2019–20 UConn Huskies women's basketball team

The 2019–20 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 35th season at UConn, split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center and were in their seventh and final season as members of the American Athletic Conference (The American).

2019–20 UConn Huskies women's basketball
AAC regular season champions
AAC Tournament champions
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 5
Record29–3 (16–0 The American)
Head coach
Associate head coachChris Dailey (35th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Shea Ralph (12th season)
  • Jasmine Lister (2nd season)
Home arenaHarry A. Gampel Pavilion
XL Center
Seasons
2019–20 American Athletic Conference women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 UConn 16 0   1.000 26 3   .897
Cincinnati 11 5   .688 20 9   .690
UCF 11 5   .688 19 9   .679
South Florida 10 6   .625 18 12   .600
Tulane 8 8   .500 13 16   .448
Temple 7 9   .438 15 14   .517
Wichita State 7 9   .438 15 14   .517
SMU 7 9   .438 13 15   .464
East Carolina 6 10   .375 9 20   .310
Houston 5 11   .313 12 18   .400
Memphis 4 12   .250 13 16   .448
Tulsa 4 12   .250 9 20   .310
2020 AAC tournament winner
As of March 4, 2020
Rankings from AP poll

UConn had a record of 26–3 during the regular season. They went 16–0 in the AAC and were the conference regular season champions. Then, they won the AAC tournament. UConn received an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, but the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team finished the season ranked number 5 in the AP poll.

The Huskies left The American to join several of their former conference mates in the Big East Conference in July 2020.[1][2][3]

Media

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Every UConn women's game was televised. Excluding exhibitions, most Huskies games aired on SNY, an ESPN network, or a CBS network. Exhibition games and games that aired on SNY were also streamed on Husky Vision. Every game was broadcast on the UConn IMG Sports Network with an extra audio broadcast available online to listen to through Husky Vision.

Off-season

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for departure
Mikayla Coombs 4 G 5'8" Sophomore Buford, GA Transferred to Georgia
Napheesa Collier 24 F 6'1" Senior O'Fallon, MO Graduated / 2019 WNBA draft
Katie Lou Samuelson 33 G/F 6'3" Senior Huntington Beach, CA Graduated / 2019 WNBA draft
Alexis Gordon 34 G/F 6'0" Sophomore Fort Worth, TX Transferred at midseason to Texas Tech

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous school
Evelyn Adebayo 14 F 6'1" RS Senior London, England Transferred from Murray State. Was eligible to play immediately since Adebayo graduated from Murray State.
Evina Westbrook 22 G 6'0" Junior Salem, OR Transferred from Tennessee. Under NCAA transfer rules, Westbrook sat out the 2019–20 season, and had two years of remaining eligibility starting in 2020–21.

Recruits

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Aubrey Griffin
W
Ossining, NY Ossining Senior School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) N/A  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 98
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2019 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.

Roster

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2019–20 UConn Huskies women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
F 3 Megan Walker 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Jr Monacan Chesterfield, VA
G 5 Crystal Dangerfield 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) Sr Blackman Murfreesboro, TN
G 10 Molly Bent 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Sr Tabor Academy Centerville, MA
G 13 Christyn Williams 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) So Central Arkansas Christian Little Rock, AR
F 14 Evelyn Adebayo 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS Sr Murray State London, England
F 20 Olivia Nelson-Ododa 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) So Winder-Barrow Winder, GA
G 22 Evina Westbrook   6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Jr Tennessee Salem, OR
G 24 Anna Makurat 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Fr Sport Championship School Sierakowice, Poland
F 25 Kyla Irwin   6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Sr State College State College, PA
F 32 Batouly Camara 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS Sr Kentucky New York, NY
G 44 Aubrey Griffin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Fr Ossining Ossining, NY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule

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[4]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 3, 2019*
1:00 pm, HuskyVision
No. 5 Jefferson W 103–40 
 28  Walker   11  Nelson-Ododa   8  Dangerfield  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (5,328)
Storrs, CT
November 6, 2019*
7:00 pm, HuskyVision
No. 5 Trevecca Nazarene W 99–54 
 28  Walker   8  Walker   5  Nelson-Ododa  XL Center (6,205)
Hartford, CT
January 27, 2020*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 4 United States L 64–79 
 22  Walker   7  Walker   4  Dangerfield  XL Center (13,919)
Hartford, CT
Regular season
November 10, 2019*
1:00 pm, SNY
No. 5 California W 72–61  1–0
 24  Williams   13  Nelson-Ododa   4  Nelson-Ododa  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (9,294)
Storrs, CT
November 13, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN
No. 4 at Vanderbilt W 64–51  2–0
 25  Walker   12  Nelson-Ododa   5  Makurat  Memorial Gymnasium (2,961)
Nashville, TN
November 17, 2019
1:00 pm, SNY
No. 4 at Temple W 83–54  3–0
(1–0)
 19  Williams   10  Nelson-Ododa   7  Makurat  Liacouras Center (3,278)
Philadelphia, PA
November 19, 2019*
7:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 4 Virginia W 83–44  4–0
 19  Walker   9  Walker   5  Tied  XL Center (7,728)
Hartford, CT
November 24, 2019*
3:00 pm, ESPN
No. 4 at Ohio State W 73–62  5–0
 23  Dangerfield   12  Nelson-Ododa   6  Dangerfield  Value City Arena (8,909)
Columbus, OH
November 26, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
No. 4 at Dayton W 75–37  6–0
 23  Walker   12  Walker   6  Irwin  UD Arena (4,348)
Dayton, OH
December 5, 2019*
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 4 at Seton Hall W 92–78  7–0
 29  Walker   12  Griffin   5  Irwin  Walsh Gymnasium (1,656)
South Orange, NJ
December 8, 2019*
4:00 pm, ESPN
No. 4 Notre Dame
Jimmy V Classic/Rivalry
W 81–57  8–0
 26  Walker   13  Walker   5  Dangerfield  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, CT
December 16, 2019*
8:00 pm, FS1
No. 2 at No. 16 DePaul W 84–74  9–0
 22  Tied   13  Walker   7  Walker  Wintrust Arena (2,621)
Chicago, IL
December 22, 2019*
4:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 2 vs. Oklahoma
Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase
W 97–53  10–0
 27  Nelson-Ododa   15  Tied   6  Dangerfield  Mohegan Sun Arena (7,238)
Uncasville, CT
January 2, 2020
7:00 pm, SNY
No. 1 Wichita State W 83–55  11–0
(2–0)
 22  Dangerfield   9  Nelson-Ododa   6  Williams  XL Center (7,550)
Hartford, CT
January 5, 2020
4:00 pm, SNY
No. 1 at SMU W 80–42  12–0
(3–0)
 21  Williams   10  Nelson-Ododa   8  Dangerfield  Moody Coliseum (2,310)
University Park, TX
January 9, 2020*
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 1 No. 6 Baylor L 58–74  12–1
 21  Williams   9  Williams   3  Walker  XL Center (12,415)
Harford, CT
January 11, 2020
1:00 pm, SNY
No. 1 Houston W 91–51  13–1
(4–0)
 22  Walker   7  3 tied   5  Williams  XL Center (10,868)
Hartford, CT
January 14, 2020
8:00 pm, SNY
No. 4 at Memphis W 68–56  14–1
(5–0)
 24  Dangerfield   9  Tied   3  3 tied  Elma Roane Fieldhouse (1,027)
Memphis, TN
January 16, 2020
6:00 pm, SNY
No. 4 at UCF W 59–52  15–1
(6–0)
 19  Walker   12  Nelson-Ododa   5  Dangerfield  Addition Financial Arena (5,175)
Orlando, FL
January 19, 2020
12:00 pm, SNY
No. 4 Tulsa W 92–34  16–1
(7–0)
 24  Walker   7  Nelson-Ododa   5  Makurat  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (8,240)
Storrs, CT
January 23, 2020*
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 3 No. 23 Tennessee
Rivalry
W 60–45  17–1
 14  Dangerfield   8  Makurat   4  Makurat  XL Center (13,659)
Harford, CT
January 25, 2020
12:00 pm, SNY
No. 3 at East Carolina W 98–42  18–1
(8–0)
 26  Williams   12  Walker   5  Tied  Williams Arena (2,241)
Greenville, NC
January 30, 2020
7:00 pm, SNY
No. 4 Cincinnati W 80–50  19–1
(9–0)
 24  Dangerfield   11  Walker   5  Dangerfield  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (8,026)
Storrs, CT
February 3, 2020*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 4 No. 3 Oregon L 56–74  19–2
 19  Dangerfield   7  Walker   6  Nelson-Ododa  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, CT
February 7, 2020
7:00 pm, SNY
No. 4 Memphis W 94–55  20–2
(10–0)
 26  Walker   11  Walker   11  Makurat  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (7,306)
Storrs, CT
February 10, 2020*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 5 at No. 1 South Carolina L 52–70  20–3
 28  Dangerfield   9  Nelson-Ododa   4  Nelson-Ododa  Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Columbia, SC
February 16, 2020
2:00 pm, SNY
No. 5 at South Florida W 67–47  21–3
(11–0)
 21  Walker   8  Nelson-Ododa   5  Dangerfield  Yuengling Center (6,044)
Tampa, FL
February 19, 2020
7:00 pm, SNY
No. 6 Tulane W 74–31  22–3
(12–0)
 18  Tied   11  Nelson-Ododa   6  Williams  XL Center (8,446)
Hartford, CT
February 22, 2020
1:00 pm, SNY
No. 6 UCF W 66–53  23–3
(13–0)
 20  Walker   11  Walker   6  Walker  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, CT
February 26, 2020
7:00 pm, SNY
No. 6 at Cincinnati W 105–58  24–3
(14–0)
 26  Williams   8  Tied   6  Tied  Fifth Third Arena (5,607)
Cincinnati, OH
February 29, 2020
3:00 pm, SNY
No. 6 at Houston W 92–40  25–3
(15–0)
 21  Walker   9  Tied   7  Dangerfield  Fertitta Center (2,936)
Houston, TX
March 2, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 5 South Florida W 80–39  26–3
(16–0)
 23  Walker   9  Nelson-Ododa   5  Tied  XL Center (9,338)
Hartford, CT
AAC Tournament
March 7, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPN3
(1) No. 5 vs. (8) Temple
Quarterfinals
W 94–61  27–3
 22  Dangerfield   16  Griffin   8  Makurat  Mohegan Sun Arena (5,763)
Uncasville, CT
March 8, 2020
4:00 pm, ESPN2
(1) No. 5 vs. (4) South Florida
Semifinals
W 79–38  28–3
 21  Walker   7  Tied   4  Makurat  Mohegan Sun Arena (5,677)
Uncasville, CT
March 9, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2
(1) No. 5 vs. (3) Cincinnati
Championship
W 87–53  29–3
 26  Walker   11  Nelson-Ododa   8  Makurat  Mohegan Sun Arena (5,430)
Uncasville, CT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in EST.

Rankings

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Regular Season Polls
Poll Pre-
Season
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Week
5
Week
6
Week
7
Week
8
Week
9
Week
10
Week
11
Week
12
Week
13
Week
14
Week
15
Week
16
Week
17
Week
18
Week
19
Final
AP 5 4 4 4 4 (2) 2 (1) 2 (1) 1 (19) 1 (19) 1 (19) 4 3 4 4 5 6 6 5 5 5
Coaches 4 4^ 4 4 4 (2) 2 (3) 2 (3) 1 (21) 1 (22) 1 (24) 5 5 5 6 6 5 4 4 4 4
Legend
  Increase in ranking
  Decrease in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
RV   Received votes
NR   Not ranked
( )   Number of first place votes

^ Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Newman, Josh (June 27, 2019). "UConn officially rejoins the Big East with big welcome at Madison Square Garden". usatoday.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  2. ^ Borzello, Jeff (June 27, 2019). "Big East officially announces UConn's return". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  3. ^ Borges, David (June 26, 2019). "It's official: UConn is back in the Big East". NHRegister.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  4. ^ "2019–2020 Schedule". UConnHuskies.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2018.