UConn women’s basketball sophomore guard Kayleigh Heckel looked astounded when head coach Geno Auriemma asked her if she was coming to the Huskies’ away game at USC.
She assured him that she would be with her team for the trip that would take her back to her previous school, though Auriemma said she didn’t look him in the eye.
“You lose your mind,” Auriemma told reporters, “because your emotions are like, ‘Oh my god, how are they going to treat me?’ What do you care? They could be really nice to you and then kick your (butt). How does that feel?
“Or they could boo you and throw stuff at you and we beat them. Who cares? But kids being kids, I just try to make it light.”
No. 1 UConn and No. 16 USC are set to tip off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in a nonconference matchup at the Galen Center. The Huskies (9-0) are one of 12 unbeaten women’s basketball teams remaining in the NCAA.
Not only will it bring Heckel back to Los Angeles, but it’ll bring the Trojans (7-2) face-to-face with the team that has eliminated them from the NCAA Elite Eight the past two seasons.
The Trojans, who did not hold any media availability prior to the game, are coming off a 59-50 win over Washington in their Big Ten Conference opener. They started slowly, but settled in when the second quarter began to earn head coach Lindsay Gottlieb her 100th win at USC.
“I saw a locked-in team,” Gottlieb told reporters after the game. “I didn’t think anyone was pointing fingers at anyone else or getting frustrated or not staying the course. Washington came out pressuring a little more. It’s physical when you get to conference play – we just needed to settle in.”
Freshman Jazzy Davidson has shined since she debuted at USC and is leading the Big Ten with 2.3 blocks per game. She’s scoring a team-best 16.7 points per game while seeing more playing time than any other player at 32.2 minutes per game.
She’s sharing the ball, too, with 4.2 assists a game. Gottlieb expects those numbers to go up as she increases her playing time at point guard.
“Obviously, her usage rate is insane,” Gottlieb said. “We rely on her for a lot of things, but now I’m slowly giving her more responsibility – even just as a point guard. We know what she’s capable of. We’re more comfortable getting her a lot more reps at point guard. We’re doing a lot more of that.”
Senior guard Londynn Jones is coming off the bench to not only contribute 11.1 points per game while shooting 41.2%, but she’s also a high-motor defensive piece who plays bigger than her 5-foot-4 frame, diving for balls and disrupting plays to force turnovers.
“Londynn’s very dynamic, very competitive,” 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Kennedy Smith told reporters. “And that’s something I feel like we needed on our team this year. Just that competitive spirt, competitive nature.”
UConn’s Azzi Fudd is projected by some to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA draft due to her scoring ability. The 5-foot-11 guard, who is averaging 18.2 points per game while shooting 49.6% from the field, scored a season-high 31 points against Michigan on Nov. 21 while going 7 of 12 on 3-pointers and a perfect 6 for 6 on free throws.
Huskies sophomore forward Sarah Strong is another potential problem at 6-foot-2 with 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
Heckel, who averaged 6.1 points per game while shooting 45.9% in a reserve role for USC last season, provides a spark off the UConn bench and is shooting 50% with a 7.7 points-per-game average.
“I just try to go in and do whatever I have to do for the team,” Heckel said, “whether that’s scoring or defense, rebounding, passing. It really doesn’t matter to me, as long as we get the win. I just go in and try to be that spark, be that person that can help us keep going once we get subs in.”
The Trojans have experience beating a No. 1-ranked team, upending crosstown rival UCLA just 10 months ago.
They haven’t shied from competition since then – Saturday’s game will be USC’s fourth contest against a team that is currently ranked this season.
“That’s the only way to learn, is with those tough matchups,” Gottlieb told reporters last week. “I think our team has been really good about that and not losing confidence through tough things but actually gaining confidence. It’s hard, but you’ve got to be able to do it if we want to compete at the level that we expect to compete at.”
No. 1 UConn (9-0) at No. 16 USC (7-2)
When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Galen Center
TV/radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/ESPN LA 710