ANNAPOLIS — Confusion, bewilderment and uncertainty swirled in the days leading up to the Nov. 4 matchup between defending women’s basketball national champion Connecticut and former Big East rival Louisville.
The two teams were set to play at Ramstein Air Base in Germany in the Armed Forces Classic. They would’ve made history as the first two women’s teams to play at the base. Instead, the government shutdown forced a new location. As such, the two teams made their way to a much closer venue — the Naval Academy’s Alumni Hall.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma’s father-in-law, Paul Osler, graduated from the Naval Academy and played for the Midshipmen’s men’s team. Auriemma understood what to expect from Alumni Hall, having had experience at the venue with the U.S. women’s national team. It didn’t disappoint one bit.
“I knew that once the players got around they got around the Midshipmen and got a chance to interact with them and listen to their stories, I knew it would be pretty special for them,” Auriemma said. “To see kids their age and the standard that they have, the professionalism that they carry themselves with, I think all of those things are worthwhile. To have a basketball game is just an added benefit.”
All in all, the Huskies put on a show in a 79-66 win. It didn’t matter if Louisville was in a 2-3 zone or played man-to-man. UConn picked apart the Cardinals’ defense with swift ball movement and followed it up with hellish defensive pressure. Louisville was met with various offensive sets out of a 1-3-1 look from the Huskies with two wings, a player at the foul line, a player down low and a guard up top.
“Coming out of the first half, we knew that it was going to be a different defensive style that we were going to play against,” Auriemma said. “They weren’t just going to keep doing what they were doing. The only thing that we talked about was getting the ball into the middle of the zone, which we did — and finding our shooters, which we did.”
Yet, Louisville inched closer to making a run at UConn in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 73-63 with less than 1:30 remaining. An and-one finish by Sarah Strong with 1:29 left in the game, followed by a steal and coast-to-coast layup by the sophomore, completely put the game out of reach.
Players, Coaches Return To Area
It was a homecoming of sorts for UConn’s Azzi Fudd. The former St. John’s College High School star often put on a show for crowds in Washington, D.C. She was named the Gatorade National Girls Player of the Year in 2019 and a McDonald’s All-American in 2021.
The Arlington, Va., native was able to bask in her return to the area, her first time back with UConn since dropping 21 points against Georgetown on Jan. 11. She finished with 20 points on 9 of 20 shooting and a plus-20 rating. She did it in front of her grandmother.
“It’s incredible,” Fudd said. “I had a lot of people come out and support me today. I know that I’m super lucky to have that support and love. So, being able to play here — my grandma was here for the second time — it’s super special. Again, being at the Naval Academy — it’s incredible.”
UConn freshman guard Kelis Fisher is from Baltimore, while Louisville associate coach Shay Robinson served as an assistant at Maryland from 2014-2019. Maryland was dominant during Robinson’s tenure, going 179-27 overall and 92-12 in the Big Ten. The Terps produced four conference tournament titles during that span.
Louisville head coach Jeff Walz also coached at Maryland from 2002-2007, winning a national championship as an assistant in 2006 before departing to Louisville. He fondly remembers the times when players felt that the College Park area was boring. He suggested they take a trip to D.C. His Louisville team spent time in D.C. ahead of Tuesday night’s matchup, visiting the Holocaust Museum and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
The trip was a success despite the loss.
“It was great,” Walz said. “We had a lot of players who had never been to D.C. So, having this opportunity, we wanted to make sure we maxed it out. [It was] a wonderful event on Sunday night with both teams — a nice little get together. [It was] just the entire experience. We were able to have lunch with the Midshipmen in King Hall, just to get to experience what they go through.”
Fans got a kick out of the matchup as well. The Croteau family, from Guilford, Conn., recently moved to Maryland. Ten-year-old Greta Croteau is a huge Huskies fan and emulates her favorite players on the court.
Greta made a sign for Fudd, her favorite player, that featured shiny letters. When asked why Fudd was her most beloved UConn player, the budding basketball player had a great deal to say.
“It’s because she’s really nice and she’s really good at basketball and I also want to be on a basketball team” Croteau said. “She kind of inspires me.”
Photo Credit: Debbie Latta/Navy Athletics