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Weekly Rewind
The latest UConn athletics news
- UConn women’s basketball comes back to beat Baylor in Elite Eight but puts on underwhelming performance in Final Four loss to Arizona as history painfully repeats itself:
4 straight years of heartbreak in the Final Four for UConn pic.twitter.com/6xCjj6Pnv3
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) April 3, 2021
- James Bouknight declares for NBA Draft then breaks down his game during film session with ESPN NBA Draft Analyst Mike Schmitz
- Paige Bueckers wins AP National Player of the Year, Naismith Trophy, and Nancy Lieberman Award after being named WBCA Co-Freshman of the Year
- Positive COVID-19 test results bring UConn football spring practice to abrupt end but not all program news is negative as Huskies in the mix for ‘22 RB Malachi Medlock
- Evina Westbrook returning to UConn women’s basketball in 2021-22
- UConn baseball crushes Boston College then sweeps three-game set with UMass behind some filthy stuff from their pitching staff:
Strikeouts for your Easter Sunday! pic.twitter.com/HQi2jrGTvH
— UConn Baseball (@UConnBSB) April 4, 2021
- Azzi Fudd named 2021 Morgan Wootten Girls HS Basketball Player of the Year while her future UConn teammate Caroline Ducharme just keeps getting better
- Yan Kuznetsov leaves UConn men’s hockey to go pro with Calgary Flames
- Paige Bueckers continues to seize the moment and joins the majority of UConn women’s basketball players appearing in their first Final Four
- UConn men’s basketball loses Brendan Adams to George Washington and Josh Carlton to Houston via grad transfer
- March Madness ratings showcase untapped potential of women’s sports:
Soooo the women’s tournament doubled the men’s social media engagement last night with 39 MILLION impressions. I hope that when potential sports sponsorships are discussed that people do their homework. Right now Less than 1% of all those dollars go to women’s sports. @Zoomph pic.twitter.com/O07N6uHzKy
— LaChina Robinson (@LaChinaRobinson) March 30, 2021
U Gotta See This
Video highlights
- Paige becomes the first freshman to win a prestigious women’s college basketball’s award with Geno there to make the trophy presentation extra special:
Paige Bueckers named AP WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR
— Overtime (@overtime) March 31, 2021
19.8 PPG | 6.2 APG | 4.6 RPG | 48% 3PT
First freshman to EVER win the award @paigebueckers1 (via @AP_Top25) pic.twitter.com/Ubs5LlYAzU
- James Bouknight will cherish his time at UConn and gave fans plenty of highlight reels during his last season as a Husky:
UConn, Great Pic
Photos of UConn’s finest
Controversial no-call in UConn women’s basketball win over Baylor elicits strong reactions on social media, including LeBron who vehemently backed the Bears:
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Coach’s Corner
Find out what UConn coaches are up to on and off the court
- Geno begins preparations for upcoming season with team’s lack of maturity a glaring problem to address after loss to Arizona:
"We have a very immature group...when we're high and on top of the world, we think everything's great. When things don't go our way, there's a poutiness about us"
— UConn Videos (@SNYUConn) April 3, 2021
Geno Auriemma talks about if UConn underestimated Arizona tonight pic.twitter.com/VnXbLTqbzl
- Coach Hurley’s incoming additions land UConn men’s basketball on list of top 2021 recruiting classes with crowded transfer portal likely to help fill any remaining roster holes for upcoming campaign
- Critical timeout called by Geno against Baylor helps UConn women’s basketball regain their composure just as season started to slip away
- Coach Penders celebrates a milestone in HookC coaching career:
Huskies sweep series in coach Penders 1000th game as head coach! pic.twitter.com/sJJieN0W72
— UConn Baseball (@UConnBSB) April 3, 2021
Big League Buzz
Catch up on former UConn players working across the sports world
- Andre Drummond injures toe in Lakers debut
- Diana Taurasi gets the GOAT treatment:
Ok... RT if we need more @S10Bird and @DianaTaurasi content
— TOGETHXR (@togethxr) March 31, 2021
(via @PhoenixMercury) pic.twitter.com/RLcLAa6T98
- George Springer begins first season with Blue Jays on Injured List
- Renee Montgomery shares her inspirational story to keep momentum going in fight for social justice:
.@ReneeMontgomery on stepping away from what would have been her 12th WNBA season to turn to empowering her community: "What's next is not letting what happened in 2020 just be that that little moment - it needs to be a movement. Now let's continue what we started" #SoulOfANation pic.twitter.com/fBEDET1kDy
— ABC News (@ABC) March 31, 2021
- UConn baseball and men’s basketball legend Tom Penders named to National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as coach after 39 years with 7 programs
- Sue Bird steals the moment from NBA superstar Steph Curry:
Memory Lane
Revisit special moments in UConn sports history
While they ultimately fell short of cutting down the nets for the 12th time in program history, this year’s UConn women’s basketball team still made their 27th straight Sweet Sixteen and 13th straight Final Four to continue the legendary success that Geno’s Huskies have experienced in the Big Dance. With the entire roster returning and a loaded freshman class coming in, the Huskies are primed to keep their streaks alive and make plenty more March Madness memories like these along the way:
- UConn women’s basketball legends in awe of Paige Bueckers as freshman phenom keeps raising the bar:
@paigebueckers1 is putting up better numbers than both Breanna Stewart and Maya Moore did in their first 4 tournament games for @UConnWBB pic.twitter.com/qNjqy7otMO
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 30, 2021
- Nobody’s had a better time at the tourney than Geno’s Huskies:
Ahead of the #ncaaW Final Four, former @UConnWBB players reflect on their NCAA Tournament memories #TBT pic.twitter.com/DmH4Ks6MkV
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 1, 2021
- Playing styles and hairstyles have come a long way since UConn women’s basketball first appeared in the Final Four back in 1991:
how it started: how it’s going: pic.twitter.com/E7VOsvnLDm
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 2, 2021
Weekly Fancast
Enjoy classic recommendations from the UConn sports vault
After beating Duke 79-78 in the Final Four two days earlier, UConn took on Georgia Tech in the 2004 National Championship. Coach Calhoun’s Huskies entered the game on an eight-game winning streak and were looking to avenge a 77-61 loss to the Yellow Jackets earlier in the season.
UConn came out strong in the first half and quickly began asserting their dominance, leading to a 41-26 advantage for the Huskies at the break. Things got a bit out of hand in the second period with UConn extending their lead to 25 as Georgia Tech had no answer for the clutch shooting and defensive prowess of the Huskies. Despite closing the gap near the end of the game, the Yellow Jackets lacked the firepower to put a win within reach. When the final whistle blew, UConn had won their second national championship in program history and did so in a much more convincing fashion than the 82-73 score indicates.
The Huskies were led by the talented tandem of Emeka Okafor (24 points, 15 rebounds) and Ben Gordon (21 points), with lights-out shooting from Rashad Anderson (18 points) also playing a huge role as their starters combined for 81 of their 82 points. UConn was able to hold Yellow Jackets leading-scorer Jarrett Jack to a measly 7 points and made more free throws (25) than Georgia Tech attempted throughout the game (21). Overall, it was an impressive performance from an all-around great team and further cemented UConn’s place among the elite programs in men’s college basketball.
Check out highlights from this incredible moment in UConn Huskies history here:
Final Play
A parting sentiment from The Fast Break team
While it’s safe to say Steven A. has his fair share of divisive opinions, this take on Paige Bueckers should have UConn fans in agreement and excited for next season:
Ladies and gentlemen, Paige Bueckers is THE STORY of the NCAA tournament! pic.twitter.com/u8A4SO55LW
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 2, 2021
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