"It's not a recipe": Geno Auriemma seems positive on Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong's potential national championship prospects
Much to the delight of coach Geno Auriemma, the UConn Huskies have stayed unbeaten in the 2025 Big East conference. On Sunday, the No. 6-ranked team in the nation demolished the Seton Hall Pirates 96-36 for its eighth straight victory in conference play.
The trio of standouts in Sarah Strong, Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd were unstoppable, as Strong posted 23 points and 11 rebounds while the veteran guards dropped 18 markers apiece.
During the postgame press conference, Auriemma spoke on the growing chemistry of his big three.
"I said at halftime that if you look at the total picture of how it started defensively, how the offense flowed from defense, and what those three were able to do, it's not a recipe if you're saying, 'Okay, you're going to win the national championship because you have three terrific players,'" he said. (Timestamp: 2:00)
"I do think that if the three of them are playing at a really high level and executing their stuff the way they did today, we put ourselves in a chance to win most of the games the rest of the season ...The confidence that those three have in themselves and each other is a huge factor. It's funny how everybody else starts making shots because those guys are making shots," Auriemma added.
"When it's clicking like that, it's really fun to watch," he concluded.
Besides the three starters, no other UConn player scored in double digits, as freshman Allie Ziebell came the closest with nine markers. Although it was against an unranked opponent, it seems as though Auriemma is hoping that the rest of his squad follows suit with the kind of production his stars are contributing.
For a storied program that hasn't won the national title since 2016, this may just be the recipe needed to reclaim national glory come March.
Geno Auriemma doesn't feel that mistakes, when they're up big, are a problem
Most of UConn's turnovers came in the second half when most of the bench players were logged in to cover for the starters given that the Huskies were already up by a huge margin. For Geno Auriemma, the mistakes that they made are not much of a factor in the team's pursuit of success this year.
"No (on cleaning up garbage time), a lot of the guys that were turning it over in the second half, they don't play together much. So, the chemistry is not great. I don't worry about that. If the guys that are playing 30 minutes are turning the ball over a lot, then that's a problem," he shared. (1:20)
Auriemma is hoping to return to the NCAA women's basketball mountaintop in the national tournament in a few months after winning it 11 times in his career.
The UConn Huskies will gun for conference win No. 9 on Wednesday against the Villanova Wildcats on their home floor.