HARTFORD — Inside PeoplesBank Arena on Sunday afternoon, UConn referenced the Huskies’ National Championship victory from this past spring. Prior to tipoff, the team raised another banner in Hartford less than two weeks after doing so at Gampel Pavilion. And Paige Bueckers appeared in a pre-recorded video shown on the jumbotron to thank the fans and fire them up for a potential championship repeat.
On the court, though, the team’s play looked nothing like a nostalgia tour.
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A potential repeat without the electrifying play of Bueckers, one of the best UConn guards in program history? It may look different, but Sunday’s dominant 100–68 win over Ohio State made it clear that UConn is very much capable of making another deep run.
“They keep bringing people kind of in waves at you, and they don’t get worn down,” Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said postgame.
But how could the Huskies look even better without Bueckers’ leadership, shot creation, defensive versatility, and passing vision?
While the 2025–2026 women’s college basketball season is still young, what stands out for the defending champions is how they have redefined their style of play post-Bueckers with much more depth than in recent memory. As a result, they can throw a variety of looks at opponents.
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Instead of relying on Bueckers and her silky-smooth mid-range jumper, the Huskies are playing a more free-flowing, spaced-out style of offense built on hyper-aggressive defense that forces turnovers and helps them get out in transition.
And that aggressive defense starts with junior guard KK Arnold’s return to the starting lineup, as well as a group of forwards who are long, switchable, and athletic.
This mirrors the core tenets of modern basketball seen across the pro side in both the WNBA and the NBA.
“Playing fast, scoring on the move, scoring through concepts rather than plays is way more popular today at most levels of basketball, and that’s why the players can think and can react and make plays for other people,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said of designing a post-Bueckers style of play.
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The first offensive play of the game on Sunday came off a read made by senior transfer Serah Williams, a long, six-foot-four forward who put the ball on the floor and drove through the teeth of the Ohio State defense and finished at the rim. Having a reliable face-up game for frontcourt players has become a desired skill for bigs aiming to play at the pro level.
While there are many new faces on the Huskies this season, including a bunch of new players in the rotation, the two central constants from last season are sophomore Sarah Strong, the do-it-all big wing, and Azzi Fudd, UConn’s sharpshooter and main off-ball threat.
Strong is now who the Huskies play through following Bueckers’ departure. Just like Williams, Strong has length and athleticism. But Strong has essentially been functioning as a point forward.
Strong can bring the ball up and begin the Huskies’ fast break while guards like Fudd run out and get open for transition threes. Again, this is a tenet of the pace-and-space era in the pro game.
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Strong finished Sunday’s game on triple-double watch with 29 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes. She shot over 70% from the field on 17 total field goals.
“We put the ball in [Strong]’s hands, and we’re going to get something really, really good,” Auriemma said. “We don’t have to run a play. Now, that’s all well and good, but you need really, really good players to do that.”
And that’s who they have in Strong.
With Strong and Fudd as UConn’s top two options, the question prior to the start of the season was who was going to step up and be that third scoring threat. What happens when teams scout both Strong and Fudd and implement schemes to render them less effective?
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On Sunday, the Huskies might have found that answer.
In addition to Strong and Williams, the Huskies have a third versatile forward in 19-year-old Blanca Quiñonez, a freshman from Ecuador who played professionally in Italy prior to joining the Huskies.
In her debut on Wednesday, Quiñonez played more of a backup to Strong, as she too can handle the ball like a point forward and can drive, fly up the floor in transition, and shoot threes while also using her length to defend multiple positions.
Quiñonez broke out on Sunday, though, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting while hitting two three-pointers and picking up four rebounds in her 23 minutes off the bench.
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Instead of serving as Strong’s backup, Quiñonez found herself in a new role as Auriemma unveiled a more creative, pro-style wrinkle. He put out a jumbo lineup featuring Quiñonez, Strong and Williams alongside two guards from combinations of Fudd, Arnold and sophomore transfer Kayleigh Heckel.
The Huskies had a significant advantage, making them harder for the smaller Ohio State team to guard and allowing the length of the three-big lineup to clog passing lanes and make it difficult for the Buckeyes to get to their spots.
Quiñonez stood out to multiple WNBA talent evaluators who attended in Hartford following the league meetings in New York City days earlier. The sentiment was that Quiñonez is a pro talent right now, although she does come with some growing pains. For example, she had five turnovers on Sunday.
“I think I’ll say, I try to play fast,” Quiñonez told reporters. “In fact, coach says that sometimes I just play so fast that I try to do too much things in one action, but I try to put some extra energy on the game, play hard and just have fun.”
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When Auriemma spoke about his super talented first-year player, he noted that she’s still adjusting to learning the American rules that include a longer shot clock and fewer possessions.
“But it’s a little bit of a slower game here,” Auriemma said. “But in some ways, it’s a faster game here, because of how we play.”
The phrasing may sound contradictory, but it reflects his intent to play differently this year and how that will prepare seniors like Williams and Fudd for the next level.
“Yeah, I think it definitely will prepare me for the next level,” Fudd said. “I think that really also goes to show just the coaches and like what they’ve built here, and how the stuff that we go through in practice every day and preseason, the way that expectations that they hold us to.”
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But Fudd didn’t want to think too far ahead about her future and chose instead to focus on the here and now, and the prospect of winning another national championship before beginning her next chapter as a pro.
And while the Huskies look uniquely poised to do just that, the road ahead won’t be simple on paper. Auriemma hasn’t had the luxury of a deep roster in recent years due to significant injuries to his players. While depth can be an attractive asset, its opportunity cost lies in reduced cohesive chemistry with fewer minutes available for everyone.
“It’s a challenge trying to find the right combinations all the time,” he said. “And we’re not going to get it right all the time. But, I do want to see more people in more situations.”
That will be the main hurdle ahead as UConn attempts to repeat as national champions for the first time in eight years.
