HARTFORD, Conn. — Reminders of UConn’s 2025 national championship were visible throughout PeoplesBank Arena on Sunday afternoon. A montage aired pregame, replaying scenes from the program’s 12th national title. A commemorative banner was raised to the rafters. No. 5 Paige Bueckers jerseys were scattered throughout the crowd of thousands. Video messages from guards Kaitlyn Chen and Bueckers played on the Jumbotron once the top-ranked Huskies’ matinee against Ohio State tipped off.
Bueckers’ video was shot in coach Geno Auriemma’s office. Always one to prod her former coach, Bueckers spun around in his chair and spoke to the fans who adored her for five seasons.
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“I miss you guys, and let’s get ready to run it back,” she said to conclude her 30-second message.
Even without Bueckers on the court, through four games this season, the Huskies have certainly looked more than ready to repeat.
Yes, they’ve led by at least 20 points in each of their victories, but final scores reveal just a snippet of what makes this season’s iteration perhaps even more dangerous than last year’s title winners.
UConn has college basketball’s deepest roster, using an artillery of top talent that will be hard for anyone to match. Sarah Strong is a do-it-all National Player of the Year front-runner, a sophomore with magnetic hands, a deft touch around the rim, and poise that few other 19-year-olds have ever possessed on a basketball court.
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“We almost want her to be perfect,” Auriemma said. “(It’s) not fair. But I wouldn’t ask her to be if I didn’t think she could.”
On Sunday, in UConn’s 100-68 victory over Ohio State, Strong almost was.
She tied a career-high with 29 points, adding 13 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and three blocks. She threw a pinpoint three-quarter court stretch pass to a teammate streaking upcourt for an easy layup, and she finished multiple and-1s. She owned every space she moved into.
“Sarah Strong … no words,” Bueckers tweeted at one point in UConn’s eventual win.
“She plays with such confidence and such poise because she knows (she) will never be on the court in any situation where (she doesn’t) know what to do,” Auriemma said. “And that’s a pretty great luxury to have as a kid.”
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He added: “When you watch what (Strong) does, it’s pretty impressive, right? When you watch how she does it, it just makes you realize that’s not normal. It’s not as easy as she makes it look, but it kind of is because she just has such great body control. She has fantastic vision. She knows how the game is being played and where her advantages are, and there isn’t a shot on the floor she can’t make.”
Strong served as the Huskies’ engine. But, again, she is far from alone as a separator.
“They’re longer, more athletic around the basket,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said of the Huskies. “I think on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively, that adds another element that they necessarily haven’t had here in the past couple of years.”
Senior forward Serah Williams is part of that added length. The 6-foot-4 Wisconsin transfer scored UConn’s first two baskets, establishing herself on the inside. Freshman Blanca Quiñonez, a 6-2 freshman who joined UConn after playing professionally in Italy, slashed to the rim throughout the blowout, finishing with 18 points in 22 minutes in only her second collegiate outing.
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“She’s fun to watch because she’s unpredictable,” Auriemma said.
On Sunday, that translated into both Quiñonez blowing by past numerous Ohio State defenders, as well as using a spin move into traffic that resulted in an offensive foul.
Auriemma said he is still trying to figure out her best position. Quiñonez finished with five giveaways, a number Strong and Auriemma mentioned postgame, albeit with some jest.
“She leads the free world in turnovers,” Auriemma said as he wrapped up his postgame news conference.
Bueckers was, of course, a generational talent. But in the aftermath of her departure to the WNBA, Auriemma has discussed how the former National Player of the Year was a Band-Aid who covered UConn’s scrapes and scars. Much like Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Tina Charles before her, Bueckers patched any UConn holes.
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Without her, the Huskies have been forced to adjust.
They’ve not only leaned on their added length and depth, but also on a faster pace. Through their first three games, they’ve averaged five more offensive possessions per game than last season, according to CBB Analytics. Entering Sunday, they averaged 17.7 fastbreak points per game and they had 27 transition points against Ohio State.
Kayleigh Heckel, another high-profile transfer, provides a consistent jolt coming off the bench, and starting guard KK Arnold is a dynamic ballhandler, too. Then there is Azzi Fudd, a potential top-five pick in April’s WNBA Draft.
After missing all five of her first-quarter shots, Fudd hit three of four 3-point attempts in the second quarter. She finished with 19 points and a career-high seven assists.
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“I was really just passing to Sarah, (or) other Serah. Our bigs, they were going to work in the paint getting open,” she said.
The breadth of quality options is why UConn rightly assumed the No. 1 ranking heading into the season. And it’s why that with a potential top-15 matchup against Michigan looming on Friday, the Huskies look every bit as dominant as expected. Few can record 30 assists on 39 made shots and hold a potential NCAA Tournament-bound opponent to six points in a quarter.
Women’s college basketball hasn’t had a repeat champion since 2015-2016, when the Huskies, led by Stewart, finished a four-peat.
“This is one of the most talented and deep teams that I’ve seen with UConn in a while,” McGuff said.
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With yet another star forward leading the way.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Connecticut Huskies, Women’s College Basketball
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