UConn W Basketball

Hannah Hidalgo racked up 29 points on Thursday to help No. 8 Notre Dame hand Paige Bueckers and No. 2 UConn their first loss of the season.

The Fighting Irish staved off a third-quarter comeback push by the Huskies in order to claim a 79-68 victory.

NO. 8 NOTRE DAME TAKES DOWN NO. 2 UCONN ☘️

This is @ndwbb's 16th win vs. Geno Auriemma, the most by any school. pic.twitter.com/7AHyX0LZ0S

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) December 13, 2024

Hidalgo added 10 rebounds to her double-double while also recording eight assists and three steals.

Hannah Hidalgo is the most competitive player in women’s college hoops, and that’s on BOTH ends!

— Chiney Ogwumike (@chiney) December 13, 2024

Hannah Hidalgo is my NPOY favorite as of now.

Just saying.

— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) December 13, 2024

UConn's undefeated streak will end at eight games. Bueckers led the Huskies with 25 points while adding three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Notre Dame led by 11 points at the half, but UConn climbed back from the deficit to within one point of tying by the final moments of the third quarter.

Hidalgo responded with a buzzer-beating three-point jumper to keep the Fighting Irish in front.

HANNAH!! HIDALGO!! BUZZER!! BEATER!!

📺 ESPN#GoIrish // @HannahHidalgo pic.twitter.com/gyqEzUs7ig

— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) December 13, 2024

Missing star guard Azzi Fudd, who is currently sidelined with a knee sprain, the Huskies were unable close the gap in the fourth quarter.

UCONN needs Azzi Fudd‼️

— Allie (@Al_lieeee) December 13, 2024

UConn had a bad night, Notre Dame had a good night. But I truthfully think this game would have turned out differently if Azzi Fudd was in the game. She is the spark we were missing. Hope we can put this game behind us!

— #firegeno (@firegeno) December 13, 2024

The loss marks the UConn's third straight defeat in matchups with Notre Dame, the Huskies' worst streak in the rivalry matchup since 2013.

UConn now holds an 38-16 all-time record against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish is the first team to defeat the Huskies 16 times under head coach Geno Auriemma, according to the ACC Network.

Fans are now putting pressure on Auriemma after UConn was out-rebounded 38-30 in the loss. UConn also went 3-of-16 from behind the arc, while Notre Dame converted 10 of 18 three-point opportunities.

This is also want happens when you play Paige Bueckers so much off ball Geno Auriemma. Hidalgo has had the ball in her hands all night.

— Bi⚡️ERK (@BizerkJerk) December 13, 2024

Geno Auriemma with the Steve Kerr school of nonsense. Having your best shot creator and scorer playing off ball for huge portions of the game, allowing them to get out of rhythm.

— kendall Green (@ontargethoops) December 13, 2024

Geno Auriemma doesn't know how to coach against teams with the same level of talent as he has. Oh how the times have changed.

— GirlSTIR (@GirlStir) December 13, 2024

This loss is on Geno Auriemma. He didn’t prepare his team at all for the ball pressure, ball denial, and it also had to be a coaching decision for them help off the corners as much as they were. 3 point differential was 3 UConn 3s to 10 Notre Dame 3s

— SportyFella (@FellaSporty) December 13, 2024

Thursday's result could come up again during March Madness seeding.

Although the Fighting Irish struggled early in conference play with an 0-2 record against Big 12 opponents in the Cayman Islanders, the win also marks Notre Dame's third over a top-five opponent. The team also claimed victories over USC on Nov. 23 and Texas last week.

Assuming this score holds, USC, Texas and UConn will be a combined 0-3 against Notre Dame but 26-0 against everyone else. Three Irish wins over top-five opponents.

— Geoffrey Clark (@gfclark89) December 13, 2024

Notre Dame’s two losses in the Cayman Islands are irrelevant now.

They’ve answered with two Top 5 wins. Texas now UConn. 📈📈📈

— Kim Adams (@_kimadams) December 13, 2024

UConn meanwhile will look to learn from their first loss of the season as the Huskies prepare for conference play to begin in earnest in the new year.

Well that was a disappointing game for UCONN… good growing game though.. learn from it.

— Megan (@msxo20) December 13, 2024

hopefully this game is a wake up call for what uconn needs to do to tighten up, bc they are not gonna win that natty looking like that😭

— south central boots (@curiosity51db) December 13, 2024

I believe in this team, I really do. But we need to look at what we did wrong this game, where ND was better than us, and how ND capitalized on our mistakes. Take that and improve from it, we absolutely have the talent to get the job done.

— Mr. UConn (@1999Huskies) December 13, 2024

The Huskies return to action on Sunday against visiting Georgetown, while the Fighting Irish are back at home to take on Eastern Michigan the same day.

Paige Bueckers' custom Nike G.T. Hustle 3 is dropping Saturday, with the UConn star becoming the first NIL athlete to get their own player edition from the brand.

Paige Bueckers’ First Nike PE Shoe Drops This Week

Bueckers becomes the first NIL athlete to get her own Nike PE release. pic.twitter.com/8kFvQCfMIK

— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) December 2, 2024

"It's definitely motivating to wear your own shoe," Bueckers said, per The Athletic's Ben Pickman. "I grew up wearing Nikes—all the signature shoes—so it's surreal to have this player edition model. I just want to show out in it."

The senior guard signed with Nike ahead of the 2023-24 season. Sole Retriever first reported in July her own unique design would be forthcoming within the Nike G.T. Hustle line.

Among the personalized touches are the area codes for Storrs, Connecticut, and her hometown of Hopkins, Minnesota, on the left tongue. The right tongue features a bucket as a nod to her "Paige Buckets" nickname.

"There are so many details that make this shoe special to me," Bueckers said. "This is the perfect colorway for me: I love baby blue and lavender, and the Radial Knit makes me feel fly. My favorite detail is the message from my dad, and the tribute to both of my homes is so meaningful for my first Player Edition model."

A two-time unanimous first-team All-American and the national player of the year in 2020-21, Bueckers returned to form last year after a torn ACL sidelined her for her entire junior campaign. She averaged 22.0 points on 53.0 percent shooting along with 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals.

UConn reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament for the 23rd time, where it came up just short against Caitlin Clark and Iowa.

The Huskies are off to a 6-0 start in 2024-25 and sits second nationally behind UCLA. Bueckers has put up 22.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest in what's expected to be her final college season.

Animal rights group PETA expressed displeasure Friday over a live goat being used as part of a postgame celebration after University of Connecticut head women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma's 1,217th career win on Wednesday.

The victory broke a tie with former Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, making Auriemma the winningest head coach in NCAA history.

UConn celebrated Auriemma and his career after the game, and one aspect of the festivities was a goat joining Auriemma on the court, which signified his status as the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.) in the realm of college basketball coaching:

Huskies brought out a LIVE GOAT to celebrate Geno making history 🤣🐐 pic.twitter.com/hzf187tuVn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 21, 2024

Per TMZ Sports, PETA released a statement condemning the goat's involvement, saying: "The University of Connecticut can't 'conn' people into thinking it's okay to subject a stressed-out animal out to the chaos of bright lights and screaming fans."

PETA also expressed its belief that the goat was "visibly anxious" and that its handler "either didn't notice or didn't care that his collar was digging into his neck."

UConn told TMZ that the goat was returned to the local farm it was borrowed from following Wednesday's celebration.

Goat controversy notwithstanding, it was a huge night for the UConn women's basketball program, as it further cemented the legacy of Auriemma, who has 23 Final Four appearances and 11 national championships, in addition to the 1,217 wins.

The No. 2 Huskies took down Fairleigh Dickinson 85-41 on Wednesday to improve to 4-0 on the season, and they look to be serious contenders to win their first national championship since 2016.

UConn has a long road ahead between now and the NCAA tournament, but it can take another step forward with its next game Monday when Auriemma and National Player of the Year candidate Paige Bueckers lead the Huskies into a Baha Mar Women's Championship tournament game against Oregon State.

Geno Auriemma is the NCAA Division 1 all-time winningest coach.

The UConn women's basketball coach won his 1,217 game on Wednesday, passing Stanford legend Tara VanDerveer's historic mark. The Huskies beat Fairleigh Dickinson 85-41 to give Auriemma the record.

Ahead of the game, UConn honored the 70-year-old for coaching his 40th season with the Huskies this year.

A goat in Gampel! 🐐

Geno Auriemma has been inducted into the international order of old goats 😂 pic.twitter.com/2gamPYU8b8

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) November 21, 2024

Geno Auriemma gets his gift honoring his 40 seasons at UConn pic.twitter.com/dRqBDfTMLY

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) November 20, 2024

The state of Connecticut also honored him with a new road sign.

New road sign in Connecticut 👏 pic.twitter.com/Yj80ClBlnr

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 21, 2024

After another career achievement for Auriemma, fans had high praise for him on social media.

Geno Auriemma becomes the winningest coach in NCAA Division I basketball history, solidifying his legendary legacy.#NCAAWBB x @UConnWBB pic.twitter.com/Jr7m1ySt5P

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) November 21, 2024

DT and Sue Bird in the house as Coach Geno goes for the D-I all-time wins record tonight 🏀✨ pic.twitter.com/vONoev2BIK

— espnW (@espnW) November 20, 2024

student section celebrating geno and cd’s historic win 🏅 pic.twitter.com/Jy5kIUHVWy

— sarah (@sar_nelly) November 21, 2024

Geno and CD.

That's it, that's the tweet.

— junglehusky, industry 🌱 (@junglehusky) November 21, 2024

Geno Auriemma takes up all four spots on the Mount Rushmore of basketball coaches. pic.twitter.com/QMtMlDCAwy

— James B. Terry (@terryjt1) November 21, 2024

https://twitter.com/QLovesMT/status/1859412210973286700

Geno really did it🐐

— Kristin Parisi (@kristinparisi11) November 21, 2024

Geno is the 🐐 #bleedblue

— 🏁KG🏁 (@nosoup4u_24) November 21, 2024

Once again, there is no reasonable argument you can make for anyone but Geno Auriemma as the greatest women's basketball coach of all-time.

— Russell Steinberg (@Russ_Steinberg) November 21, 2024

GENO WITH THE RECORDDDDDD

— reyyyy 💙 (@reyfaultline) November 21, 2024

https://twitter.com/BennisJr/status/1859412818786754704

There will never be another Geno Auriemma. 🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/gDv2KcyWtU

— K.BO XXV IS A CHAMPION 🗽🐺 (@KBO_XXV) November 21, 2024

geno auriemma. the absolute GOAT.

— brianna pirre (@bsp_13) November 21, 2024

Auriemma took over as UConn head coach in 1985 and quickly established himself as one of the best in the game. Nearly 40 years later, there's not much of an argument that he isn't the greatest coach to ever do it.

He has won 11 national championships, including four straight from 2013 to 2016, which was also the last time the Huskies won the tournament. He's also been to 23 Final Fours and has won 27 conference tournament titles and 28 conference regular-season titles. He has been named the Naismith Coach of the Year eight times, the Big East Coach of the Year 12 times and the AAC Coach of the Year six times.

On his way to 1,217 wins, he surpassed legends such as the late Pat Summitt from Tennessee, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and of course, VanDerveer, who retired after the 2024 season.

Considering all of the coaches even close to Auriemma are already retired and he can still keep adding to his win total, his record is going to stand for a long time.

However, the work is far from over for Auriemma as he's still got a long season ahead of him. UConn is off to a 4-0 start that includes a win over No. 16 North Carolina after last year's Final Four exit.

The Huskies have a handful of manageable games coming but have a tough December slate. They'll face four ranked teams next month including three top-10 teams in Notre Dame, Iowa State and USC.

Panini America reached a name, image and likeness deal with the biggest name in women's college basketball this season in UConn's Paige Bueckers, per Reuters.

The exclusive, multi-year agreement will feature autographed trading cards of Bueckers as well as a full team set for the 2024-25 UConn Huskies. It will also feature a product line of some of the pioneers of women's basketball who have influenced the star guard throughout her career.

Bueckers joins stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese who have signed partnerships with Panini.

"Growing up I used to collect cards of all my favorite players, to know that my teammates and I will have our own Panini trading cards and that fans are going to go collect it is really special," Bueckers said. "I can't wait to collaborate on projects that give collectors and fans more ways to celebrate our game."

Bueckers' loaded resume includes the 2020-21 Naismith Award, Wooden Award and Associated Press Player of the Year award. She is also a two-time All-American and two-time Big East Player of the Year who is once again under the spotlight in 2024-25.

Through three games this season, she is averaging 21.3 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 steals while shooting 65 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. The overall efficiency despite being the primary focus of opposing defenses every night stands out, and she is the primary reason the Huskies are on the short list of realistic national title contenders.

If she continues to live up to expectations and play at such a high level, she will be all but a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA draft.

That would give the Dallas Wings a foundational building block in the backcourt who is already a household name among basketball fans because of her collegiate career.

And now those fans will have the opportunity to collect some of her trading cards following this partnership.

UConn guard Paige Bueckers says she didn't watch the 2025 WNBA draft lottery on Sunday, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

The Dallas Wings won the rights to the No. 1 pick in the draft, which is set to take place on April 14.

When asked about how she was dealing with the distractions surrounding the upcoming draft, Bueckers answered, "I think I've mostly dealt with it by focusing on having a great practice today."

(She had a cheeky smile saying this)

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) November 19, 2024

Bueckers has opened the 2024-25 season by averaging 21.3 points through three games for the Huskies.

She has one year of eligibility remaining at UConn after this season. Bueckers could enter the draft as the potential No. 1 pick, or return for a fifth college season.

ESPN's Michael Voepel reported following the draft that the Wings winning the top pick could potentially impact Bueckers' desire to go pro in 2025.

"Sources around the league have indicated that the Los Angeles Sparks, who got the No. 2 pick in the lottery, would have been Bueckers' preferred option," Voepel wrote.

The Sparks, who hold the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, were favored to win the No. 1 pick after finishing the 2024 campaign with an 8-32 record.

Both the Sparks, who fired head coach Curt Miller after two seasons and a 25-55 overall record, and the Wings, who parted ways with Latricia Trammell after Dallas missed the playoffs in 2024, are in periods of transition. Miller has now joined the Wings as general manager, but neither team currently has a head coach.

The Wings have more questions to answer after starting forward Natasha Howard, who played a key role during Dallas' run to the 2023 semifinals, indicated in a social media post that she planned to leave for another team this offseason. Satou Sabally, who was also a core part of the semifinal team, is also hitting free agency after playing out her last one-year contract.

Drafting Bueckers would jump-start the Wings' ability to rebuild without Howard, but it sounds like fans won't get an answer as to her draft decision until closer to the end of the 2024-25 college season. UConn, which entered the AP preseason poll at No. 2, is looking to end the campaign as national champions for the first time since winning four consecutive titles between 2013 and 2016.

Legendary UConn women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma made history on Friday night.

The Huskies defeated North Carolina by the final score of 69-58, marking Auriemma's 1,216th career victory. It tied him with former Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer for the NCAA Division I career record, via the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

Geno Auriemma ties Tara VanDerveer for most wins (1,216) as a D-I head coach in college basketball history 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dTNqIMJ8s9

— ESPN (@espn) November 16, 2024

UConn improved to 3-0 with the win as the team begins to pursue its first NCAA Tournament championship under Auriemma since 2016.

The 70-year-old is starting his 40th season with the Huskies, owning a career record of 1,216-162 following Friday's victory.

Auriemma previously reached 1,200 career wins during the 2023-24 season, becoming the third coach to reach the milestone while also achieving it the fastest. Former Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski is the only other member of the club that includes Auriemma and VanDerveer.

The Huskies coach should be able to build upon the record once he eventually achieves it, as Krzyzewski retired in 2022. VanDerveer also announced her retirement following the 2023-24 season.

Auriemma has led UConn to immense success since he took over as head coach in 1985, recording 11 championships and 23 appearances in the Final Four during his tenure with the school.

In terms of individual accolades, he has eight Naismith National Coach of the Year wins under his belt and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Auriemma's first opportunity to break the record will come on Wednesday when the Huskies host Fairleigh Dickinson. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET.

There's an alternate reality where Angel Reese wrote her name alongside other UConn legends rather than helping lift LSU to a national championship in 2023.

Reese reacted Monday on X to a photo of her wearing a Huskies hoodie and standing next to legendary head coach Geno Auriemma:

let’s put this picture back WHEREVER yall found it 😭😭🤣🤦🏽‍♀️ https://t.co/Ej3HQJPuKH

— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) November 11, 2024

The 6'3" forward was the No. 2 recruit in the 2020 class, so it's only natural that she would've met with UConn officials and contemplated life in Storrs. However, she said to the Baltimore Sun's Katherine Dunn in 2018 she had removed the Huskies from consideration due to her potential playing time as a true freshman.

At the time, Megan Walker was entering her sophomore year and Olivia Nelson-Ododa was the fifth-best recruit nationally and a true freshman.

Reese, a Baltimore native, ultimately decided to stay close to home and signed with Maryland.

The 2024 WNBA All-Star isn't the biggest what if for the Huskies when it comes to that recruiting cycle.

Caitlin Clark told ESPN's Wright Thompson she dreamed of playing for UConn but received little interest from the school. With Paige Bueckers, another 2020 recruit, on their radar, the Huskies didn't aggressively pursue another dynamic guard.

More than anything, Reese's photo with Auriemma is another reminder of how stacked the 2020 class was.

The UConn women's basketball team will be heading overseas for next year's season opener.

The Huskies announced on Thursday that they will open the 2025-26 campaign against Louisville at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany as part of the Armed Forces Classic.

The Huskies will tip off the 2025-26 season in the Armed Forces Classic!

📅 Nov. 4, 2025
🆚 Louisville
📍 Ramstein Air Base, Germany pic.twitter.com/JCDLmwqQVx

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) November 7, 2024

The game between UConn and Louisville will be the first-ever women's college basketball matchup of the Armed Forces Classic, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

"We want to do as much as we possibly can, both personally and team-wise, to support our armed forces," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. "I'm glad we're getting the opportunity to go overseas and have many of our military members see us play in person. I know it'll be an experience of a lifetime for everyone in our program."

"We are extremely thankful to be selected for the 2025 Armed Forces Classic," Louisville coach Jeff Walz said in a statement. "It will be an incredible experience for our players and staff to play in front of some of our nation's heroes overseas. We look forward to the opportunity to showcase women's basketball on an international stage."

The matchup will continue the run of top women's college basketball teams playing their respective season openers at international sites. Earlier this week, games featuring USC vs. Ole Miss and UCLA vs. Louisville were played in Oui-Play in Paris.

The Armed Forces Classic debuted in 2012 and has been played in South Korea, Puerto Rico, Japan, Hawaii, Texas, Alaska and San Diego. Ramstein Air Base previously hosted the event in 2012 and 2017.

The Huskies, who are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, are set to open the 2024-25 season on Thursday against Boston University. The No. 17 Cardinals suffered a 66-59 loss to the Bruins and will look to bounce back on Friday against Southern Indiana.

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma believes it's time to reclassify college sports with athletes earning outside endorsement money.

Auriemma said Wednesday during the Big East's media day the old student-athlete model is now a "charade." He argued it more resembles "semi-professional, pay-for-play sports" that should be treated like a "business."

Geno Auriemma on NIL: "Do we keep the charade of student-athlete, or do we call it what it is — semi-professional, pay-for-play sports?"

On the transfer portal: "How about we teach kids how to make a commitment and stick to it? Let's make it a business." pic.twitter.com/foijvj7cpt

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) October 23, 2024

The legendary coach has never been shy about voicing his opinion regarding the new normal in college athletics. The increasing ease with which players are allowed to transfer in particular has been one of his longstanding gripes.

In 2019, before the NCAA approved its first one-time transfer rule, Auriemma suggested that "the majority of coaches in America are afraid of their players," lest those players decide to leave.

"The NCAA, the athletic directors and society has made them afraid of their players," he said, per ESPN's Michael Voepel. "Every article you read: 'This guy's a bully. This woman's a bully. This guy went over the line. This woman was inappropriate.'

"Yet the players get off scot-free in everything. They can do whatever they want. They don't like something you say to them, they transfer. Coaches, they have to coach with one hand behind their back. Why? Because some people have abused the role of a coach."

Not surprisingly, Auriemma opinions haven't evolved much since he made those comments. Following a victory over St. John's this past January, he lamented the "transactional" relationship between player and coach.

"How do you coach in an environment where the players feel like they owe you nothing and you owe them everything?"

Geno Auriemma talks about the challenges of coaching with NIL and the transfer portal: pic.twitter.com/yzBvAmHyrF

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) January 13, 2024

Of course, Auriemma's attitudes about the transfer portal haven't stopped the Huskies from capitalizing on the changes in the past. Evina Westbrook and Dorka Juhász signed with UConn before graduating from their previous schools.

When it comes to the increased professionalization of college sports, the 70-year-old is echoing what a lot of coaches and fans think already.

Athletes are getting NIL money, enjoy more freedom of movement than ever, in some cases have to travel thousands of miles for conference games, and are seeing television networks spend hundreds of millions of dollars to broadcast their games. The days of amateurism in major-revenue sports are over.

But some might see Auriemma's opinions, especially on how athletes get to exercise some leverage themselves, as a bit rich coming from a coach who months ago signed an $18.7 million extension.