UConn W Basketball

An exciting Final Four matchup between No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 UConn now holds the record for the most-watched basketball game ever on ESPN.

Per ESPN PR, Friday's game between the Hawkeyes and Huskies was the most watched NCAA women's basketball game ever with 14.2 million viewers on ESPN and peaking at 17 million viewers. It was also the highest audience for any basketball game on record at ESPN and the most-watched college event ever on ESPN+.

ESPN also noted that it was the network's second-best non-football telecast ever.

Friday night's 2024 #WFinalFour matchup between No. 1 @IowaWBB & No. 3 @UConnWBB was the MOST-WATCHED #NCAAWBB game EVER 🎉

🏀 Peak 17M viewers
🏀 Highest audience for ANY BASKETBALL GAME on record
🏀 Iowa-UConn was the most-viewed college event ever on ESPN+#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/P8BUtRyUxH

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 6, 2024

Friday's viewership numbers were better than every 2023 World Series game, every 2023 NBA Finals game and several other major sporting events.

https://twitter.com/richarddeitsch/status/1776714186841583825

The record-setting broadcast comes after Iowa's Elite Eight matchup with No. 3 LSU shattered the record for the most-watched women's college basketball game with 12.3 million viewers.

It's no surprise to see Friday's matchup draw historic viewership. It had everything a college basketball fan would want in a game, from star power with Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers to a dramatic finish.

The two teams traded runs late in the game, with the Huskies leading by a big margin in the third quarter before trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter. UConn crawled back into the game to make things interesting down the stretch and came within one point with just seconds remaining.

A costly, controversial offensive foul on UConn's Aaliyah Edwards eliminated the Huskies' attempt at a game-winning shot, and Iowa secured a rebound after Clark missed a free throw at the other end to seal the game.

Now, Iowa will face No. 1 South Carolina in the championship game on Sunday. The undefeated Gamecocks are looking to win their second championship in three years while Clark is aiming to end her career with a victory.

With another exciting matchup on deck, seeing more historic viewership numbers won't be a surprise.

UConn secured a small victory just hours after a heartbreaking defeat in the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament.

Five-star forward Sarah Strong announced Saturday her commitment to the Huskies. She's the No. 1 player in HoopGurlz's 2024 rankings and one of three top-20 talents heading to Storrs next season, joining Allie Ziebell (No. 4) and Morgan Cheli (No. 18).

The moment Sarah Strong made it official at #ChipotleNationals 🤩 pic.twitter.com/yet0qxbXic

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) April 6, 2024

Daniel Connolly of UConn WBB Weekly provided a look at the team's roster for the next four years when accounting for the newest commit:

UConn's scholarship chart with the addition of Sarah Strong. The Huskies are currently at the maximum scholarship limit pic.twitter.com/oaCVTzA8XF

— Daniel Connolly (@DanielVConnolly) April 6, 2024

Shane Laflin of ESPN detailed what Strong brings to the court.

"The 6'2" point forward might be the most unique player in the country with her versatility and skills," he wrote. "Powerful in the paint but with a feathery touch around the 3-point line, Strong is comfortable all over the floor and features a combination of strength and skill. The most outstanding part of her game may be her precision passing. Her outlet passing is particularly impressive."

Strong has represented the United States at the youth level, winning back-to-back golds in the 2022 and 2023 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup.

The Huskies are no longer the preeminent force they once were. They were last crowned national champions in 2016 and watched as South Carolina emerged as the foremost dynasty in women's basketball.

The retirements of legendary coaches in other sports also point to how the Geno Auriemma era will come to an end at some point.

Still, neither of those factors has prevented UConn from remaining a magnet for top talent. Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold were both top-20 recruits in 2023, and the pair of Ayanna Patterson and Ice Brady ranked in the top five for 2022.

Injuries rather than a lack of quality across the roster is the single biggest reason the Huskies' championship drought goes on.

UConn already received a huge boost with Paige Bueckers spurning the WNBA and deciding to use her final year of eligibility. With the recruiting class that's coming in, the program is likely to be near the top of the early power rankings for 2024-25.

UConn star Paige Bueckers didn't dwell on the controversial offensive foul call that secured Iowa a 71-69 victory in the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament on Friday.

Down by a point in the final seconds, the Huskies were trying to line up the go-ahead bucket when forward Aaliyah Edwards was whistled for an illegal screen. Caitlin Clark made one of her two free throws and the Hawkeyes held on.

After the game, Bueckers looked at the bigger picture and didn't cite the foul as the one thing that cost UConn a potential victory:

"Everybody can make a big deal of that one single play, but not one single play wins a basketball game or loses a basketball game. I feel like there were a lot of mistakes that I made that could've prevented that play from even being that big."

- Paige Bueckers pic.twitter.com/9w8iiSnXlc

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) April 6, 2024

Head coach Geno Auriemma was likewise more measured with his immediate reaction but couldn't fully hide his frustration:

"There's probably an illegal screen call that you could make on every single possession. I just know that there were three or four of them called on us and I don't think there were any called on them."

- Geno Auriemma pic.twitter.com/pSsHdZNsDP

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) April 6, 2024

The game circumstances shouldn't determine what is and isn't a foul, but fans and players have broadly come to expect officials to be more lenient in the waning seconds. You want the players to determine the outcome, not the refs.

With that in mind, many were disappointed with how a classic March Madness encounter ended.

"To be honest ... that call sucked SVP."@Andraya_Carter spoke with @notthefakeSVP on the offensive foul called on Aaliyah Edwards in the final seconds. pic.twitter.com/VNjPaYYIBq

— espnW (@espnW) April 6, 2024

The ref that called that foul should not be able to work another final four for a min! That was horrible and didn't let the players determine the outcome! I'm sick for those players... a hot mess!

— Swin Cash (@SwinCash) April 6, 2024

NAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I ain’t rolling with that call.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 6, 2024

Man. I hate that a game like this is going to be remembered for THAT call at the end.

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) April 6, 2024

By the letter of the law, the call was pretty cut and dried, though. It's tough to argue Edwards wasn't guilty of an illegal screen. She wasn't set before making the contact and extended her arm as Iowa's Gabbie Marshall was running by.

Illegal screen by any current rule. Targets defender, feet way wider than allowed, moves into defender and makes contact, and extends left elbow. If a referee doesn't make this call, they shouldn't referee the next game. A foul is a foul in the first minute and last minute. pic.twitter.com/2pmYzTKN4p

— Mark Adams (@EnthusiAdams) April 6, 2024

While nobody can blame UConn players and coaches for feeling a little aggrieved with what transpired, Bueckers' perspective was the correct one. There are so many factors that go into deciding the result and it never comes down to just one officiating call.

The Huskies were up by as many as 12 points on Iowa and couldn't protect their lead. They gave up 11 offensive rebounds to the Hawkeyes and shot 8-of-25 from beyond the arc. And although their 14 turnovers weren't abnormally high, a squad as short-handed as UConn couldn't afford to be so sloppy against a tough opponent.

Auriemma and his staff can probably find a number of mistakes that may not have been costly in isolation but added up in a meaningful way in such a close contest.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark and UConn star Paige Bueckers will face each other in a highly anticipated Final Four showdown on Friday, but they could have shared a backcourt if Geno Auriemma recruited the former as well.

Carl Adamec of CT Insider relayed comments from the Huskies head coach when he was asked about his program not pursuing Clark, and he pointed to the decision to commit to Bueckers early in the process.

"Well, there's a lot of kids we didn't recruit and there's a lot of kids who don't want to go to UConn," Auriemma said Tuesday. "I committed to Paige Bueckers very, very early and it would have been silly for me to say to Paige, 'Hey listen, we're going to put you in the backcourt and then I'm going to try really hard to recruit Caitlin Clark.' I don't do it that way.

"Caitlin is obviously a tremendous player, a generational player. But if Caitlin really wanted to come to UConn she would have called me and said, 'Coach I really want to come to UConn.' Neither of us lost out. She made the best decision for her and it's worked out great. We made the decision we thought we needed to make."

While Auriemma seemed to deflect the blame by saying Clark could have reached out, Wright Thompson of ESPN noted the Iowa guard's dream school growing up was UConn.

"Honestly, it was more I wanted them to recruit me to say I got recruited," she said. "I loved UConn. I think they're the coolest place on Earth, and I wanted to say I got recruited by them. They called my AAU coach a few times, but they never talked to my family and never talked to me."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YjfErppU5Y

Yet, as Adamec noted, the Huskies didn't exactly have endless openings at the guard position.

In addition to Bueckers, they recruited Hailey Van Lith and Azzi Fudd around the same time. While Van Lith chose Louisville and eventually transferred to LSU, Fudd ended up joining the Huskies to play alongside Bueckers.

"I get asked these questions all the time by our own fans," Auriemma said. "I get, 'How come that kid's not at Connecticut?' Let's say we get Paige, Caitlin Clark, JuJu (Watkins), Kamilla Cardoso, (Milaysia) Fulwiley, and that's our starting five. Who the hell would we play against? You know what I mean?"

Bueckers wasted no time establishing herself as a star as the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award winner as a freshman.

However, she missed the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL and played just 17 games over the two campaigns following her breakout freshman one. Clark has now become the face of the sport and the primary headline going into the Final Four.

The Iowa guard won the Naismith Award for the second straight season after leading the country in points (32.0) and assists (9.0) per game. She passed Kelsey Plum and then Pete Maravich to become the leading scorer in the history of Division I basketball and is known for launching three-pointers from well beyond the arc and taking over games.

To her credit, Bueckers has returned to preinjury form and was a finalist for the Naismith Award.

Their individual matchup will be the biggest draw of Friday's game, and the winner could get the chance to go up against undefeated South Carolina for the national title.

UConn is heading back to the Final Four after taking down USC in the Elite Eight Monday night.

The No. 3 Huskies took down the No. 1 Trojans 80-73 behind a huge game from star Paige Bueckers, who notched a double-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. UConn also got some support from forward Aaliyah Edwards, who had 22 on the night.

Bueckers showcased her defense, taking on the challenge of guarding USC star JuJu Watkins down the stretch.

Watkins finished the game with 29 points, but the freshman ultimately didn't have enough to propel the Trojans into the Final Four.

After the win, fans praised Bueckers for another outstanding tournament game and the Huskies for reaching their 23rd Final Four in program history.

20-point game for Paige Bueckers! pic.twitter.com/CDgZYCJpBZ

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 2, 2024

Paige Bueckers with the steal-and-score! pic.twitter.com/KmaInc2ocV

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 2, 2024

I love that Paige took the challenge of guarding JuJu when her teammates got in foul trouble

— Renee Montgomery (@ReneeMontgomery) April 2, 2024

At 70 years young, Geno Auriemma has done one of the very best coaching jobs of his entire 39-year run at UConn. He lost FIVE players to season-ending injuries, and yet this UConn team is going to the Final Four for the 15th time in 16 years. An incredibly resilient season.

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) April 2, 2024

Paige and JuJu going bucket for bucket pic.twitter.com/pv13JMV1nv

— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) April 2, 2024

Paige Bueckers reminds me of Kawhi Leonard with her ability to guard the best player and getting her own buckets pic.twitter.com/yETnNBs0Bm

— 🇭🇹Your Favorite Zoe🇭🇹 (@ihate_ap) April 2, 2024

Paige is just a total killer, man

— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) April 2, 2024

Paige from the top of the 3-point line and that's five straight points from her
She's up to 26

— Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) April 2, 2024

The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team has Paige Bueckers and your preferred team does not.

— No Escalators (@NoEscalators) April 2, 2024

GOODBYE PAIGE IS PLAYING OUTTA HER MIND

— Janaé Sims (@auntienae95) April 2, 2024

nobody controls the game on both sides of the floor like paige bueckers. she’s in autopilot just dominating.

— Kyron Samuels (@kyronsamuels) April 2, 2024

PAIGE BUECKERS 4TH QUARTER TAKEOVER https://t.co/1yojpdjkhc

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) April 2, 2024

Paige Bueckers reminding y’all that she been HER!

— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) April 2, 2024

wow paige is special defensively too she locking juju up this genuinely might be lebron mj level matchup between iowa and uconn

— 2025 💍 (@homiesloveryan) April 2, 2024

UConn is inevitable even in a down year.

This is impressive

— DELORIS “IN DUE TIME” JORDAN (@wheelsfelloff_) April 2, 2024

Two HUGE buckets for Paige back-to-back, showcasing her offensive versatility: a backdown fadeaway on the block, then a deep three from the top of the key. Major breathing room for UConn.

— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) April 2, 2024

Now UConn has another test as it prepares to take on Catilin Clark and No. 1 Iowa. The Huskies took down the defending champion LSU to reach the Final Four.

Bueckers has been dominant all tournament, scoring 28, 32, 24 and 28 respectively to get the Huskies back to the Final Four after getting bounced in the Sweet 16 last year, and now she's looking for another big game.

Needless to say, Friday's Final Four matchup between Bueckers and Clark will be one of the most exciting games of the season.

UConn is heading to the Sweet 16 after a monster game from Paige Bueckers led the No. 3 Huskies over No. 6 Syracuse 72-64.

Bueckers had 32 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals in the win, following up a 28-point, 11-rebound and seven-assist performance against Jackson State in the first round. Bueckers' performance gives her the most points ever through two rounds of the NCAA tournament by a UConn player since 1991.

Bueckers missed all of the 2022-23 season with a knee injury, and now she's making the most of her time in March Madness. After her big game, fans praised Bueckers for another dominant performance.

Paige Bueckers at the half: 20 PTS 🪣

Syracuse entire team: 28 PTS pic.twitter.com/vSMjrpaGMO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 25, 2024

Paige Bueckers with the double-double!

32 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals pic.twitter.com/INAM52jIrR

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 26, 2024

PAIGE BUECKERS YOU’RE INSANE pic.twitter.com/8U0mhaxuEL

— womensbasketballfan (@womensbasketb12) March 25, 2024

PAIGE "GET A BUCKET, BEEN A BUCKET, STILL A BUCKET" BUECKERS 😮‍💨@paigebueckers1 @UConnWBB HEADED TO THE SWEET SIXTEEN pic.twitter.com/wD8vqU9p94

— WSLAM (@wslam) March 26, 2024

Paige Madison Bueckers is her!!! @paigebueckers1
pic.twitter.com/rcyUXjulti

— Qamar Lewis (@QLovesMT) March 26, 2024

https://twitter.com/sashthomp/status/1772420443967741987

Paige Bueckers with 32-11-6-4-1 to make another Sweet 16, whew

— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) March 26, 2024

Can’t stop Paige Bueckers!!!! She is LIKE THAT

— Bri Lewerke (@brilewerke) March 25, 2024

Paige Bueckers is BACK

They forgot so quick that she’s one of the best ever

Injuries can’t keep a real one down

— Barflaan Tedoe 🇱🇷 (@The_Barftender) March 25, 2024

Paige Bueckers now has the most points by a UConn player through 2 NCAA tournament games in the last 25 seasons with 58. (And we have 6:27 remaining in this game) https://t.co/oE8z5Wc2yj

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) March 25, 2024

Paige Bueckers is the best player in the country.

It’s always been Paige.

— Ghost Mike Toscano (@mtosc98) March 26, 2024

PAIGE. BUECKERS. pic.twitter.com/snR7kJDGV1

— tori (@victoria_grace3) March 25, 2024

After the win over Syracuse, Bueckers and UConn now have a matchup with No. 7 Duke in the Sweet 16. The Huskies' season came to an end in the Sweet 16 last season, but with Bueckers on the court, UConn is looking to make it much further than the second weekend of the tournament.

It's safe to say that UConn guard Paige Buckers was on for the Huskies' opening-round matchup in the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament.

Bueckers scored 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists in an effort that helped lead UConn to an 86-64 victory over Jackson State on Saturday. She also tied the school record for most points in a game without committing a turnover since 2000, matching the mark set by Tiffany Hayes in 2009, per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.

The effort comes in Bueckers' return to the tournament after missing the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL. Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma said that the performance could have served as a reintroduction to those who tune back in at tournament time.

Geno on Paige: "I think she reminded everybody that she's still pretty good."

— Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) March 23, 2024

Bueckers' play all season certainly has left little doubts about her immense talent. She averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 34 games. This helped UConn earn a three-seed in the tournament and a Big East conference championship.

The Huskies advanced to the second round with the victory and will face either Syracuse or Arizona State. UConn is in the same region as USC and Ohio State, so some tough matchups could lie ahead.

Still, with Bueckers and a roster full of high-end talent, UConn should remain a force to be reckoned with going forward.

UConn Huskies senior forward Aaliyah Edwards had another year of eligibility remaining, but she's ready to test herself at the next level.

Edwards announced on Thursday that she will forgo her final year of eligibility and enter the 2024 WNBA draft:

Last dance 💙🐺

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11#bleedblue#focusedforward#family pic.twitter.com/qeFP2kP3Xa

— Aaliyah Edwards (@AaliyahEdwards_) March 21, 2024

Per ESPN's Alexa Philippou, Edwards is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming draft, which is scheduled for April 15. She could have used her COVID-19 waiver to return for a fifth year, but she chose to turn pro.

"Although got to savor every moment because this is my last jam at UConn, I'm all in, ready to bring that championship glory back to Storrs with my squad by my side," Edwards said in her announcement video. "Let's have one last dance."

Edwards emerged as a key player for the Huskies during her sophomore season and became a full-time starter as a junior. She helped lead UConn to Final Four appearances in 2021 and 2022, including a national championship game appearance in the latter.

This season, Edwards has averaged career highs of 17.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists. She shot 59.4 percent from the field and was an honorable mention All-American by AP and a second-team selection by the USBWA.

Edwards was a member of a stellar Huskies senior class that included Paige Bueckers and Nika Muhl. Bueckers announced that she will be returning for the 2024-25 campaign after she missed all of last year with a torn ACL. Muhl has announced that this season will be her last at UConn.

Edwards and the third-seeded Huskies will begin their chase for a national championship when they meet No. 14 Jackson State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

UConn women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma passed Mike Krzyzewski for the second-most wins in Division I history after the Huskies earned a 73-53 victory over No. 21 Creighton on Monday.

1,203 and counting ... 🙌

Geno Auriemma passes Coach K for the 2nd-most wins in D-I women’s or men’s basketball history 👏 @UConnWBB pic.twitter.com/5VYK6pL6bo

— ESPN (@espn) February 19, 2024

Auriemma now has 1,203 wins across his legendary career, and he continues to chase Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer for the all-time mark.

It was less than a month ago when VanDerveer leapfrogged Coach K. Stanford has reeled off six more wins since then, bringing its coach's overall total to 1,209.

As long as he can outlast VanDerveer on the sideline, Auriemma is all but guaranteed to move into first place by the time he retires.

The departures of some legendary coaching figures, Coach K included, within the last few years has raised general questions over whether there's less time in Auriemma's career than fans realize.

He'll turn 70 in March, and he hasn't hidden how he believes the transfer portal and name, image and likeness rules have made his job more difficult.

"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

"I think that's why coaches get into coaching, is to have those kind of relationships with their players," he said, per the Associated Press' Dan Gelston. "As that's disappearing somewhat, maybe, so is the fun of coaching, to be honest."

Auriemma then clarified it's a "different kind of fun" compared to previous eras.

The Hall of Famer has nothing left to prove at this point. It will be a long time before another coach matches his 11 national titles and 22 trips to the Final Four, and both may stand the test of time with the increasing parity in women's basketball.

With star guard Paige Bueckers exhausting her full eligibility and returning to UConn for 2024-25, one would have to assume Auriemma intends to keep going for at least another year.

Paige Bueckers will return to UConn for her senior season instead of entering the 2024 WNBA draft, where she was projected to be a top-three pick.

Bueckers made the announcement Friday during UConn's Senior Night celebration.

"I know everybody wants me to address the elephant in the room," Bueckers said. "Unfortunately, this will not be my last Senior Night here at UConn. I'm coming back."

"Unfortunately this will not be my last Senior NIght"

PAIGE BUECKERS WILL RETURN TO STORRS NEXT YEAR! pic.twitter.com/0F9hS04Rof

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) February 17, 2024

After missing last season due to an ACL tear, Bueckers is leading the Huskies with 20.0 points per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the field through 26 games this season.

"Obviously, these four years didn't go how I planned or how I wanted it to go but wouldn't trade it for the world," Bueckers said. "I wouldn't be able to get through what I went through without everybody here. Thank you to best fans in the country."

Bueckers has two more years of eligibility remaining after this season.

After becoming the first woman to be named the top player in college basketball by earning the Naismith Trophy in 2021, Bueckers was sidelined for 584 days after tearing her ACL in August 2022. Prior to that, she had missed most of her sophomore season with a knee injury.

She recovered this season to prove herself as one of the most dominant players in college basketball. ESPN's Michael Voepel predicted in January that Bueckers would be selected third to the Phoenix Mercury, behind Iowa's Caitlin Clark and the Los Angeles Sparks' Cameron Brink.

Bueckers said last month that which team was projected to select her wasn't what would sway her decision.

"It's not about teams in the draft, who's got what pick," Bueckers told reporters on Jan. 9, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou. "It's all about me loving playing here, me loving my teammates and wanting to get more experiences and more time with them and more time in the program."

One factor in Bueckers deciding to stay might be the chance to play with junior guard Azzi Fudd, whose season ended due to an ACL tear in November. Fudd and Bueckers were close friends before coming to UConn, but due to coinciding injuries have only ever played 17 games together, according to Philippou.

UConn seniors Aaliyah Edwards, Nika Muhl and Aubrey Griffin were also honored Friday night. All are eligible to return next season, although only the injured Griffin announced her return, according to SNY's John Healy.