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
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 UConn180 1.000282  .933
Marquette144 .778197  .731
Seton Hall125 .706147  .667
DePaul115 .6881410  .583
Villanova95 .643177  .708
Creighton67 .4621012  .455
Providence410 .286714  .333
St. John's412 .250815  .348
Xavier28 .200510  .333
Butler315 .167317  .150
Georgetown214 .125215  .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:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 98
Aaliyah Edwards
W
Kingston, Ontario 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:5/5 stars   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:5/5 stars   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:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Nika Mühl
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:3/5 stars   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

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Azzi Fudd
G
Arlington, VA St. John's College 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
Caroline Ducharme
G
Milton, MA Noble & Greenough School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 98
Amari DeBerry
F
Williamsburg, NY Williamsville South High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 96
Saylor Poffenbarger
G
Middletown, MD Middletown 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
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:

Recruiting class of 2022

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Isuneh Brady
P
San Diego, CA Cathedral Catholic High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 98
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:

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, Ontario
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 Mühl 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  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  Mühl  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  Mühl  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  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

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
MühlNika Mühl23562402485662440112
GriffinAubrey Griffin2948669340138242334181
MakuratAnna Makurat1632721134523851559
McLeanMir McLean241672611551116668
GabrielPiath Gabriel22556031225015
PoffenbargerSaylor Poffenbarger123221140106
ChassionAutumn Chassion81532023008

[3]

Awards and honors

See also

References

  1. "UConn women's basketball adds 2021 signee Saylor Poffenbarger a semester early". January 15, 2021.
  2. "2020–2021 Schedule". UConnHuskies.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. 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.
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