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UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma spoke about the highly anticipated return of forward Aubrey Griffin. Auriemma, who set the record for the most wins among NCAA basketball coaches across both genders this season, confirmed the timeline for the 6-foot-1 forward’s return to the court.
The 11-time national champion coach was quoted in a pregame audio interview by UConn Daily, posted on YouTube on Sunday. The veteran coach believes Griffin’s return will impact the lineup.
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Griffin adds depth to the team and helps the Huskies defend the Big East regular-season title and maintain their ranking going into the NCAA Tournament in March.
"We're still waiting on Aubrey so that's going to impact the lineup somehow," Auriemma said. "The way it looks right now at the earliest middle of January," he added. (Timestamp: 9:27)
Griffin suffered a torn ACL in her left knee during the 2023-24 college basketball season. Before the injury, the forward averaged 9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Griffin will likely be given a minutes restriction so she can adjust to the pace of the game. She may play as a backup to Sarah Strong during the early part of her recovery before receiving increased minutes moving forward.
UConn aims to end 2024 with a bang against Providence
The No. 7-ranked UConn (10-2, 1-0 in Big East) will close out 2024 with a Big East Conference clash against Providence (7-7, 0-1 in Big East) on Sunday at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. ET, with the Huskies looking to extend their domination against the Friars. UConn leads the all-time series with Providence, 48-21, and the Huskies have won their last 36 meetings against the Friars.
The Geno Auriemma-coached team is coming off a 72-70 defeat to USC on Dec. 21. UConn fell short of its 18-point comeback effort against JuJu Watkins and Southern California.
No. 1-ranked freshman Sarah Strong had an excellent night for the Huskies despite the loss, tallying 22 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Strong has played brilliantly for UConn in her first year, averaging 17.7 ppg on 55.8% shooting, 8.7 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.3 spg and 1.4 bpg.
The 6-foot-2 freshman has served as an able backup for future WNBA top pick Paige Bueckers. The 6-foot senior has tallied 20.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.8 apg and 2.0 spg, hoping to bounce back from her 22-point effort against USC.
UConn needs to stop Providence’s leading scorer, Grace Efosa, to boost the team’s chances of winning. Efosa has averaged 16.0 ppg and is expected to lead the Erin Batth-coached team against the stronger Huskies.
Can UConn bounce back and beat Providence in its second Big East game this season? Let us know your insights in the comments section.
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