NEW YORK, NY (WFSB) – The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team was picked as the favorite to win the Big East Conference this season.
Plus, five Huskies earned preseason Big East honors. The conference preseason coaches’ poll and preseason individual honors were announced Tuesday ahead of Big East Media Day.
Junior Paige Bueckers was selected as the conference preseason Player of the Year. KK Arnold was tabbed as the preseason freshman of the year. Seniors Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Mühl and junior Azzi Fudd were named to the preseason All-Big East Team.
UConn won both the regular season and tournament titles in 2022-23. The Huskies have won 22 Big East regular season titles and 21 Big East Tournament titles. UConn has won both season championships in each year since rejoining the conference in 2020.
Bueckers returns to action after missing the 2022-23 season. She was the 2021 Big East freshman and player of the year and was the first freshman to win the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the Year. Bueckers averaged 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in the 2021-22 season.
Arnold is ranked as the number 6 player in her class by ESPN. She was a 2023 McDonald’s and Jordan Brand Classic All-American and was a three-time AP Wisconsin State Player of the Year. Arnold totaled 2,458 points, 765 rebounds, 695 assists and 415 steals in high school.
Edwards was the 2022-23 Big East Most Improved Player and a selection to the 2022-23 All-Big East First Team. She led UConn with 16.6 points per game and a career-high 9.0 rebounds per game last season. Edwards was also named an AP and USBWA Third Team All-American last year.
Mühl is the back-to-back Big East Defensive Player of the Year. She was a 2022-23 All-Big East Second Team selection. Mühl set the single-season UConn assists record last year with 284 assists, good for a Big East-high 7.9 assists per game. She tied for first on the team with 50 steals and added a personal-best 7.1 points per game.
Fudd was named to the 2021-22 Big East All-Freshman Team and the 2022 NCAA Tournament Bridgeport All-Region Team. Fudd averaged 15.1 points in 15 games last season. She broke out for 32 points each vs. top-10 opponents Texas and NC State. As a freshman, Fudd shot 43.0 percent from three-point range to lead the team.
The Huskies start the 2023-24 regular season against Dayton on Nov. 8. UConn begins Big East play vs. Butler on Dec. 18.
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