NC State Preview: How will UConn's rotation evolve this year?

How to watch

Date: Sunday, Nov. 12

Time: 3 p.m. ET

Location: Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, NC

TV: ABC

Stream: ESPN.com/watch

Radio: UConn Sports Network (97.9 ESPN and affiliates)

NC State Wolfpack

Record: 1-0 (0-0 ACC)

Location: Raleigh, NC

Head coach: Wes Moore (11th season)

Main story

While UConn’s win over Dayton featured plenty of excitement with it being the season opener and return of Paige Bueckers, the final score was never in doubt. The Huskies were always going to win by a big margin and did, putting up 100 points in a 44-point victory.

Since the final result wasn’t a concern, Geno Auriemma essentially treated it like a second exhibition in terms of player usage and lineup construction. He just threw combinations onto the court together to see how they looked.

“I just want to experiment with as many different looks as I can and I thought today we got an opportunity to do that,” he said on Wednesday night.

Yet even with the blowout win, UConn still revealed a hierarchy in the rotation. Ten players got at least 10 minutes while Inês Bettencourt and Amari DeBerry didn’t come in until late in the fourth quarter. It’s clear who the Huskies trust and who they don’t.

Going forward, that should only be whittled down further. UConn’s next six games — and eight of its next nine — come against power conference opponents, starting with NC State on Sunday.

That doesn’t mean the Huskies are suddenly going to shorten the bench. It’s just about finding the right combinations and making sure the best players get the most valuable minutes.

“What I like is that the game changes depending on the combinations that you have out there, and what kind of defense you can play changes,” Auriemma said. “In reality, every time you make a substitution, the game will change a little bit.”

Four players are almost guaranteed to play big minutes: Paige Bueckers, Nika Mühl, Azzi Fudd, and Aaliyah Edwards. That group, plus Caroline Ducharme, makes up the starting lineup. A few others could see the court in crunch time depending on the state of a game.

If defense is a priority, Aubrey Griffin or KK Arnold might get called upon. If UConn needs shots to fall, it could be any of Ducharme, Arnold, or Qadence Samuels. If the Huskies need size, that could mean Ice Brady plays alongside Edwards.

UConn has no shortage of options. Now, it just needs to figure out which ones work best.

“It's going to depend on maybe what the game dictates or how I feel about where they are at that particular time,” Auriemma said after the exhibition.

Scouting the Wolfpack

Statistical leaders

Points: 26.0 — Aziaha James
Rebounds: 8.0 — Madison Hayes
Assists: 4.0 — Madison Hayes
Steals: 2.0 — Madison Hayes
3-point %: 62.5 — Aziaha James

Series history

UConn is 8-2 all-time against NC State, though this is just the sixth regular-season meeting between the schools. Last season, the Huskies dispatched the Wolfpack 91-69 at the XL Center behind 32 points from Azzi Fudd and a program-record 15 assists from Nika Mühl.

The teams have faced off five times in the NCAA Tournament. The most recent matchup was a double-overtime thriller in Bridgeport in the 2022 Elite Eight which UConn eventually won 91-87. Dorka Juhász broke her wrist early on, Paige Bueckers took over in the second half with 23 points after the break, the Wolfpack hit a game-tying three at the end of the first overtime then the Huskies pulled away in the second overtime.

UConn also beat NC State in the 1991, 2001, and 2007 Sweet Sixteen. The Wolfpack ended the Huskies’ 1998 campaign in the Elite Eight.

By the numbers

5,500 — Capacity of the Reynolds Center at NC State, which is sold out for Sunday’s contest.

8 — Bueckers’ eight-point performance in the opener is just the eighth time in 47 career games that she hasn’t reached double-figures. Six of those occasions have come after her initial knee injury.

16 — Sunday will be just the 16th game where UConn’s five starters — Bueckers, Mühl, Fudd, Ducharme, and Edwards — have played together. The win over Dayton was the first time that group had been on the court at the same time since the 2021-22 campaign.

4 — NC State is one of four ACC opponents on the Huskies’ schedule, alongside North Carolina, Louisville, and Notre Dame. That’s the most among any non-Big East conference.

6 — Geno Auriemma is six wins behind Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer for the most by a women’s basketball coach. With the Cardinal set to face No. 9 Indiana on Sunday, the Huskies’ head man has a chance to pull one win closer.

17 — Ducharme needs 17 more points to reach 500 in her career.