Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies are slowly establishing themselves as a genuine contender for this season’s championship. Obviously, this isn’t a surprise given how talented their roster actually is. But believe it or not, there are whispers of frustration bubbling up in the locker room and it’s not because of performance or lack of effort, it’s something much more unexpected!

The UConn Huskies are riding high after their monumental victory over defending champions South Carolina, followed by a crushing 42-point win over Seton Hall. With just four games left, things are looking up, right? Well, not quite. The issue at hand has nothing to do with their on-court performance, it has more to do with the fact that the Big East conference will be expanding its season from 18 to 20 games which obviously makes it even more difficult for Geno Auriemma to schedule games against the better teams!

Mark Zanetto of the ‘Locked on UConn’ podcast talked about this issue in detail expressing how infuriating it is for the Huskies to play more games in a conference that is already weak to begin with, he says, ” I do understand coming off a huge win (against South Carolina) and then you know you are gonna win this game, I mean think about it, they didn’t even give their best effort and won by almost like 50 points. “ He continues, ” It’s what’s so infuriating about kind of what they have to deal with, they should be in a better conference.” 

What Zanetto says makes a ton of sense, when you’re a legitimate contender, you need to test yourselves against the best. Right now, UConn isn’t getting that consistent challenge, which, of course, throws them off their rhythm. You can’t be going from facing a top-15 team one day to playing a squad that’s nowhere near your level the next. That kind of scheduling messes with your consistency and can lead to players being inconsistent when the stakes are at their highest. Moving from the Big East to a more competitive conference like the SEC or Big Ten could definitely be the fix!

This, however, isn’t the time to think about it, not with March Madness just around the corner! Auriemma knows that no matter what the schedule looks like, it’s all about prepping his players for the big stage. So, with the postseason looming, let’s take a look at who the Huskies are up against next!

What’s next for Geno Auriemma and his Huskies?

With only three games remaining, the Huskies are heading to Indianapolis to take on the Butler Bulldogs on February 22nd. The Bulldogs have stumbled recently, losing three of their last five games and sitting at a 5-11 conference record. As a result, UConn enters this matchup as heavy favorites, with ESPN giving them a staggering 99% chance of coming out on top.

These are the exact sort of games which has left Auriemma irritated off late due to their inability of not playing bigger teams. But this is the exact sort of game where you can rotate and give more minutes to your bench. Huskies have an injury-prone side. Bueckers and Fudd have had their own set of injury issues while Aubrey Griffin just returned from an ACL injury.

People might not like the idea of playing against weaker teams but it has its own set of advantages and Auriemma has used it to his benefit. Paige and Azzi saw their minutes restricted to less than 30 minutes against Seton Hall and something similar can be expected against the Bulldogs as well.

With players like KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade already getting more minutes, don’t be surprised if you see Allie Zebel and Qadence Samuels getting some significant minutes against the Bulldogs!

While Auriemma would love to challenge his squad with tougher competition, the current schedule limits those opportunities. Given this, it’s crucial to maximize these games, ensuring the bench gets more minutes to stay sharp and be prepared for the real challenges that await in March Madness. Do you think the Huskies should move to a different conference next season, or continue competing in the Big East? We’d love to hear your thoughts!