The RoundHouse | 2/25/2019 5:12:00 PM

 
No. 2 UConn is in Wichita to play basketball and it's a big deal. The Shockers know all about UConn's dominant history in the women's game and they know thousands of fans will turn out on Tuesday at Koch Arena to watch.
 
Wichita State's goal is to make sure those fans leave with a positive impression of the Shockers. That means the words "play hard" and "compete" are uppermost on their collective mind. 
 
UConn (25-2, 13-0 American Athletic Conference) is 114-0 against American teams in its four-plus seasons as a conference member after Sunday's 68-49 win at Tulsa. Wichita State (11-15, 4-9) is coming off a 55-46 loss at South Florida on Saturday. 
 
"There's going to be a lot of people here," Wichita State senior Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage said. "If we can take care of the ball, rebound, compete, play physical it can help us grow the program. That's one of Coach Keitha's (Adams) goals is one day to sell out Koch Arena. This game is a good opportunity to get more people out and to see what we can do."
 
As of Monday afternoon, more than 5,000 tickets had been sold, according to the Wichita State ticket office. If things go well, some of those fans will leave intrigued by Wichita State's freshman guards Carla Bremaud and Seraphine Bastin, appreciate Lozada-Cabbage's hustle and come back for more as Adams continues building the Shockers.
 
"It's great for the game," Adams said. "We're looking at this as an opportunity to grow as a basketball team and as a program. It's an opportunity – that's exactly the word we used when we talked about it in the locker room."
 
The Huskies have lost two games – No. 1 Baylor and No. 3 Louisville – which means they've lost more games than in any of the previous five seasons. The impression they leave remains Final Four-strong, especially with their average margin of victory of 28.6 points.
 
"They're extremely talented," Adams said. "You're going to have to guard the ball at all times, because they can shoot it. They're going to try to pressure and use their size to play passing lanes. You're going to have to ball-fake, set good screens."
 
Senior forward Napheesa Collier (6-foot-2) averages 19.6 points and 10.4 rebounds to lead the American in both categories. Senior guard Katie Lou Samuelson (6-3) averages 19.2 points and 3.9 assists. The Shockers practiced against the Bombers, their male students practice opponents, on Monday to prepare for UConn's height and speed.
 
"They're very lengthy," Lozada-Cabbage said. "We've just really got to play hard and compete."
 
Lozada-Cabbage's favorite basketball player is former UConn star Diana Taurasi. Wichita State junior Raven Prince chooses former UConn star Maya Moore. 
 
"It's going to be a great experience for us," Prince said. "They're really active, really long. They're just really good."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.