In one of those once-in-a-blue-moon instances, UConn looked rusty. They lost the first quarter 13-12 against North Carolina in their Sweet 16 matchup and shot a measly 23%. Geno Auriemma was furious on the sidelines as the shots were just not going in. Ultimately, UConn recovered and trudged through a low-scoring game for a 63-42 win. It was still their lowest tally of the season. They went 40% from the field, which is the second worst for the season.  However, coach Auriemma pointed out a major change that affected the team. 

“So you got two pretty good teams that are pretty decent three-point shooters shooting eight for 42. You wonder how that happens,” Auriemma started. North Carolina, a team that shot 35.7% from the 3-point line coming into this game, went 4-22 (18%). The Huskies shot 39.1% from downtown  over the season and shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in a second-round win over Syracuse. UNC shot 36 percent in its second-round win over Maryland. For Auriemma, it is the new rims that are causing this change. 

“You ever noticed when you come to the regionals, they use brand new baskets, these rims have never touched the basketball until now. It’s hard. You can’t get a ball to go boom boom in. Once that ball hits the rim, it’s gone out of bounds. It’s the weirdest thing.”

Azzi Fudd and Blanca Quiñonez were an exception. They each shot 2 for 3 from long range, but Fudd struggled trying to make the mid-range shots that seem so effortless for her most of the time. She finished 4 for 12 overall shooting the ball and her 3 attempts from beyond the arc are the second lowest amount for the season. It seems Fudd adjusted to the fact that the new rims are not letting those threes go in, as she agreed to be “bothered by that.”

“I completely agree that when you are in the tournament everything is brand new,” Fudd said. “The court is brand new. It is super sticky. The balls are hard and super bouncy. The rims are super tight. That is all hard to get used to. I thought we shot well (Thursday at practice), but we didn’t have shootaround here today.”

Even in other games, teams that usually shoot well from the three-point line went through a drought. Notre Dame went 1-17 when they came into the game shooting 35.6%. Vanderbilt went 5-18 when they averaged 36.5% from downtown. The exceptions were Minnesota and LSU who shot 50% and 38%, respectively. But UCLA, who usually shoots 37.5%, went 4-16 and Duke went 7-26. Of course, this could be a coincidence but it’s improbable that 4-6 teams shot poorly in the same round. 

“It’s hard. It’s hard to make shots in the postseason,” Auriemma further said. “They just break out these new baskets, new rims, and then it gets in the kids’ heads. You look at how many shots were missed today and you just shake your head.”

There is no clarification from the NCAA as to why they do this during the regional semifinals. It could be to standardize the equipment on all sides as they are playing at neutral venues. But they have different tension and stiffness from what teams are playing with all season. It changes the force and angle needed for a ball to go in. And for players that have played 30+ games on an older rim, it’s very difficult to change it. 

And once shots start popping out, players lose confidence, causing a psychological change as well.  Especially at the biggest moment of the season. But fortunately for Geno Auriemma and UConn, the individual brilliance of Sarah Strong pushed them over in this game. 

Geno Auriemma Has High Praise For Sarah Strong After 21-point game

After UConn was pushed back in the first quarter, Sarah Strong came out all guns blazing in the second. She made four consecutive field goals in a two-minute span and took back the lead. That was a crucial point in the game, as it gave momentum to UConn, who carried it till the end. Strong finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks to give them the win. 

“She just plays the way she plays, and you have to really work hard at it to get her to do that. When she does it, it makes it look so easy. It’s effortless,” Geno Auriemma said. “One time North Carolina went into a zone and we ran this little cut and she caught it right around the foul line, just turned around, knocked it in, and she had this big smile on her face like this is easy,’ and it’s not.”

The individual ability on this UConn side is what makes them stand out. Even on a bad day like this one, someone in their team will step up. For more context, Strong’s 21 points were more than their 4 other starters combined. Blanca Quinonez came from the bench to contribute 16 points. Despite not scoring per usual, Azzi Fudd and others remained vigilant on defense and carried out their other responsibilities smoothly.  So, it will be very hard to break this team.