Film Room: UConn's freshmen show out in European opener

UConn’s European tour started in dominant fashion with a 113-37 win over Croatian All-Stars in Zagreb. Azzi Fudd led the way with 38 points (more than the opponent’s entire total), Aaliyah Edwards had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Qadence Samuels (14 points) and KK Arnold (10 points) each reached double-figures as well.

Prior to the trip, Geno Auriemma’s biggest concern had nothing to do with his own team. He wanted the Huskies to face an appropriate level of competition.

“You just hope that that the competition is what you need it to be to help your team,” he said. “If the competition's too good, your team can get demoralized a little bit if you're not careful, if you have a young team. If the competition is no good, then it's pointless. So you hope that it falls somewhere in between.”

The coach couldn’t have been thrilled with the opposition on Wednesday then. If that group was the “Croatian All-Stars,” Nika Mühl must be their greatest of all time. They took terrible shots and weren’t particularly athletic or skilled. UConn dominated exactly the way it should’ve.

The good news? Every Husky who took the floor looked good. It’s better for everyone to dominate against an inferior opponent than be invisible or even struggle.

Since there was such a gap between the two teams, the numbers and individual performances don’t mean much. Instead, this is a deeper look at how the new players fit in, how returners have developed since March, and how the coaching staff deploys everyone.

One big thing: Freshmen show out

The freshmen made a strong impression in their first (unofficial) game with UConn. All three put their respective skill sets on display and showed glimpses of how they could make an impact when the regular season begins.

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