There was a time when the UConn women's basketball team winning the national championship was as sure as death or taxes. However, the program is in the midst of a nearly 10-year drought from the mountaintop of college basketball.
Whether injuries have derailed them or other programs have begun to invest more in the sport and catch up to them, head coach Geno Auriemma is in the midst of his longest span without a title since he won his first in 1995.
Still, the Huskies have been a lock for the Final Four nearly every year, but this year's road to the National Semifinal will not be as easy as it has been in years past.
Paige Bueckers and UConn have difficult route to Final Four
After earning a win in the first round against the automatic qualifiers from the Sun Belt Conference, No. 15 seed Arkansas State, UConn struggled a bit against No. 10 seed South Dakota State from the Summit League.
Despite their rough start, the Huskies ended up winning in dominant fashion by a final score of 91 to 57. However, they won't have such a large margin for error in the Sweet 16 and beyond.
Late on Saturday afternoon, UConn will face off against No. 3 seed Oklahoma, who finished the season ranked No. 11 in the country by the Associated Press. The Sooners went 26-7 this year and finished fourth place in a loaded SEC conference.
If the Huskies can pull out a victory, they'll face off against the winner of No. 1 seed USC and No. 5 seed Kansas State, who finished No. 4 and No. 19 in the national rankings to end the season, respectively.
JuJu Watkins' injury status is up in the air for the Trojans, but it did not look good for the star sophomore guard on Monday evening. Still, USC is a well-rounded team that is incredibly stingy on the defensive end. Kansas State is also led by a three-headed attack of Ayoka Lee, Serena Sundell and Temira Poindexter, who are difficult to stop when they get going.
UConn, however, is led by a star trio of their own with All-American Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd. The Huskies are well-equipped to make a deep tournament run once again, and with Watkins' injury, the region is now wide open. But it still won't be easy for Geno Auriemma and his team.