If we need you to make these free throws, no one can shoot them for you. The more they do and better they play, the less I think our freshmen will feel the impact of the tournament, but there’s some things you can’t protect them from. The wrong ref at the wrong time, the wrong foul call at the wrong time - there’s a milllion things,” Auriemma said. “One bad night knocks you out, and one good night you keep playing.
Both were named to the all-conference first team Thursday, and Bueckers earned her second career Big East Player of the Year honor. UConn had an underwhelming offensive performance but still left Rhode Island with a 65-42 victory behind 17 points from star guard Paige Bueckers and 13 points with seven rebounds from Aaliyah Edwards. 9 Huskies (26-5, 18-0 Big East) are the top overall seed and open the conference tournament against ninth-seeded Providence (13-19, 6-12) on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, a quick turnaround after the teams last met exactly a week ago. “It’s super crazy, but I’m just going to focus game by game, and we’ll cross that road when it gets there.”
“I was even joking with my friends like, I’ve watched March Madness my whole life, made brackets and everything, and now I’m like, actually in it,” Shade said. STORRS - Ashlynn Shade has followed the NCAA Tournament every March for as long as she can remember, but the UConn women’s basketball freshman will get her first taste of playing in a college postseason at the Big East Tournament this weekend.