UConn women’s basketball team vs. Ohio State in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16: What you need to know
The UConn women’s basketball team is off to Seattle for its 29th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies advanced with a win over Baylor Monday night at Gampel Pavilion. The 11-time NCAA champion Huskies are seeking a 15th consecutive trip to the Final Four.
Here’s what you need to know about the Huskies’ NCAA journey:
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Climate Change Arena in Seattle, an 18,300-seat downtown venue that’s home to the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
TV: ABC
Looking ahead: If the Huskies win Saturday. the Elite Eight game will be Monday against either No. 1 seed Virginia Tech of No. 4 Tennessee.
History: UConn is 6-0 all-time vs. Ohio State. The teams last played on Nov. 24, 2019 in Columbus, a 73-62 Husky win. The teams first met in December 2010, when UConn won 81-50 in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden.
About Buckeyes: This is Ohio State’s second Sweet 16 appearance in a row and 13th overall. Under former Notre Dame assistant and Washington head coach Kevin McGuff, Ohio State has won 20 or more games in seven of the past 10 seasons. The Buckeyes have reached the Final Four once (1993). The No. 3 seed Buckeyes are 27-7 this season and coming off a 71-69 win over No. 6 North Carolina in the second round. Ohio State has won seven of nine, including a victory over Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament before losing to Iowa. The victory over North Carolina was capped by a jumper from Jacy Sheldon with 1.8 seconds remaining. Guard Taylor Mikesell is Ohio State’s leading scorer at 17.2 points per game.
Buckeye subplot: UConn graduate forward Dorka Juhász transferred from Ohio State two years ago. In three years at Ohio State, the the 6-foot-5 Juhász averaged 13 points and 9.6 rebounds while starting 73 of the 75 games she played. She has emerged an indispensable player and leader for UConn this season, averaging 14.2 points and 9.9 rebounds.
Seattle subplot: It wasn’t long ago when the coffee capital of the country was known as Storrs West. The Seattle Storm built an elite WNBA team around two UConn legends, Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Both are gone, of course, as Bird retired and Stewart signed with the New York Liberty. The Storm’s current roster includes ex-Husky Kia Nurse, and Gabby Williams played with Seattle last year but is currently a free agent. Bird is still a presence in Seattle, so she may well be around this weekend.
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