"She's never where I want her to be": Geno Auriemma reacts to Paige Bueckers dropping 17 points in less than 20 minutes vs Butler
The UConn Huskies, coached by Geno Auriemma, were able to stay undefeated in the Big East conference earlier on Saturday, Feb. 22. As the No. 5-ranked program in the nation, they blew out the unranked Butler Bulldogs in away territory by an astounding 39 points, 86-47, to snag their 16th conference victory, 26th overall of the 2024-2025 season.
Auriemma's squad was once again led by fourth-year star Paige Bueckers, who had 17 points already by halftime despite not playing every minute of it. She eventually finished with a game-high 23 markers on an efficient 10-for-16 overall shooting, two rebounds, ten assists and three steals in 34 minutes logged.
During his halftime interview where the Huskies were up big by a 25-point gap, 42-17, Auriemma was asked if Bueckers is doing the things that he wants her to do. In classic Auriemma fashion, he responded that there's more to her performance than her positioning.
"No, she's never where I want her to be. You know I think there's always a little bit more. But, we'll see. You know I think we're doing a great job of finding her, and we're doing a great job of getting some screens set there. And, she's doing a great job trying to hunt down shots, which you put all those together, then that's a good combination," Auriemma said. (0:45)
This kind of tough standard can be one of the factors that led to Bueckers becoming the sensation she is today. Auriemma is known to be a tremendously tough mentor that has led to numerous standout UConn players such as the Hopkins, Minnesota native.
Geno Auriemma discusses his team's improvement on defense
Geno Auriemma also discussed in the interview his thoughts on his UConn Huskies have fared when it comes to their improvement on stopping the opposition from scoring. This stems from their tough 80-76 loss to the 15th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Feb. 7 prior to their current five-game winning streak.
"I think we've gotten better, pretty much every game. I think that Tennessee game was probably the worst defensive performance that we've had in a long, long time. We're capitalizing on it, that's it, that's the most important thing. I like the way we're spreading the ball around. I'd like to see get a little more stuff more inside the lane instead of just jumpshots," Auriemma shared. (0:06)
"But, I though our defense was terrific and our transition game was great," he then concluded.
Auriemma and Co. will look to close out their regular season strong with a couple more games, starting with a home conference fixture against the 23rd-ranked Creighton Bluejays on their homefloor on Thursday, Feb. 27.