In Aubrey and Nika, Geno has two of the best defenders in the country.
I suspect that with the depth he has that he will want to press a lot on defense right off of the bat.
In the games that really matter he will need to shut down one or more stars on the other team to prevent us from getting down early and not simply try to match baskets. He is not going to have Nika come off the bench all year and then start her against Iowa.
Nika and Aubrey are capable scorers but with Azzi, Paige and Aaliyah on the floor, offense will not be a problem. Plus Nika is a great facilitator on offense, things work better when she is out there, and Aubrey made great strides in fitting into the offensive flow last season.
So Nika and Aubrey start.
Caroline if healthy will see a lot a minutes. Ice as well. After that it is a crap shoot but I am confident at least two of them will emerge and I suspect one of them is Ashlynn.
That is why they're in my starting lineup. In Paige, Azzi, and Aaliyah, he has scorers that can basically get what they want when they want it. Scoring points this year will not be an issue for UConn. Geno needs at least one "lockdown" defender on the floor.
Aubrey and Nika are lockdown defenders. Some would have them come off the bench. I want them on the court from the jump. Nika brings an energy her teammates feed off of. There will always be good-to-great players (opponents) you would like to see disappear for the entire game. These two can make it happen. Timing is everything. You can always bring in subs at the appropriate time.
When you can take a team's leading scorer that's averaging 15-20 ppg, completely out of the mix, you also upset their chemistry, and someone else will have to make up that deficit. There may not be another player on that team that can do that. i.e., if you neutralize
Caitlin Clark (Iowa), or in her case slow her down with 15 or less, who takes up the slack? Clark often scores 25-33 % of her team's points. You're just trying to in the game. Not make any statements.
If you can take out a team's two best scorers, the result shouldn't be hard to figure out. I would tell them (Aubrey/Nika) they only have
ONE JOB to do......make their man disappear. I wouldn't care if Nika or Aubrey didn't score a point or got a rebound the entire game. Neutralize your man, and you've done your job. I've got other players that can/will score and rebound. Pull the tiger's teeth, then they become harmless and can't hurt you. It won't always be that dramatic, but there will be teams UConn will play that feature a dynamic player(s) that needs to be "dealt" with.
Anybody can stay topside and play it safe. 
Nothing has changed my take on this.
