UConn and UCLA outscore most other women’s college basketball teams from the arc and foul line

Both teams are successful at 3-point and foul shots.

Women’s college basketball teams that are dominant at the arc and free-throws line are nearly impossible to defend.  

Making free throws reliably keeps teams in games; making 3-pointers confidently wins them.

The road to March Madness reveals to all who are watching — coaches, teams, and fans — who’s mastered that part of the game.

And, two NCAA Division I teams that have seemingly mastered those lines are UConn and UCLA.

UConn Huskies 

The unanimously No. 1 ranked Huskies are considered the best team in women’s college basketball, and there is a very clear reason why: 3-point shooting. 

UConn is averaging just under 40 percent from the 3-point line, a very hard feat to achieve in college basketball, which explains why the Huskies are also anticipated to win the National Championship.

Strong 3-point shooting has dual strength: stretching the defense and increasing scoring efficiency. 

When the offense stretches the defense, it makes the opposing team transition quickly into a zone defense or a man-to-man. That tactic runs the defense down, as well as forces them to test their bench depth.

With this season’s NCAA women’s basketball, most teams can’t afford deep bench rotations this close to March Madness because the competition level is unusually high.

Scoring efficiency is critical to keeping the starters and strongest players on the court for the most number of minutes played possible without highly risking injury or exhaustion.

A high 3-point shooting percentage allows a team to score more points with less trips up and down the court. 

Not only is UConn strong from the 3; their star player, Azzi Fudd, is 100 percent from the free-throw line on the season.

Last year in the Sweet Sixteen, Fudd missed a critical free throw in a close game, but the Huskies ended up winning and going on to lose in the championship game.

The guard has not missed a free throw since. 

UCLA Bruins 

Just behind the Huskies in rankings are the UCLA Bruins, who are currently top ranked in the BIG10 even over other strong, highly ranked teams such as the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Bruins show up on the court as one of the most consistent teams across all aspects of basketball, especially 3-point shooting and free-throw shooting. 

The Bruins have one of the highest 3-point shooting percentages, almost tying UConn, at over 39 percent, but that 0.2 percent difference between UConn and UCLA can be the difference between being the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, or being the National Champions or the runner up. 

Free-throw shooting is one of the most lucrative parts of basketball, but it is also one of the biggest mental challenges that players face. UCLA is shooting 77 percent from the free-throw line, showing they stay steady and calm under pressure.

The postseason has a way of filtering out who can withstand the madness.

Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Clara Romae Slowinski is a student-intern at Penn State.