NASSAU, BAHAMAS — When the UConn women’s basketball team landed in the Cayman Islands for its midseason tournament last November, the Huskies were already feeling the devastating impacts of their bad injury luck.
UConn played its first game in the Cayman Islands Classic just two days after the program announced Azzi Fudd would miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL and medial meniscus in her right knee, and Caroline Ducharme re-aggravated ongoing head and neck injuries on the flight to the tournament. Then-freshman KK Arnold joined the starting lineup for the first time against UCLA, and the Huskies suffered a 78-67 loss in the opening game of the Classic despite 31 points from superstar Paige Bueckers.
Almost exactly a year later, UConn will tip off the Baha Mar Women’s Championship in the Bahamas with a far more hopeful outlook. The No. 2 Huskies (4-0) face Oregon State (1-4) for their first game Monday with at least 11 players available, including Fudd who made her long-awaited return to the court last week against Fairleigh Dickinson. After No. 1 South Carolina lost to UCLA on Sunday, UConn could enter the game with the top ranking.
“Other than Paige, there’s been so many young players,” Auriemma said. “I think for the first four games that we played, Paige and (graduate transfer Kaitlyn Chen) were the only non -sophomores and freshmen that’ve been playing. (It helps) to bring somebody like Azzi back who can get maybe some some stability to that other group when she’s in … In order for us to get Paige some rest right now, we have to have Kaitlyn in the game … so having Azzi also gives me the opportunity to kind of disperse the minutes a little better.”
Redshirt junior Ayanna Patterson, who did not play last season after undergoing surgery for patellar tendonitis, is also poised to return in the near future from a shoulder injury suffered during preseason practice. Patterson was participating in full contact during the Huskies’ practice in the Bahamas on Sunday, though Auriemma said he isn’t sure whether she’ll make her season debut during the tournament.
“Yesterday and today was her first real contact in legit, regular practices, so we’ll see how it goes, but it’s getting to be about that time,” Auriemma said with a smile. “I’ll be anxious to see what she can do, because she’s certainly different from anything we have right now.”
Oregon State had a remarkable 2023-24 season, making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021 and reaching the Elite Eight for just the third time in program history. But amid uncertainty about the athletic department’s future after the dissolution of the Pac-12, the Beavers’ roster was decimated by the transfer portal during the offseason. Raegan Beers, the 2023 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, is now at No. 9 Oklahoma, while top guard Talia von Oelhoffen and Timea Gardiner transferred to No. 3 USC and No. 5 UCLA, respectively. Only five members of last years Elite Eight squad returned to Oregon State in 2024-25, and senior AJ Marrotte is the only veteran with starting experience.
As a result, the Beavers (1-4) have had a rocky start to the season with their only win coming against Northwest Nazarene. Their first ranked matchup was an 85-66 loss to No. 22 Illinois last Friday.
“I had a chance to talk with (Oregon State coach Scott Rueck) when the whole thing fell apart, and I just can’t even imagine being a coach and having that happen to you,” Auriemma said. “He’s a terrific coach. He’s really, really good with the players. They love playing for him and … they played their style. They don’t try to be something they’re not. They’re not chasing the latest and the greatest fads … I feel bad that he can’t coach the players he recruited, and it would have been easy for him to back out (of this tournament), so credit to him that he’s like no, we’re going and we’re going to play.”
Oregon State will still pose a challenge for the undersized Huskies with three players 6-foot-5 or taller on the roster. Sela Heide, a returning 6-7 center, is averaging a team-high 7.6 rebounds plus 10.7 points per game, and 6-5 forward Kelsey Rees leads the Beavers in blocks on top of her 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
UConn has precious little experience in its front court: Redshirt sophomore Ice Brady has played the most college basketball with a single season behind her, and she is a first-time starter in 2024-25. Redshirt freshman Jana El Alfy is the Huskies’ tallest player at 6-foot-5, but she is still finding her footing after missing all of last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
“With some of the bigger teams in the country, we’re going to face somewhat of a disadvantage, so we have to hope that we can turn that around at the other end of the floor and make it a little bit more difficult for those big guys to guard our guys,” Auriemma said. “I really am anxious to see how they handle that, because it will be a great test for them. Mentally they’re going to be challenged, not just physically. They’re going to have to be smart about it.”
How to watch UConn women’s basketball vs. Oregon State
Site: Baha Mar Convention Center, Nassau, Bahamas
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Team records: UConn 4-0, Oregon State: 1-4
Series: UConn leads, 2-0
Last meeting: 80-51 UConn, Apr. 3, 2016 in Indianapolis
Streaming: FloHoops (no TV coverage)
Radio: UConn Sports Network on Fox Sports 97.9
