COLUMBIA, S.C. _ Geno Auriemma warned fans at the beginning of the season that the 2019-2020 UConn team wouldn't quite look like ones of the recent past.
Monday's game against South Carolina was a reminder of that.
The Huskies couldn't recover from an 11-2 first-quarter deficit before falling to No. 1 South Carolina by 18 at Colonial Life Arena. Though the Huskies' defense and a put-the-team-on-her back effort from Crystal Dangerfield helped cut a 21-point deficit to 11 early in the fourth, UConn couldn't get any closer. Instead, the packed crowd of 18,000 witnessed history: Dawn Staley's first win over UConn and Auriemma in eight meetings.
With UConn now without a marquee non-conference win and only AAC play remaining before the NCAA Tournament, where do the Huskies go from here?
"We have a game Sunday against a pretty good South Florida team on the road," Auriemma said. "So we've got a couple of days to get ready for that. And the rest of the season is pretty much the best teams in our league at this point. And when the postseason comes, the postseason will have its own challenges."
If the Huskies close out their AAC schedule undefeated, their three regular-season losses will be the most since the 2012-2013 season, Breanna Stewart's freshman year. UConn's only wins over ranked teams entering the Tournament will be over No. 13 DePaul and No. 25 Tennessee, making it slightly more difficult to determine where they exactly they fall within the top 10 or 15 teams in the country. They could drop out of the Associated Press' top five for the first time since February 2007 and currently are in contention for a two- or three-seed come March.
Not that Auriemma is deeply fixated on all that.
"Who gives a (crap) what (UConn's ranking) is? Where you are, four, five, 12, 17, 25. Who cares?" Auriemma said. "The object is to get through the season and get into the NCAA Tournament, this year. Some years the object is we're going to be a number one seed and we're going to win the whole thing. This year the object is get through the season, get in the NCAA Tournament, see what happens."
As an exasperated Auriemma proclaimed after the game how UConn is "allowed to lose a goddamn game once in a while where the other team plays better," the reality of this season rang particularly stark: Each of UConn's three losses was to the better team, reflected by their 16 or 18-point margins of defeat. This season marks the first time since 2004-05 that UConn has lost multiple games by double figures.
South Carolina, Baylor, and Oregon, ranked Nos. 1-3 in the nation, are decidedly not only better than UConn at this point, but have begun to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. It's no accident that they have a combined 65-4 record, with all those losses to ranked teams. Barring an unforeseen collapse, that group will likely earn No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament, with the fourth up for grabs.
Auriemma's "we'll see what happens" approach is not necessarily as bleak of an outlook as it may have sounded in the moment. Since the Oregon loss, Auriemma believes the team has taken steps toward becoming a better team _ still one of the better groups in the field and one that may even surprise some people down the stretch, even if it isn't currently in the conversation for nation's creme de la creme.
The coach has pointed to an improved energy, team-wide and from individual players, over last week of practice. Even on Monday, the team did not throw in the towel after a rough first quarter and rocky start to the second-half _ fight they hadn't necessarily demonstrated as recently as against Oregon. UConn's offense settled in some, albeit not enough, as the game progressed, and Auriemma was pleased with Olivia Nelson-Ododa's growth since the Baylor and Oregon games. Even Staley commended how the sophomore denied Aliyah Boston in the paint, daring the freshman to attempt threes for the first time in her collegiate career.
"She's a lot better player than she was last Monday," Auriemma said. "That's the point of all this. You keep putting yourself in those situations so you can keep getting better. So when the season ends, you're better off, and you're ready to play in the NCAA Tournament. I would be really disappointed if Liv play as bad or worse than she did last Monday. But I thought she was great tonight for long, long, long stretches."
There's no denying that UConn still needs to make additional significant strides. Dangerfield, who accounted for roughly half of her team's points on Monday, cannot be the only one to score in big games, a recurring problem that once again manifested Monday night. The team, which all season has relied on making 3-pointers to win, cannot go 4 for 17 from beyond the arc to beat a team like South Carolina. Megan Walker shot just below 50%, but went 0 for 4 from deep and only managed 11 attempts overall. Christyn Williams fell short of the call on 2-of-12 shooting. Anna Makurat and Aubrey Griffin, combining for two points and five turnovers, played like true freshmen while their counterparts on South Carolina operated like near veterans.
Auriemma has spoken all season about how every major contributor on this team has taken on a greater role this year. More recently, he's seen that affect their confidence.
"Nobody on this team (besides Dangerfield) has a history of being able to do (make big plays), in a big game or in a game that means everything," Auriemma said. "So, if things don't go right, early on or to start, it's hard to right that ship."
That's not something that can be compensated for until they actually do it, Auriemma believes. Maybe that moment will come in the Tournament. May it won't. Maybe this group, which next season will return every key piece besides Dangerfield, can put things together by the time it matters most. Maybe they'll run out of time.
Those are matters that will only be answered in the moment. Now, they have about a month to learn from their string of defeats and put themselves in the best position to come out all the better for them.
"We got a lot better since last Monday, so I hope and imagine we'll be a lot better next Monday than we are today," Auriemma said. "And that's the goal. Just keep getting better and better until the NCAA Tournament comes. And then you take your chances."
