The UConn Huskies are one of the most dominant teams in Women’s College Basketball, and have continued to do so this season. Boasting a perfect 23-0 record so far, Geno Auriemma’s Huskies are hunting for the title once again after winning it last year.
Forward Sarah Strong has been one of the key stars for the UConn Huskies. She was ESPN’s top-ranked recruit for 2024 and impressed from the get-go at UConn. The French-American star has taken another leap this year, forming the strongest duo in Women’s College Basketball right now alongside Azzi Fudd.
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Strong was covered on Slam 360. She dived into her first experience with the UConn basketball program under Geno Auriemma, stating that it was different from what she had expected.
“I still can’t to this day read him (Geno). If he’s joking or when he makes those little comments, I’m like, I can’t tell if you’re serious…We’ve gotten a lot better at it now—I know what to expect. But both of them were just really intimidating. I was kind of scared of both. Seeing [Geno] yell at Paige or one of the upperclassmen, and, like, he’s saying some kind of hurtful things, I was like, Oh, wow. Is that normal here? It is,” she explained.
Sarah Strong included associate Head Coach Chris Daley and the strict rules he had the players adhere to.
Geno is known to be an authoritative figure, especially in training. That way of his has helped the UConn Huskies win innumerable titles in Women’s College Basketball and made Geno one of the best coaches in NCAAW history.
April 6, 2025, Tampa, Florida, USA: UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong 21, right, moves the ball down the court with teammate UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd 35 Sunday, April 6, 2025 in Tampa. Tampa USA – ZUMAs70_ 0809761100st Copyright: xDirkxShaddx
As for Sarah Strong, she has been on a tear, averaging 19.4 points and over 8 rebounds per game while also shouldering the burden of playing nearly the entirety of the games as Geno Auriemma falls back on her and the other starters amidst the growing injury list.
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Sarah is not eligible for the 2026 WNBA Draft but is already projected to be a top prospect for the next one, and it will be interesting to see just how much she can elevate her game under Geno’s tutelage.
Geno Auriemma is happy that the Huskies are finally getting tested
For a UConn fan reading the end-game scoreline against Tennessee, it would feel like another routine blowout win. However, it was anything but easy.
Geno Auriemma’s side was really pushed to the limit in the first half, with Tennessee leading at one point in the second quarter.
The first half ended 42-42, with the UConn Huskies not really having room to rest the starters because of injury issues. Yet, the Huskies turned up the pace and ran to a 96-66 win in the end.
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Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong played almost the entire game and combined for 53 points to lead UConn to its 23rd win of the season.
However, Geno Auriemma did not shy away from the first half performance and shared that he was satisfied that the game lived up to the billing, albeit in just one half.
The 14-0 run Huskies went to close out the third quarter opened the gap, lest it would have been a closer encounter going into the final quarter as well. With just 8 players currently on the active roster due to injuries, UConn could continue to face some tests before heading into March Madness.
