INDIANAPOLIS — The confetti had barely fallen to the floor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse when UConn’s returning players began fielding questions about how they could possibly compete for a fifth consecutive national championship next season without All-Americans Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck.

Tuck announced Wednesday that she would forgo an extra year of eligibility and join her classmates in the WNBA draft next week.

Freshman Katie Lou Samuelson said the team has heard the critics say that without the three seniors, the gap will close between UConn and programs like Baylor, Notre Dame and South Carolina.