Thursday, UConn women’s basketball did something it hadn’t done in almost nine years by losing to an unranked opponent, falling to Georgia Tech in the Huskies’ first game without reigning Naismith Player of the Year Paige Bueckers. The star sophomore is out 6-8 weeks with a knee injury suffered Sunday against Notre Dame.
Prior to Thursday, UConn hadn’t lost to an unranked opponent since St. John’s beat them by a single point (57-56) in 2012. Not only did Thursday end the Huskies’ streak of 239 straight wins against teams outside the AP’s Top 25, but it also marked UConn’s lowest point total (44) since February 27, 2006, when Rutgers held them to 42 points.
Coach Geno Auriemma, an 11-time national champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, didn’t sound particularly optimistic after the loss to Georgia Tech, admitting the Huskies face an uphill battle without Bueckers. “I've usually been pretty good over the years at making players better,” said an exasperated Auriemma, diagnosing the Huskies as “disorganized” and lacking a clear plan offensively. “Right now, that's not happening."
In their two losses this season (they fell to top-ranked South Carolina in last month’s “Battle 4 Atlantis”), the Huskies have been outscored 34-8 in the fourth quarter, an uncharacteristic lapse for one of the most storied programs in college athletics. “What I see is a team that's somewhat disheveled. And that's on me,” said Auriemma, accepting blame for UConn’s recent struggles. “Somehow, some way I do not have the ability at this point in time to affect my players to make sure that we're in a better place mentally and physically, to play the kind of basketball we need to play.”
With tough upcoming games against UCLA and seventh-ranked Louisville, Auriemma isn’t expecting UConn to turn the corner anytime soon. “I don’t think it’s gonna’ get fixed. I really don’t,” Auriemma told ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel. “I'm too old to be an optimist. I'm a realist.”
It’s hard to tell if Auriemma is really this defeated or if he’s merely trying to light a fire under his players, using Thursday’s criticism as a motivational tactic. Regardless, the Huskies will need to find their identity quickly, or risk missing the Final Four for the first time since 2007.
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