For the 11th time in program history, UConn women’s basketball has finished the regular season undefeated. With an 85-49 win over St. John’s on Sunday, the Huskies improved to 31-0 on the season. In seven of the 10 previous perfect seasons, UConn went on to win the national title.
“They all kind of have similar characteristics, the ones I’ve been involved in,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of his undefeated seasons. “Really close-knit teams that really love playing together, and you get a little bit of something from everybody every night. They’ve been fun to coach.”
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In Madison Square Garden, for the first-ever standalone women’s basketball game, UConn took care of St. John’s (21-10) in the same way it has most opponents this season — behind a suffocating defense (15 steals, 22 forced turnovers) and an efficient offense. Led by the Swiss Army knife that is Sarah Strong (11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and six steals), the Huskies finished with a 36-point advantage in the paint. Azzi Fudd led the balanced Huskies scoring attack with 14 points.
The Huskies marched through the season notching convincing win after convincing win, averaging a nearly 40-point margin of victory in both Big East play and the overall season. Though the Big East didn’t provide nightly competition the way some other conferences do, the Huskies faced four top-13 teams during nonconference play (Ohio State, Iowa, Louisville and Michigan), as well as Tennessee, Florida State, Notre Dame and Utah.
With a win margin of 37.8 points per game, 2025-26 UConn trails only 2014-15 UConn (plus-40.6) and 2015-16 UConn (plus-39.7) in NCAA women’s basketball history.
The Huskies now enter the Big East tournament as heavy favorites, playing Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in the quarterfinals, and as the overall favorites in the NCAA Tournament. On Sunday, before UConn’s regular-season finale, the Division I women’s basketball committee released its second top-16 ranking with the Huskies coming in at the No. 1 position. They haven’t earned the No. 1 overall seed since 2018.
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The win also marked the Huskies’ 47th straight victory, the fifth-longest winning streak in NCAA women’s basketball history.
UConn’s perfect regular seasons
|
Season |
Final record |
NCAA Tournament finish |
|---|---|---|
|
1994-95 |
35-0 |
National champions |
|
1996-97 |
33-1 |
Elite Eight |
|
2001-02 |
39-0 |
National champions |
|
2002-03 |
37-1 |
National champions |
|
2008-09 |
39-0 |
National champions |
|
2009-10 |
39-0 |
National champions |
|
2013-14 |
40-0 |
National champions |
|
2015-16 |
38-0 |
National champions |
|
2016-17 |
36-1 |
Final Four |
|
2017-18 |
36-1 |
Final Four |
|
2025-26 |
31-0 |
TBD |
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Connecticut Huskies, Women’s College Basketball
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