UConn About to Play Injury Ridden Shell

[RockyMTblue2]

For as much as the Huskies have toyed with the rest of the AAC, winning 103 straight conference games, including 102 by double-digit margins, USF has generally stood out in one regard.

“We’ve always had some great games with them, regardless of the fact we’ve won them all. There’s always an element of competitiveness,” said Auriemma, whose team has beaten the Bulls by an average of 31.3 points since 2013-14. “You always want to be playing teams that are at their best. You play teams that are short-handed, the wins still matter and they still go on your record and all that, but … kids are competitors, they want to compete. They want to play against the other team’s best players and they want to challenge themselves.

“It’s just unfortunate, it really is.”

I suspect the bench will get substantial time and hopefully do something with it.

Oh, and a moment of levity involving Lou and rebounds:

"Samuelson put the onus on herself to be more than just a scorer after two of the team’s best rebounders, Azura Stevens and Gabby Williams, departed this past offseason. She already has five double-doubles after recording just one over her first three seasons.

“It’s kind of a joke, I feel like, since my freshman year that I don’t rebound at all,” Samuelson said Wednesday, following her 23-point, 10-rebound performance in an 82-38 rout of Cincinnati. “I think (coach Geno Auriemma) said one time I got one more than a dead person because I had one rebound. Now, I kind of want to emphasize it and try to do as much as I can — just a little dig at him.”

Geno Auriemma sympathizes with injury-riddled USF

 

[Charliebball]

USF's awful situation should be a lesson for every college coach that doesn't want to carry more the ten kids on his/her team....................numerous other schools have lost multiple players including important starters..........

 

[Plebe]

It's really sad what they're going through. Laksa and Ferreira are by far their best and most experienced players. This really is turning out to be a lost season for them.

The only silver lining, as Geno alluded to, is they have a lot of young players who by necessity will be getting lots of experience. Freshman Sydni Harvey is the top scorer among available players, at 13.4 ppg and 3.3 apg. Sophomore Enna Pehadzic had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to UCF, a game where USF competed well until late in 4Q.