UConn's Geno Auriemma Says 'Indiana is Smart as Hell'

No. 3-seed Indiana women's basketball will meet No. 2-seed UConn for the first time in program history in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said he wouldn't be surprised if the Hoosiers won the whole tournament.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — No. 3-seed Indiana women's basketball will face a highly decorated No. 2 UConn for the first time in program history in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

For starters, the Huskies have made it to the Final Four 13 seasons in a row and boast 11 national championships, the most recent being from 2016.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma has headed the program for 37 seasons and holds a 1,149-149 career record.

While Indiana head coach Teri Moren is only in her eighth season, she’s positive in the win column and has an experienced, well-coached group of veterans from last season’s Elite Eight appearance.

“There's no substitute for experience,” Moren said. “You can have great players. Whether they're old, whether they're young, five-star, two-star, doesn't matter. The experience I think outweighs all of that when it comes down to some of those tight ball games.”

The Hoosiers and Huskies have never played one another, but they’ve been keeping tabs from afar. Auriemma said Indiana keeps getting better and better under Moren. The program is now at the level where people expect them to be good.

“All around the country you heard a lot of people talking about a lot of teams all throughout the season,” Auriemma said. “But Indiana wasn't necessarily at the tip of anyone's tongue. Don't be shocked if —I wouldn't be, if they win this whole thing.”

Auriemma even said Indiana deserves more national attention and respect for playing so well.

“The number one thing, I think, other than talent that they have, watching them on film, they are smart as hell from the coaching staff down,” he said. “They're smart as hell.”

Geno Auriemma

Mar 21, 2022; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma reacts from the sideline during the second half against the UCF Knights at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Moren met Auriemma back in 2017 when they both were on the same trip to watch players try out for a team in Colorado Springs. Moren took the initiative to learn from a coach who’s been on the court for nearly four decades.

“He was so gracious, and the nuggets that he would share with me in terms of what the build is like and not selling your soul and sticking to your disciplines and building your program based on the things that are important to you,” Moren said.

Moren isn’t the only one who knows the enemy. Indiana senior forward Aleksa Gulbe is friends with Huskies graduate student forward Dorka Juhász.

Gulbe is from Latvia while Juhász hails from Hungary. Both players met when they played on the European youth national teams. Gulbe laughed when asked about her friend in the press conference and said she’s always around.

“I don't know if she likes if I say this out loud,” Gulbe said. “She texted me after the first round and she was like, ‘I thought I was going to get away from you guys.’”

Her wish did not come true. Juhász saw Indiana all throughout her first three seasons at Ohio State too.

“I know a lot about them, and I have some friends on the team,” Juhász said. “It was exciting just when they started doing the scouting. They were like, ‘hey, Dorka, can you help me with this? Of course, I would love to tell you about it.’ I'm excited.”

Aleksa Gulbe and Dorka Juhász

Ohio State Buckeyes forward Dorka Juhasz (14) drives to the basket against Indiana Hoosiers forward Aleksa Gulbe (10) during the first quarter of their game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio on February 27, 2021

The Huskies are led by senior guard Christyn Williams who’s averaging 14.5 points per game. Sophomore guard Paige Bueckers adds 13.7 points despite being available for only 13 games.

Indiana had its injury issues with junior forward Mackenzie Holmes’s left knee this season, but the Huskies have endured a season-long injury carousel among its starters and key bench players although they are all playing now.

Bueckers suffered a non-contact left knee injury in December. Senior forward Olivia Nelson Ododa had a groin injury. Freshman guard Azzi Fudd added to the misery with a foot injury.

Bench player, freshman guard Carolina Ducharme also sat out a few games with a head injury, and sophomore guard Nika Mühl suffered a foot injury.

“Whether their pieces have been in and out, I don't know that anything changes with them offensively in terms of tendencies,” Moren said. “We're very specific when we go into our preparation game planning for opponents, and we are all about the tendencies of the actions and certainly the players.”

Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes and the Hoosiers lift head coach Teri Moren Monday night after defeating Princeton, 56-55, in the second round of the NCAA women's basketball tourney at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall

The Huskies average 74.3 points per game while Indiana is at 71.7 points. The Hoosiers are led by senior guard Grace Berger who’s averaging 16.3 points per contest.

The Huskies are coming off of Big East regular season and tournament titles and have won 12 straight games.

UConn crushed No. 15-seed Mercer 83-38 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and beat UCF 52-47 in the second. The Hoosiers defeated No. 14 Charlotte 85-51 in the first round and Princeton 56-55 in the next to advance to the Sweet 16.

Moren said the key to winning will be keeping UConn off the offensive glass. If they get multiple scoring opportunities, they will make you pay.

Graduate student guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary will be Saturday’s play caller, Moren said. The atmosphere will surely be loud inside of Total Mortgage Arena, so the Hoosiers must echo the same call and always be on the same page, because it’s hard to hear in March arenas.

Gulbe reminded the media Indiana is okay with being the underdog trying to reach the Final Four and beyond for the first time in program history.

“I just think it's okay,” she said. “So be it. It just fuels us.”

You can watch the Hoosiers face UConn on Saturday, March 26 at 2 p.m. on ESPN. Click here for more information.

“Regardless of their style, our style, it might take a little bit of time to figure each other out, but I think it's going to be a great game myself,” Auriemma said.

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