SPOKANE — Geno Auriemma likes to say the Elite Eight is the hardest round of the NCAA tournament. This has become something of a yearly refrain for him. The UConn Huskies’ coach has been here more than anyone in the history of college basketball, and he has won here more than anyone, too. But he never finds it comfortable. “If what was coming next wasn’t that important, it wouldn’t be difficult,” Auriemma said. “Everyone reacts differently to it.” The players can get fixated on what lies just ahead and end up tripping on the doorstep.
No. 2 seed UConn looked very comfortable stepping over that same threshold Monday. Facing the depleted No. 1 seed USC Trojans, who are currently without their biggest star, National Player of the Year favorite JuJu Watkins, UConn won handily, 78–64. It was another showcase for Paige Bueckers: The guard scored 31 points just days after setting a Huskies tournament record with 40 in the Sweet 16. And it was a reminder of what has felt increasingly hard to miss over the last few weeks: This is the strongest, most complete UConn roster in years, and it’s now in an ideal position to end its championship drought of nearly a decade.
