UConn women's notebook: Huskies on other side of binge watching

Mar. 17—STORRS — Evina Westbrook couldn't think of a better way to start her school day at South Salem High in Oregon.

Being on the West Coast had its advantages. The first full day of NCAA men's tournament play that started at noon on a Thursday in the east would begin at 9 a.m. for her.

"I've always been a good student," Westbrook said. "I would find a way to watch. But a lot of teachers at my high school would have the games on. We'd get our work done and then we'd watch the games. It was a good system that we had going."

The UConn women's basketball team's fifth-year senior guard begins play in her final NCAA Tournament Saturday when the second-seeded Huskies host No. 15 Mercer in a Bridgeport Regional first-round game at Gampel Pavilion.

For freshmen Caroline Ducharme and Azzi Fudd, it's their first go-around in an event that they watched growing up.

"I didn't miss school but I would watch all of the games," Ducharme said. "I recorded everything. I would re-watch games. We did brackets. I loved March Madness, especially the women's side. I followed that more than the men.

"You could figure out how to watch at school," she added with a laugh. "If you really tried you could find a way."

Fudd's parents, Tim and Katie, were college basketball players. Katie played in the 1996 tournament as a freshman at North Carolina State. The Wolfpack fell in the first round to Michigan State at, coincidentally, Gampel Pavilion.

But when it came to going to school or staying home to watch games, Azzi made her way to St. John's College High in Washington, D.C.

"All through high school we had our I-Pads and my teachers knew," Fudd said. "I don't think anyone paid much attention in school when March Madness was going on. Even in middle school, I never had to tell my mom that I needed to stay home. I would watch on my computer, anyway.

"Growing up I just enjoyed watching good games. I enjoyed most watching the upsets, watching the underdogs win."

If the Huskies can avoid a major upset — the No. 15 seeds are 0-108 in first-round games since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994 — they will entertain either seventh-seeded UCF or No. 10 Florida Monday for a spot in the Sweet 16 at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport.

All-America awards

For the first time since 2007, UConn was shut out as the Associated Press released its three All-America teams on Wednesday.

Guards Christyn Williams and Paige Bueckers were named honorable mention All-Americans, meaning they received at least one vote from the 30-member national media panel. Bueckers, the 2021 AP national Player of the Year, missed 19 of the Huskies' 30 games after suffering a left knee injury on Dec. 5.

South Carolina junior Aliyah Boston, Iowa sophomore Caitlin Clark, and Baylor senior NaLyssa Smith were unanimous selections to the first team. Rhyne Howard became a three-time first-team pick as the Kentucky senior received 15 first-team votes and 118 points (5-3-1 basis). Michigan senior Naz Hillmon and Stanford junior Haley Jones tied for the final spot with 113 points.

Chosen to the second team were Kansas State junior Ayoka Lee, Iowa State senior Ashley Joens, DePaul freshman Aneesah Morrow, LSU senior Khayla Pointer, and North Carolina State senior Elissa Cunane.

The third team was made up of Virginia Tech junior Elizabeth Kitley, Villanova junior Maddy Siegrist — the first Wildcats player selected since the AP took over voting in 1995, Northwestern senior Veronica Burton, Stanford sophomore Cameron Brink, and Maryland sophomore Angel Reese.

Husky bites

UConn edged out Texas and Baylor to move up one spot to No. 5 in the last AP poll of the season and making it 16 consecutive Top-5 finishes. ... Princeton coach Carla Berube, whose Ivy League champions are the No. 11 seed in the Bridgeport Regional, is the second former UConn player to lead her team into the Division I tournament. Jennifer Rizzotti guided Hartford six NCAA appearances and George Washington to one.

For coverage of all sports in the JI's 18-town coverage area, plus updates on the UConn women's basketball team and head coach Geno Auriemma, follow Carl Adamec on Twitter: @CarlAdamec, Facebook: Carl Adamec, and Instagram: @CarlAdamec.