Two different paths were taken by UConn and Duke to meet up in Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen matchup in Portland. Of course, the sting of UConn’s loss last year to Ohio State in this same slot and place has been somewhat vindicated by Duke. However, it was only to be replaced with a team that just triumphed in two come-from-behind victories, the second being over that same Ohio State. To more fully understand what lies ahead for both UConn and Duke, let’s look back at what got them to the Sweet Sixteen.
Duke and Its Path to the Sweet Sixteen
Duke’s first game pitted them against the Richmond Spiders, who won the A-10 regular season title and the conference championship. After an evenly matched first quarter, Richmond held Duke to just five points in the second, taking a nine-point lead into the half. Duke, behind Reigan Richardson, charged back in the third and took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter. Richmond battled but got no closer than five points as Duke outscored them 21-14 for the 72-61 win.
As well as Richmond played, shooting 58% in the first half, Duke held them to 38% in the second half. Remembering that Duke had beaten Richmond in the pre-season 83-53, the Spiders were hoping for a better result this time. By the end of the first half, it seemed as though they were on their way. But what went wrong for Duke in the first half went right in the second.
silence the crowd pic.twitter.com/HpwOANVFke
— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) March 26, 2024
The Blue Devils went 6-11 from deep after just 1-9 in the first half. The biggest adjustment for Duke was their defense, which held Richmond to only two 3s in the second half.
Next up for Duke was Ohio State, whose blistering pressing defense was ready to do its damage. So it did until Duke found a way to beat it, going on a 12-2 run and bringing the halftime score to 36-32 after Ohio State had built a sixteen-point lead. The second half for Duke was far more focused, taking it one play at a time. According to Coach Kevin McGuff, the Buckeyes just kind of fell apart. Duke’s defense and Ohio State’s lack of rhythm and rebounding culminated in the 75-63 win for Duke.
UConn and Their Path to the Sweet Sixteen
UConn’s journey was mostly one-sided in their first game against Jackson State. The first half was dominated by UConn, who outscored Jackson State 49-28. The second half was more evenly matched, but the damage had already been done, and Jackson State couldn’t find enough to make a dent. The Huskies took the game 86-64 and also handed Coach Geno Auriemma a rather nice 70th birthday present.
Against a hard-playing Syracuse team, UConn started off in a somewhat similar manner as it had against Jackson State, and led 39-28 at the half, holding sharpshooter Dyaisha Fair to only two points. Then Syracuse regained their composure and Fair started scoring, trimming the UConn lead to nine and the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw the teams go back and forth, with Syracuse inching closer only to be stymied by a UConn bucket.
Thank you for the send-off, UConn Nation 🫶 pic.twitter.com/y5fAWGSLi9
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 27, 2024
But then Nika Mühl, the primary defender on Fair, fouled out, and Syracuse managed to get within two. Paige Bueckers hits a jumper, Fair hits one of two free throws, and the UConn lead is three. Then with 0:29 left, KK Arnold nailed a trey, and Aaliyah Edwards added a pair of free throws, and the game ended with UConn winning 72-64.
Keys to victory in this Duke – UConn Sweet Sixteen game
Of course, the primary goal of Duke will be to limit the effectiveness of Bueckers and Edwards. However, they are also going to have to contend with freshmen Shade and Arnold. Both players have proven to be invaluable to the Huskies all season. Duke will need Richardson to be on her game and find a way to overcome what can be a very stifling UConn defense. It is a different style than that of Ohio State, but difficult nonetheless.
Duke will also need repeat performances from Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair. They are the only other Duke players to reach double figures. UConn has to be even more vigilant in not fouling with only three available bench players. Ice Brady will need to perform as she did in the Big East Tournament. Also, Qadence Samuels will need a major shot of confidence when she subs into the game. Let us not forget Ines Bettencourt who, even with limited minutes this season, has the ability to make an impact.
UConn and Duke in Portland !!! Blue Devils and the Huskies will have me seated in front row !!
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) March 26, 2024
UConn will have to contain Richardson and keep Duke out of rhythm. If Duke falls behind as they did in their previous two games, will they be able to limit the UConn defense in the same manner that they did with Ohio State and Richmond? If UConn were to fall behind, is there enough firepower to reclaim a lead? What we’ve seen from these games is focus and staying locked in for forty minutes. These are two passionate and motivated teams, and it may come down to who blinks first.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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