At this point in the season, it’s clear who carries UConn women’s basketball night in and night out.

While some of that is from a pure talent standpoint, Geno Auriemma believes the issue falls back to the team’s lack of experience.

The Huskies’ seven-player rotation consists of three seniors and four first-year players. The gap of comfort, impact and poise during close, physical games is noticeable.

When shots are missed, players’ shoulders droop and they’re more inclined to pass off their next shot instead of trying again. When a leader isn’t on the floor because of foul trouble, plays become rushed and sloppy, desperate for someone else to step up.

With one regular season game left (Saturday at Providence), Auriemma knows the growth of his freshmen’s maturity will be vital in just how long the Huskies can extend their season in March.

“Sometimes the immaturity of players shows up when they’re not making shots and it affects them instead of understanding that it’s part of the game,” he said Wednesday after UConn’s win over Villanova.

“Sometimes the ball doesn’t go in. My concern more is making sure that we get enough touches by everybody else, that they have opportunities to make shots.

And then if they make them, they make them. If they don’t, they don’t. There’s nothing you can do about.”

Against the Wildcats, Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards combined for 45 of UConn’s 67 points. No other Husky was in double digits. The seniors combined for 53 of the Huskies’ 104 points at DePaul on Sunday.

Bueckers and Edwards have combined for 50 percent or more of UConn’s points in eight of its last 10 games, including losses to South Carolina and to Notre Dame. In five of those eight games, they’ve scored 60 percent or more of the Huskies’ total points and played an average of 36.4 minutes per game.

The seniors can handle the pressure, such postseason games are only going to get more physical. Defenses will be smarter and stronger and will have the duo as targets No. 1 and No. 2 on coverage assignments.

UConn’s Paige Bueckers (5) manuevers with the ball during women’s basketball action against Villanova at Gampel Pavillion at UConn in Storrs, Conn., on Wednesday February 28, 2024.

On Wednesday, the Huskies seemed deflated when Bueckers was on the bench in the third quarter with four fouls. Villanova went on an 11-5 run and cut UConn’s once 16-point lead down to seven until she returned to start the fourth. Last week, Creighton was able to get Edwards into early foul trouble and tied the game after the first and second quarters.

The Huskies were able to pull out the win both times, but their biggest weakness only became more evident.

Does Auriemma think a third scoring threat will emerge this late in the season?

“They’re either going to be there or they’re not,” he said.

What makes Bueckers and Edwards so effective is their ability to impact a game anywhere on the floor, with or without the ball in their hands. They move without the ball to distract defenders and clear space for others, and they find open teammates in crowded lanes. Their shot selection is also good.

Bueckers, Edwards and Nika Mühl are also all great defenders. Not only do they consistently get in the face of opponents, but they use their body to box out under the hoop and draw fouls. Scoring is only part of their games.

UConn’s KK Arnold (2) releases a shot over Villanova’s Kaitlyn Orihel (4) during women’s basketball action at Gampel Pavillion at UConn in Storrs, Conn., on Wednesday February 28, 2024.

All of that comes with experience and maturity.

Freshmen starters Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold are getting there. Both have grown immensely over their first 30 games. Shade has learned how to ignore the doubt after misses and Arnold has learned to control her pace. Both have become aggressive defenders, learning from the upperclassmen what it takes to frustrate an opponent.

Yet, both are still working on consistency on offense.

Qadence Samuels is UConn’s third true freshman and Auriemma’s first or second option off the bench, depending on the matchup.

She’s played in all 30 games, averaging 12.2 minutes per contest, and has attempted the sixth-most field goals and the fourth-most 3-pointers on the team. While Shade and Arnold have earned Auriemma’s trust as starters, Samuels is still learning where her impact is most needed.

Like many freshmen, her first instinct is to shoot rather than create a better shot or find an open teammate.

“When Q goes in, you know she’s gonna make something happen. What it is, I’m not quite sure, but something’s going to happen,” Auriemma said.

“And here’s the danger with I think of some kids, and young kids especially, they’re brought up in the basketball world thinking if I score more, I’ll play more.

“And I’ve always said to the kids on our team when they first get here, I say, ‘You can’t shoot your way into our lineup. Generally speaking, you know, on normal years you can’t shoot your way into our lineup if you don’t do the other things.’

So sometimes it takes a little bit of time to learn it. … Q’s young and she thinks she has to score to impact the game. And as that starts to wane, she’ll become an even more impactful player.”

Villanova’s Zanai Jones (1) disrupts UConn’s Ashlynn Shade (12) causing her to lose control of the ball during women’s basketball action at Gampel Pavillion at UConn in Storrs, Conn., on Wednesday February 28, 2024.

Having an additional scoring threat comes down to maturity and a strong offense. The ball needs to move so players can find the best open teammate. UConn has more than just two solid players on its roster, but you can’t rush the learning process.

Once the postseason begins next weekend, everything changes and the need for another option will become ever more vital.

“We’re extremely confident in every single one of us that steps on the floor to be a scoring threat,” Bueckers said. “Obviously, me and Aaliyah’s two-man (game) has been something that has been developed for a while and I think we have great chemistry there, but on any given night I feel like anybody can be a scoring threat.”