101
Inês Bettencourt1272401119049
Amari DeBerry1469502935112
Azzi Fudd261842552322
Caroline Ducharme458524821316
Ayanna Patterson0000000000

[12]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The settlement of the 2013 split of the Big East Conference resulted in the so-called "Catholic 7" purchasing the "Big East" name and reorganizing as a new conference. The original conference charter was retained by the Division I FBS football schools that now operate as the American Athletic Conference. As part of the settlement, the current Big East recognizes the competitive history of the original conference in all sports that it sponsors.

References

  1. ↑ Philippou, Alexa (2023-07-25). "UConn loses freshman El Alfy to torn Achilles". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  2. ↑ Philippou, Alexa. "UConn's Azzi Fudd out for season with torn ACL, meniscus". espn.com. November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ Vanoni, Maggie (15 December 2023). "UConn women's basketball's Ayanna Patterson to miss remainder of season with knee injury". CT Insider. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Aubrey Griffin to Miss Remainder of Season". University of Connecticut Athletics. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  5. ↑ "2023 women's college basketball recruiting rankings: Top 25 classes". ESPN.com. November 16, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  6. ↑ Arguello, Ricardo (December 3, 2022). "Neenah girls basketball standout Allie Ziebell commits to UConn". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  7. ↑ Laflin, Shane. "2024 women's college basketball recruiting rankings: Updated top 25 classes". espn.com. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  8. ↑ Bonjour, Doug (2019-02-14). "UConn's Jamelle Elliott happy to be back home". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  9. ↑ "Morgan Valley leaves Hartford to become UConn assistant". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  10. 1 2 Eaton-Robb, Pat (June 13, 2023). "Former Temple coach Tonya Cardoza returning to UConn, among two assistant hires". USA Today. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  11. ↑ "2023–2024 Women's Basketball Schedule". UConn Huskies. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  12. ↑ "2023–2024 Women's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". UConn Huskies. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
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