WOMEN’S TOP THREE SOUTH CAROLINA, STANFORD AND UCONN

South Carolina and Stanford and who?

Maybe the polls are mad at Geno Auriemma, record-setting genius with 11 NCAA women’s basketball championships. But with yet another outstanding lineup despite the injury absence of star All-America Paige Bueckers, not bad for these Huskes and their faithful.

Not bad at 6-0 with command performances over previously unbeatens Texas, North Carolina State, Duke and Iowa, all ranked in top 10, is this version of UConn. Prior to the campaign, it ranked at No. 9, then jumped to No. 6, then to No. 3, and that’s where it is now after it turned back Duke the same day that the Gamecocks won in overtime at Stanford.

So as you read this in an article in a daily newspaper, it’s all regarding South Carolina, Stanford and who?

Who dat and how come there’s just that in few words after praising the Gamecocks and Cardinal?

You remember, no hope this time around last season, and the Huskes began the post-season ranked 8th. Eighth? No problem, in the national quarterfinals they eliminated No. 3 NC State, they traveled to Palo Alto to oust No. 2 Stanford, and with the doubling Thomas’ sticking with South Carolina, it was close and became a 6-point loss for Auriemma.

Go figure, go figure on what he’s again put on the floor. Sophomore guard Azzi Fudd, National Player of the Year after Bueckers, began last season with high hopes but foot problems limited her over the first two weeks. Now she’s scoring at a 32-point clip, as in the Sunday win over Iowa, she had just two points in the first half, but finished with 28.

Then there’s the 6-foot-3 junior Aaliyah Edwards starting her third season as a starter at forward. Versus Iowa, she and Fudd brought UConn back from a 52-43 deficit that had the Iowa players and fans jumping up and down with every basket.

So Auriemma kind of shrugged it off and called a time out. Just like that, his team went on an 18-5 run after hitting its first six shots following the time out. Off the injury bench with her best effort so far, 6-2 sophomore guard Caroline Ducharme turned in 16 points, 5-10 junior point guard contributed 11 points and handed out 10 assists to go with four steals.

Back in the lineup after a back injury sidelined her last season, 6-1 junior forward Aubrey Griffin joined in with 12 points and seven boards, and then there was all-everything Edwards scored 23 points, blocking seven shots, and taking down 11 rebounds.

With Bueckers now alongside Auriemma as an appointed student coach, the team has gone the last three games with 6-5 graduate senior Dorka Juhasz on the bench the last three games recovering from an elbow injury, it takes away height from the Huskies but she’s due back possible Friday night against Providence at Gampel Pavillion in Storrs. She can run the floor, bang the boards, make blocks, and hit from outside.

But the team can still rely on 6-5 sophomore Amari Deberry, who was taught by Auriemma to toss in baskets from the beyond the 3-point arc, and she does.

Here’s what this team can bring not only this season, but the next one and the next on, especially with Bueckers back with present freshmen 6-3 “Ice” Brady and 6-2 Adrianna Patterson, plus Auriemma has also reeled in a pair of 6-4 recruits to go with one 6-2 and one 6-1.

Oh, the Gamecocks? Thought you’d never ask. Head coach Dawn Staley out together a very good recruiting class the last two years, but seven are seniors and his best players, and that includes 6-5 Aliyah Boston who is presently limited with a foot injury picked up in her last start.

So putting this together, Geno the genius is by far the premier recruiter. He has proven so since he first won the national title in 1995 with his first undefeated team that included 6-6 Rebecca Lobo. Before this, the only basketball coaching experience he had was as an interim assistant at LaSalle College in Philadelphia, not far from South Philly where the cheese steaks are gobbled up at two separate sites.

From the Providence game, UConn will hit the road to play No. 9 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., then home to Princeton on Dec. 8, gets No. 10 Maryland at College Park, Md., next, and plays host to Florida State at Uncasville, Conn, one of three sites used by the Huskies, the hottest program in the state and perhaps the entire country.

And on Feb. 5 at the Hartford, Conn., XL Center, it will be South Carolina paying a visit. The Big East appears to be stronger now with good starts from Marquette, Creighton, Villanova, Seton Hall, and Butler. On Jan. 26, UConn travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to play Tennessee.

Don’t worry, Husky fans, your team will be right up there until the final whistle. And next season, wow.