I’ll say it now: UConn will win the national title. I want that in writing because every season, I have my pick, and every season I panic-choose another team when I fill out my bracket. But not this year. This year, I’ve been on UConn since Day 1, and that isn’t going to change.
Unless…
Unless Texas or UCLA wins. I know, I know. I said I wasn’t going to do this, but I just can’t help it. Because Texas could win! And so could UCLA! I could also be talked into a few other teams, but we will get to that later. Here are my three top title contenders:
UConn: Let’s start with the defending champions. There’s a reason the Huskies are the favorites to win once more – well, multiple reasons – but the biggest reason is Sarah Strong. She is far and away the best player in the country, which automatically gives UConn an edge in any contest. Strong is averaging 18.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Oh, and Strong is less than one percentage point away from being a 50/40/90 player, shooting 59.6% from the field, 39.3% from 3-point range and 91.1% from the free throw line. I don’t need to go into too much detail on Strong – I think we all understand how incredible she is at this point – but frankly, I’m so impressed with her that I kind of can’t stop talking about it? But for the sake of this newsletter, I will move on to other players.
Strong’s partner in crime is Azzi Fudd, a superstar in her own right who is, at worst, a top five player in the country. There are certainly arguments to be made that put her at No. 2 alongside Strong. Fudd has always been an excellent shooter, but this season, she’s upgraded to being a scorer. Now, Fudd can make 3s, but she can also get to her dribble and create her own shot. She’s also an elite defender. In fact, I had Fudd on my Naismith Midseason Defensive Player of the Year Award list – though she didn’t make the official list.
Strong and Fudd are talented enough to propel the Huskies to a title on their own in the right circumstances, but having a solid supporting cast makes that goal much easier. That’s something that Geno Auriemma clearly understands. Prior to his team’s win over Xavier yesterday, Auriemma said Fudd and Strong are still offensive priorities, but he is looking for ways to get players like Ashlynn Shade, Blanca Quiñonez and Allie Ziebell more involved.
Texas: The Longhorns haven’t looked like themselves as of late — coach Vic Schaefer said as much after his team’s back-to-back losses to LSU and South Carolina – but the blueprint is there. It’s near-impossible to get through the SEC unscathed, so now it’s time for the Longhorns to respond. If the Texas team that defeated UCLA and South Carolina earlier in the season shows up in March, then the Longhorns could take home the ultimate prize.
Texas has a complete roster: A bucket-getting star in Madison Booker, an excellent point guard in Rori Harmon, a secondary scorer and 3-point threat in Jordan Lee, multiple bigs, key role players off the bench, and a star freshman in Aaliyah Crump.
Depth and skill at every position makes Texas difficult to beat. But there are two things that could propel the Longhorns to the title: Their ability to create turnovers on defense and the ability to limit turnovers on offense. Texas has the lowest turnover percentage in the country at just 12.5% per game. Meanwhile, the Longhorns force their opponents to turn the ball over on 29.2% of their possessions, for 24.1 turnovers per game.
UCLA: On paper, UCLA has the best roster in the country. Lauren Betts, a 6-7 senior center who would likely take home Player of the Year honors if not for Strong, anchors the offense and defense. She’s one of the few players in the country who can score at will in the paint. Betts is surrounded by two elite point guards in Kiki Rice and Charlisse Leger-Walker, two excellent scoring guards in Gianna Kneepkens and Gabriela Jaquez and an excellent bench unit in Sienna Betts and Angela Dugalic.
Any one of those players is capable of erupting for 20 points in a game, but it's their overall balance that makes the Bruins special. Four players are averaging double-figures: Lauren Betts (16.1 points per game), Rice (15.2), Jaquez (15) and Kneepkens (13.9). Meanwhile, Leger-Walker (9.2), Dugalic (9.3) and Sienna Betts (7.1) all contribute at a high level as well.
Now all UCLA has to do is put the pieces together on the big stage. The Bruins made it to their first Final Four in the NCAA era last season, and it showed. UCLA looked like a team that was just happy to be there, losing 85-51 to UCONN. Now that they have that experience, plus an even stronger roster, the Bruins will approach the tournament differently. The Final Four is no longer the goal. A national title is.
Other teams I could get on board with:
South Carolina is one or two big wins away from getting on this list. Dawn Staley is obviously an incredible coach and the Gamecocks have high-level talent at every position. If they find some consistency, then I could see them winning it all.
A talented big can carry a team in women’s college basketball, which is why I could be talked into Oklahoma as a potential title-winning team. When the Sooners play through 6-4 Raegan Beers, they are hard to beat. Plus, freshman Aaliyah Chavez is a player who can get hot and dominate come March.
MiLaysia Fulwiley, Flau’jae Johnson and Mikayla Williams are three of the best scoring guards in the country. They can carry LSU deep into the tournament. But, if the Tigers want to be title contenders, they need more from their bigs.