UConn women's basketball: Projected depth chart and starting lineup for 2024-25 season

UConn placed second in ESPN's way-too-early top 25 for the 2024-25 season. While a lot has changed in college sports between conference realignment, transfers, and everything else, Storrs, Connecticut, is looking to remain a basketball mecca. There's plenty of talent returning, both in game-ready form and from injury, as UConn looks to hang up their 12th banner.

Players returning for the Huskies

Preseason All-American Paige Bueckers will headline Geno Auriemma's squad. Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold are top performers from last season for the Huskies who are also returning.

UConn was bit by the injury bug last year, losing at least half of their bench. Azzi Fudd, who was recently named to the Naismith watch list, will return, but Auriemma does not think she will be ready to go when the season starts. The same goes for Aubrey Griffin, who tore her ACL in January of last year, and Caroline Ducharme, who had head and neck injuries that limited her to only three games last season. Jana El-Alfy and Ayanna Patterson will be returning as well and have been fully participating in practice.

"Azzi is on her regular schedule, and … we’re not going to see her actually playing 5-on-5 for a little bit," Auriemma told the Hartford Courant on Oct. 3. "Aubrey hasn’t done hardly anything, so she’s probably the one that’s (farthest from returning). And Carol’s still Carol. She’s trying to do as much as she can and then we try to see how it feels. But for her, it’s all kind of guesswork still, and we’ll see where that takes us. But we have 10 players on the floor most of the time, so that’s a huge bonus.”

The Huskies also bring in two very talented players, including the top-ranked recruit in the country, Sarah Strong. Kaitlyn Chen transferred to UConn from Princeton this year and was previously the Ivy League Player of the Year.

Potential starting five for UConn

Auriemma's offense will be anchored by Bueckers, as everyone will be eager to see what she can do in her final college season before heading off to the pros. Arnold and Fudd are also locks to find themselves in starting roles.

Those last two spots on the court are up for grabs. Shade has earned a starting spot thanks to her performance last year, and while fans will definitely see plenty of Strong away, she's more likely to start the year coming off the bench. El-Alfy, who is listed as 6'5" on the official roster, will likely be the center, assuming she is all healed by their season opener. She is also the only true center they have listed, making her return even more valuable.

Those six will see the bulk of the minutes, with Strong subbing in. Another player who could see time off the bench is Ice Brady; she and Strong could likely split time.