There hasn’t been much to complain about regarding Geno Auriemma and UConn so far. They have played exactly the way everyone expected. UConn is unbeaten after 8 games. With a 104-35 win over St Xavier last week, they maintained their top position in the AP Poll. On the other hand, Texas made a huge jump to No.2 after beating then-No. 2 South Carolina 66-64 a day after beating then-No. 3 UCLA 76-65. According to Alicia Jay of CBS Sports, UConn shouldn’t have been No.1. 

“There were some people, and specifically 10 of the voters, that thought that they should have been number one.” Jay pointed out on the ‘We Need To Talk’ Podcast. Texas had a historic week as no other team in the past 25 years that a team had beaten two top-3 teams within such a short time. UConn remained the majority among the voters, getting all of the other 22 votes. For Jay, the 10 voters favouring Texas were spot on. 

“I really understood the 10 people that voted in that way. And I think it does go back to the strength of schedule for me.” She said. “I want to say that they’ve played four four-ranked opponents before conference play, right? So, including two in the top five at the time of playing them. And then, in my opinion, if you look at the schedule of UConn, we know who UConn is, and they definitely deserve to be at that top spot, but if you just look right now at the state of things and who they played, they haven’t played that strength of schedule that Texas has. “

The AP Poll has mixed guidelines. On one hand, the voters are told to react strongly based on what happened last week, but also assess the overall performance of the entire season. In practice, it depends on the voters what approach they prefer. Texas has clearly beaten stronger opponents than UConn last week. 

The team has looked balanced and adapted to their opponent. They went to a scoring mode against UCLA while tightening their defense against South Carolina. Based only on their last week, Texas may as well be the best team in the country. That was reflected in Michael Voepel’s power rankings. 

Michael placed Texas at No.1, and UConn and No.2, and his reasoning clearly differentiated this argument. “The Huskies understandably remained No. 1 in this week’s AP Top 25 and ESPN’s Bracketology but fall to No. 2 in these Power Rankings, which give more weight to week-to-week results, hence Texas’ jump,” He wrote. 

Taking the entire season’s schedule, UConn is No.18 in Strength of Schedule while Texas is No.37 per the Warren Nolan website. Geno Auriemma’s side has beaten 2 Quadrant 4 opponents and 4 Quadrant 3 teams, with 1 team each in Quadrant 1 and 2. Texas is more extreme. They have 4 wins over Q4 teams,1 win over a Q2 opponent, and 3 wins over Q1 teams.

On average, UConn has faced tougher opposition. Even according to basketball reference’s Simple Rating System, a rating that takes into account average point differential and strength of schedule, UConn is at the top with a rating of 53.05. Texas is 4th with 47.17. Although that includes UConn’s game this week against South Florida.

While Geno Auriemma preferred a more balanced slate for their non-conference schedule, Texas gets a leg up because of their headline-worthy match-ups. While their NET could remain worthy of a No.1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, they lack the marquee wins that separate a No.1 from No.2. If Texas continues on this path and matches UConn by the end of the season, this decision could come back and haunt Geno Auriemma. For now, UConn remains the best team in the country, and coach Geno Auriemma is definitely pleased with how their offense and defense are moving. 

Geno Auriemma Gushes on Their Fluidity After South Florida Win

There could be a kind of UConn fatigue among the voters and to extent analysts and fans. Last season, they absolutely swept through the season, winning the national championship, their first in 8 years. Now that the drought is over, UConn is looking like its old self again, ready to win three and four-peats. Sarah Strong is arguably the best player in the country, with Azzi Fudd being close behind. They have a stable offense, scoring 89.6 points per game, which is the 8th-best offense in the nation, while conceding only 54 points per game. 

“I’m really pleased most of all with the way we’re moving the ball. You know, it doesn’t get stuck very often,” Geno Auriemma said. “We’re able to put shooters at both corners or both sides of the floor so that the defense has to guard the entire court. You got really good players, and so that makes it look really easy.”

UConn flexed its depth against South Florida. Strong continued her form with a 14 point-10-rebound double-double, while Fudd had an off night with 10 points. Their bench came to the rescue, scoring 41 points with Blanca Quiñonez leading them. Their good offense can partly be credited to their rotation. 

With balanced minutes for everyone, no one is too tired on the court. The inside of the paint is dominated by Strong, which gives shooters like Fudd and Quinonez even more space.  This team combination has set them up for a possible repeat of 2024. However, teams like Texas and South Carolina are hot on the heels. UConn will need to maintain this level throughout the season.