2020–21 UConn Huskies women's basketball team

2020–21 UConn Huskies women's basketball
Big East tournament champions Big East regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Final Four
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 1
Record	28–2 (18–0 Big East)
Head coach	Geno Auriemma (36th season)
Associate head coach	Chris Dailey (36th season)
Assistant coaches	Shea Ralph (13th season) Jamelle Elliott (1st season)
Home arena	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion XL Center

2020–21 Big East Conference women's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 1 UConn†	18	–	0		1.000			28	–	2		.933
Marquette	14	–	4		.778			19	–	7		.731
Seton Hall	12	–	5		.706			14	–	7		.667
DePaul	11	–	5		.688			14	–	10		.583
Villanova	9	–	5		.643			17	–	7		.708
Creighton	6	–	7		.462			10	–	12		.455
Providence	4	–	10		.286			7	–	14		.333
St. John's	4	–	12		.250			8	–	15		.348
Xavier	2	–	8		.200			5	–	10		.333
Butler	3	–	15		.167			3	–	17		.150
Georgetown	2	–	14		.125			2	–	15		.118
† Big East tournament winner As of April 3, 2021 Rankings from AP poll

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.

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

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Megan Walker	3	F	6'1"	Junior	Chesterfield, VA	Declared for 2020 WNBA draft
Crystal Dangerfield	5	G	5'5"	Senior	Murfreesboro, TN	Graduated / 2020 WNBA draft
Molly Bent	10	G	5'9"	Senior	Centerville, MA	Graduated
Evelyn Adebayo	14	F	6'1"	RS Senior	London, England	Completed college eligibility[a]
Kyla Irwin	25	F	6'2"	Senior	State College, PA	Graduated
Batouly Camara	32	F	6'2"	RS Senior	New York, NY	Graduated

1. Adebayo was a graduate transfer in the 2019–20 season, having graduated from Murray State.

Recruits

College recruiting information

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
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 98
Aaliyah Edwards W	Kingston, Ontario	Crestwood Secondary School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	N/A
	Star ratings: 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
	Star ratings: 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
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 90
Nika Mühl PG	Zagreb, Croatia	N/A	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	N/A
	Star ratings: 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

College recruiting information (2021)
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
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 98
Caroline Ducharme G	Milton, MA	Noble & Greenough School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	N/A
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 98
Amari DeBerry F	Williamsburg, NY	Williamsville South High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	N/A
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 96
Saylor Poffenbarger G	Middletown, MD	Middletown High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	N/A
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   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: "2021 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.

Recruiting class of 2022

College recruiting information (2022)
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
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   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: "2022 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.

Roster

2020–21 UConn Huskies women's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown G 2 Autumn Chassion (W) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Fr Lafayette Christian Academy Lafayette, LA F 3 Aaliyah Edwards 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Fr Crestwood Preparatory College Kingston, Ontario G 4 Saylor Poffenbarger 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Fr Middletown Middletown, MD G 5 Paige Bueckers 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Fr Hopkins Hopkins, MN G 10 Nika Mühl 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr III. Gimnazija Zagreb Zagreb, Croatia F 11 Mir McLean 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Fr Roland Park Country Baltimore, MD G 13 Christyn Williams 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Jr Central Arkansas Christian Little Rock, AR F 20 Olivia Nelson-Ododa 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Jr Winder-Barrow Winder, GA G 22 Evina Westbrook 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) RS Jr Tennessee Salem, OR G 24 Anna Makurat 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) So Sport Championship School Sierakowice, Poland F 32 Piath Gabriel 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Fr Bradford Christian Academy Manchester, NH G 44 Aubrey Griffin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) So Ossining Ossining, NY	Head coach Geno Auriemma (West Chester) Assistant coach(es) Chris Dailey (Rutgers) Shea Ralph (Connecticut) Jamelle Elliott (Connecticut) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt 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

Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings

Regular Season Polls

Poll	Pre- 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

Player	Games Played	Minutes	Field Goals	Three Pointers	Free Throws	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals	Points
BueckersPaige Bueckers	29	1049	222	64	73	141	168	11	66	581
WilliamsChristyn Williams	29	998	187	49	49	124	64	14	27	472
WestbrookEvina Westbrook	30	920	104	40	35	158	128	20	52	283
Nelson-OdodaOlivia Nelson-Ododa	30	783	152	4	52	234	87	53	19	360
EdwardsAaliyah Edwards	29	631	131	0	49	164	26	29	28	311
MühlNika Mühl	23	562	40	24	8	56	62	4	40	112
GriffinAubrey Griffin	29	486	69	3	40	138	24	23	34	181
MakuratAnna Makurat	16	327	21	13	4	52	38	5	15	59
McLeanMir McLean	24	167	26	1	15	51	11	6	6	68
GabrielPiath Gabriel	22	55	6	0	3	12	2	5	0	15
PoffenbargerSaylor Poffenbarger	12	32	2	1	1	4	0	1	0	6
ChassionAutumn Chassion	8	15	3	2	0	2	3	0	0	8

^[3]

Awards and honors

• Paige Bueckers
  • Naismith Player of the Year^[4]
  • United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year^[5]
  • Associated Press Player of the Year^[6]
  • John R. Wooden Award^[7]
  • Nancy Lieberman Award^[8]
  • Associated Press first-team All-American^[9]
  • United States Basketball Writers Association first-team All-American^[10]
  • Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-American^[11]
  • United States Basketball Writers Association Co-Freshman of the Year^[10]
  • Women's Basketball Coaches Association Co-Freshman of the Year^[12]
  • Big East Player of the Year^[13]
  • First-team All-Big East^[13]
  • Big East Freshman of the Year^[13]
  • Big East All-Freshman Team^[13]
  • Big East tournament Most Outstanding Player^[14]
• 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

• 2020–21 UConn Huskies men's basketball team

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.