UConn W Basketball

UConn women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma established himself as one of the best in the game years ago, but he made a little more history on Wednesday night in Storrs as his Huskies took down Seton Hall 67-34.

Auriemma became just the third coach in NCAA basketball history—men's or women's—to reach 1,200 wins, joining former Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Stanford women's basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer.

Just the third to 1,200 wins and he did it the fastest.

There’s only one Geno Auriemma 🐐 pic.twitter.com/32wuvjZbVF

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) February 8, 2024

Auriemma is also the fastest coach to reach the 1,200-win mark.

Krzyzewski won 1,202 games before he retired in 2022 and VanDerveer won her 1,203rd game last month to become the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, men's or women's.

"To come in here and always look at 13, 14, 15,000 or whatever it is, it's something to really, really be proud of because we helped make something happen that never existed and no one ever thought it could happen, so I'm pretty proud of that," Auriemma said after the game.

"We helped make something happen that never existed and no one ever thought it could happen"

Geno Auriemma talks with @ChelseaSherrod after his 1,200th career win: pic.twitter.com/AAXEhyPZv7

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) February 8, 2024

While Auriemma sits just six wins behind VanDerveer, he doesn't anticipate ever claiming the top spot.

"I could probably say, with a great deal of certainty, that I'll never be No. 1 in wins, I don't think that will happen," Auriemma said after the game, per ESPN.com. "And I'm still going to enjoy my wine and I'm going to sleep good tonight."

Auriemma has been head coach of UConn's women's program since 1985, turning the Huskies into a powerhouse in his 39 seasons at the helm.

The 69-year-old has led UConn to a 1,200-160 record, 11 championships and 22 Final Four appearances during his tenure. He has been named Naismith National Coach of the Year eight times, AP National Coach of the Year nine times and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Auriemma has also coached numerous current and former WNBA stars in Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart, among others.

"I'm sure if you asked Coach when he started and you said, 'Forty years later you'll have 11 national championships, 1,200 wins,' he wouldn't believe it," Taurasi said, per Carl Adamec of CT Insider. "What he's doing is unheard of and will never happen again.

"I mean, you'll never find someone that will stay at one place that long. It doesn't happen anymore and it will never be done again."

UConn is currently the No. 11 ranked team in the country and sits first in the Big East with a 20-4 record. South Carolina (21-0) and Iowa (21-2) remain the top-ranked teams in the nation and are the favorites for the NCAA title.

However, Auriemma's squad should be a threat to make a championship run come tournament time.

UConn guard Azzi Fudd will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season after tearing the meniscus and ACL in her right knee.

"We're all just so upset for Azzi," head coach Geno Auriemma said. "She worked hard to be healthy for this season, and it's unfortunate when you put in a lot of hard work and have a setback like this. Azzi loves the game and works tirelessly. I'm confident she'll rehab with the same work ethic and come back better than ever."

This is the second time Fudd has suffered a torn ACL in her right knee, the first coming when she was in high school. That didn't stop her from sitting atop HoopGurlz's rankings for the top recruits in 2021.

Upon joining the Huskies, injuries have remained a persistent problem for the Virginia native. A foot issue sidelined her midway through her freshman season. Then she was limited to 13 appearances as a sophomore due to right knee trouble.

When healthy, Fudd has justified the hype that surrounded her coming out of high school. She's averaging 13.0 points and shooting 44.3 percent from the field across three seasons so far. Early in the 2022-23 campaign, she had back-to-back 32-point games in wins over Texas and North Carolina State.

Azzi Fudd's 32 points scored in UConn's win over Texas tonight are tied for the most a Huskies player has ever had against a Top 5 opponent. Diana Taurasi had 32 vs No. 2 Tennessee in 2002. pic.twitter.com/I25BpMObdC

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 15, 2022

Losing Fudd is a significant blow for the sixth-ranked Huskies as they look to atone for last year's Sweet 16 exit in the NCAA tournament. A date with No. 2 UCLA looms large on Friday, and UConn has three games against ranked opponents in December.

The larger concern is for Fudd, though. She has watched her college career get derailed, and a second major knee injury raises questions about what kind of player she'll be once she returns.

After No. 1 LSU went down in its season opener on Monday, it didn't take long for another major upset to happen, as No. 2 UConn lost its second game of the year to unranked N.C. State on Sunday 92-81.

Huskies star Paige Bueckers scored 27 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome a stellar performance by Wolfpack junior guard Saniya Rivers, who stuffed the stat sheet with 33 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.

UConn held a one-point lead at halftime, but N.C. State managed to pull away at the start of the fourth quarter thanks to an 11-0 run.

Aaliyah Edwards added 21 points for the Huskies and Aziaha James chipped in 18 points for the Wolfpack. UConn struggled on defense and allowed N.C. State to shoot 52.5 percent from the field. There was also a huge free-throw disparity, with the Wolfpack getting to the line 28 times compared to just 11 times for the Huskies.

It was UConn's first loss to N.C. State since the 1998 regional final that sent the Wolfpack to their lone Final Four appearance in program history.

Fans online were surprised by the Huskies' loss on Sunday:

How about this stat? With No. 2 UConn losing today and No. 1 LSU losing on Monday, this is the first time in at least 25 years the Associated Press preseason poll Nos. 1 and 2 lost before the 2nd poll was released, via @ESPNStatsInfo

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) November 12, 2023

UConn loss to NC STATE pic.twitter.com/ltqAaXzlGu

— Markeshia A. Grant, M. Ed (@savvyfive) November 12, 2023

Sorry but has the game passed Geno by?

Not a knee jerk reaction, I’ve been saying for years about his lack of acknowledgment to the physical play the refs allow teams to play and his lack of recruiting to solve for it.

We are soft mentally/emotionally and have been for years.

— UConn7 (@UConn_5) November 12, 2023

NC State stuns UConn 92-81

This has been the craziest strat to the season yet as the two top teams fall. Who will be the new number one tomorrow👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/gOvRrcTfw9

— 94 Feet WBB (@94FeetWBB) November 12, 2023

2nd-ranked UConn was beaten by unranked NC State on Sunday, 92-81.

The 92 points allowed are the most given up by a UConn team in a game decided in regulation since Feb. 1, 2001, when they gave 92 in a loss to then-No. 3 Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/htRAHbI5ZQ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 12, 2023

The first time since 1998, NC State has beaten UConn.

There was zero answer for Saniya Rivers today. Unbelievably dominant performance against No 2 Huskies.

33 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals.

— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) November 12, 2023

Let’s Go!!! Great win today Coach Moore and the Women’s Basketball Team over UConn!!! Balling!!! That was awesome.

— Dave Doeren (@StateCoachD) November 12, 2023

UConn out here losing to unranked teams while SC is beating top 15 teams by 30

We are not the same

— Gray🤙🏼 (@Grayson__24) November 12, 2023

A historically bad defensive performance by UConn today https://t.co/y5kwmxg8ve

— Daniel Connolly (@DanielVConnolly) November 12, 2023

This isn’t a case of beating an over ranked team at the beginning of the year. This is UConn. They may not be at the height of their dominance of the sport but they still have Geno. They still have 2-3 of the best players in the country.

Huge win for Wes Moore and the squad

— Michael Tracey (@MichaelTracey_) November 12, 2023

No excuse for this one. UConn got thoroughly outplayed, humbled, and deserved this loss. Not much of a silver lining. Not much else to say.

Come together, learn from it, be better tomorrow.

— Ghost Mike Toscano (@mtosc98) November 12, 2023

LSU's loss on Monday opened the door for UConn to take the No. 1 spot in the rankings this week, but Sunday's loss will knock the Huskies down in the polls. While it was good to see Bueckers back in her usual form, there are issues on the defensive side of the ball that need to be addressed if UConn wants to be successful this year.

The Huskies will have a few days to regroup, as they will have another tough matchup against No. 14 Maryland on Thursday.

Connecticut had no problems in a 102-58 win over Dayton in its season opener on Wednesday, but Paige Bueckers wasn't happy with how she played in her first game since April 3, 2022.

The star guard, who missed the entire 2022-23 season due to a torn ACL, told reporters after the win "it was a bad game for me," but she was "grateful to have a bad game right now."

Bueckers scored eight points on 3-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes. Her 33.3 field-goal percentage was her second-worst in a game with at least five attempts.

The only game that was worse for Bueckers was during her freshman season when she went 3-of-14 in a win over Tennessee.

Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma said he expected to see some rust from Bueckers because of how long she was out of action.

"The game doesn't all of a sudden leave you when you haven't played, but it also doesn't automatically come back that fast, either," Auriemma explained. "Given that it was the first game, I thought she was what I thought she would be, and she'll be better on Sunday and she'll be better next Thursday."

Bueckers tore the ACL in her left knee during a pickup game in August 2022. She had problems in that knee prior to the ACL injury, including a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear that kept her out of action for almost three months during the 2021-22 season.

Despite her own disappointment, the most encouraging thing from Bueckers was that she didn't seem tentative. The 22-year-old had no problems driving to the basket and fighting for rebounds.

Bueckers was named the Naismith College Player of the Year and won the John R. Wooden Award as the nation's most outstanding player as a freshman in 2020-21. She averaged 18.0 points on 53.0 percent shooting, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in 46 appearances during her first two seasons.

The Huskies' next game will be against North Carolina State at Reynolds Coliseum.

Nike and UConn guard Paige Bueckers agreed to a name, image and likeness deal, according to Nick DePaula of ESPN.

BREAKING: Nike has signed UConn star Paige Bueckers to a NIL shoe deal. 📄✍️

“Joining the Nike family is a childhood dream come true,” says @PaigeBueckers1. “I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together on and off the court.” pic.twitter.com/WSz9SobFHl

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) September 6, 2023

Bueckers, one of the highest-profile women's basketball players on the planet, is attempting a comeback during the 2023-24 season after missing all of last year due to a torn ACL. She swept Player of the Year awards during a brilliant freshman campaign in 2020-21 before injuries limited her throughout her sophomore season. She then suffered a torn ACL while playing pickup basketball ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

While Bueckers received full clearance last month, she did not play when UConn traveled to Europe for exhibition games. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said a recovered Bueckers is the "best she's ever been."

"This is the best she's ever been, the strongest she's ever been, the fittest she's ever been," Auriemma told reporters. "This is the most time she has spent working on her body, her mind, [and] just taking care of herself. ... [The injury layoff] showed her, if you want a long career, this is how you're gonna have to go about it from here on in injuries, no injuries, it doesn't matter. This is what you're gonna have to do. And she's embraced it."

Bueckers has averaged 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists during her career at UConn. She has been tabbed by Nike as one of the faces of their new GT Hustle sneaker for the upcoming season.

UConn star Paige Bueckers announced Wednesday she has been "all cleared" after completing her recovery from the torn ACL that cost her the 2022-23 season.

💙💙 pic.twitter.com/BVey6LQ1zy

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) August 9, 2023

The Huskies also lost Azzi Fudd, Dorka Juhász and Caroline Ducharme at various points of the year en route to finishing 31-6 and reaching the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA tournament.

Bueckers was the top-ranked recruit in the 2020 class and lived up to the hype straight out of the gate. She averaged 20.0 points, on 52.4 percent shooting along with 4.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists as a freshman. The 6'0" guard was a unanimous first-team All-American and won multiple national Player of the Year awards.

A knee injury interrupted Bueckers' sophomore year, and she wasn't quite the same player when she returned to the court.

In June 2022, Bueckers set her expectations for the 2022-23 campaign high as she told Bleacher Report's Scott Polacek winning a national championship was her singular goal. Now that she's healthy, that might be attainable goal for her and the Huskies.

Nearly all of UConn's best players are back, with Juhász and Lou Lopez Sénéchal the notable exceptions. Head coach Geno Auriemma also signed Kamorea Arnold and Ashlynn Shade, two the top 15 recruits in HoopGurlz's 2023 rankings.

In May, ESPN's Charlie Creme listed the Huskies second behind reigning national champion LSU in his early Top 25 poll. He argued "the talent in Storrs is equal to that in Baton Rouge," though health will be a key factor in deciding the team's fate.

Another question surrounding Bueckers specifically is whether this will be her final season in college. She'll be eligible to declare for the 2024 WNBA draft, and a return to form will all but guarantee her status as a top-five pick in what could be a loaded class.

Should UConn's title bid fall short, however, Bueckers might feel she has some unfinished business. The advent of the NIL era has also provided star athletes with a compelling incentive to stay in school rather than bolt for the pros at the earliest opportunity.

The goal is always the same every season for the UConn Huskies women's basketball team, which makes a national championship drought that dates back to 2016 rather jarring based on their sky-high standards.

There will be even more of a spotlight on the Huskies in 2023-24 considering their loss to Ohio State in last season's Sweet 16 snapped a streak of 14 consecutive Final Fours.

But head coach Geno Auriemma isn't looking for any catchy slogans as the Huskies attempt to return to their championship ways, as he told reporters:

"This isn't a 1970s rock band out for their 60th tour and they have to give every tour a name. You know, everybody's got a 'redeem team' and everybody's got a 'reload team' and everybody's got an 'unfinished business team' and everybody's got, you know, all this stuff going out there. You know, maybe we're not very social media savvy. How about we just shut the f--- up and win games?"

One thing that will help UConn win games is the return of star guard Paige Bueckers from a torn ACL that sidelined her last season.

She seems to be on the same page as her coach:

I like it coach 😂 https://t.co/dyXMsqWK7Y

— Paige Bueckers (@paigebueckers1) June 20, 2023

Auriemma told reporters she is "90 percent" recovered and seems set for an impressive season.

"I've never seen her better either at playing one-on-one, 2-on-2 or 3-on-3, what she's doing in the weight room," the coach said. "Just her whole walk, the way she walks around, the way everybody looks up to her and the way everybody hangs on every word she says, there's just a maturity about her."

A healthy Bueckers means the Huskies will win plenty of games. Which is just what Auriemma wants.

UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers is 90 percent recovered from the torn ACL that sidelined her for the entire 2022-23 campaign and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season, head coach Geno Auriemma told reporters Tuesday.

"If she's not ready to go [by then], then I'm not ready to go," Auriemma said Tuesday. "Let's put it that way."

Auriemma added that he has been impressed with the work Bueckers has put into her recovery:

This is the best she's ever been, the strongest she's ever been, the fittest she's ever been. This is the most time she has spent working on her body, her mind, [and] just taking care of herself... [The injury layoff] showed her, if you want a long career, this is how you're gonna have to go about it from here on in injuries, no injuries, it doesn't matter. This is what you're gonna have to do. And she's embraced it.

I've never seen her better either at playing one-on-one, 2-on-2 or 3-on-3, what she's doing in the weight room. Just her whole walk, the way she walks around, the way everybody looks up to her and the way everybody hangs on every word she says, there's just a maturity about her.

Bueckers told reporters last week that she's "feeling really good" and is "starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the finishing mark" in her rehab.

"But there's a long way to go," she said. "ACL recoveries take a long time."

Bueckers tore the ACL in her left knee while playing in a pick-up basketball game in August 2022. It was the second major knee injury of her college career after she suffered a lateral meniscus tear and tibial plateau fracture in her left knee in 2021-22.

With Bueckers sidelined in 2022-23, the Huskies finished the season with a 31-6 record but suffered a disappointing loss in the NCAA tournament to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Sweet Sixteen.

Bueckers has been an impact player for UConn since her freshman season in 2020-21 when she averaged 20.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor and 46.4 percent from deep.

In addition to being named the 2020-21 Big East Player of the Year, the 21-year-old was also named the winner of the Naismith Award, presented annually to the most outstanding player in college basketball.

Bueckers was expected to put together a big 2021-22 campaign after winning the Naismith Award, but she suffered a knee injury and appeared in just 17 games, averaging 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals.

Despite the dip in her numbers, Bueckers helped guide UConn to the 2022 national title game, where the Huskies fell to Aliyah Boston and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

With Bueckers healthy in 2023-24, the Huskies could very well make another run to the national title game with Azzi Fudd and Aaliyah Edwards also still on the roster.

UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers is "very close" to being fully cleared from a torn ACL that sidelined her for the entire 2022-23 season, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

"I'm feeling really good," Bueckers told reporters Wednesday. "I'm just past the 10-month mark [following the injury and surgery]. So I'm definitely starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the finishing mark. But there's a long way to go. ACL recoveries take a long time."

Bueckers tore the ACL in her left knee during a pickup basketball game in August 2022.

It is the second significant knee injury the rising star has suffered during her collegiate career after also suffering a lateral meniscus tear and tibial plateau fracture in her left knee during her sophomore season in 2021-22.

The 21-year-old is slowly working her way back to the court this summer as she participates in individual and team workouts. However, she has yet to be cleared for 5-on-5 action and it's unclear when that final benchmark may be reached.

"I'm in no rush," Bueckers said. "Our whole team and staff is in no rush. We have a lot of time."

With Bueckers sidelined during the 2022-23 campaign, the Huskies finished with a 31-6 record and were eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the Sweet Sixteen.

It was the team's earliest exit from the tournament since a Sweet Sixteen exit in 2004-05. The Huskies had reached the Elite Eight—at the very least—in every season from 2005-06 to 2021-22. That run included six NCAA titles.

Bueckers made a name for herself as a freshman in 2020-21. In 29 games, she averaged 20.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor and 46.4 percent from deep.

She went on to be named the 2020-21 Big East Player of the Year, was the Naismith Award winner and was also named to the All-Big East Team.

Bueckers appeared in just 17 games during the 2021-22 season due to a knee injury, and her numbers dipped across the board as she averaged 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals.

However, she helped guide UConn to the 2022 national title game, where the Huskies fell to Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks.

Having Bueckers fully healthy for the 2023-24 season will be a huge boost for Geno Auriemma's squad. Bueckers will return to a lineup that also includes Azzi Fudd, Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Mühl.

The main goal for the Huskies is to win the 2024 national title, but Bueckers has set an individual goal of returning to the Naismith Award-caliber player she was before being hampered by knee issues.

"I want to be the type of player that I was before, pre-injury, but better," Bueckers said. "I have those expectations for myself, so that's where I want to be."

Geno Auriemma will return to his post for the University of Connecticut women's basketball team on Wednesday.

The team announced Auriemma will coach Wednesday against St. John's after missing four of the past five games with an illness.

It's good to have you back, Coach 💙

Geno Auriemma has rejoined the team and will be on the sidelines tonight when the Huskies face St. John’s! pic.twitter.com/A0cu0PCbEE

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) January 11, 2023

Auriemma missed UConn's 85-77 win over Florida State on Dec. 18 after experiencing flu-like symptoms during pregame shootaround. He remained away from the team for their matchup against Seton Hall three days later.

"There's been a lot going on in the last couple weeks, and I think it caught up to me physically," he said in a statement before the Seton Hall game. "I've been feeling under the weather for about 10 days now, and my doctor recommended I take a few days off to fully recover. CD [longtime associate head coach Chris Dailey] and the coaching staff will continue to do a phenomenal job in my absence, and I look forward to returning to the team in a few days."

After returning to the Huskies bench for a Dec. 28 game against Creighton, the team announced Auriemma was still feeling unwell and Chris Dailey would serve as head coach for a Jan. 3 matchup with Butler.

Auriemma also sat out Connecticut's Jan. 5 win over Xavier.

"It's been an extremely difficult month for me, and I've been feeling under the weather and run down," Auriemma said about missing the Xavier game. "I thought I was ready to return, but I need a little more time. I'm going to take a step back to focus on my health and will return when I feel ready."

The Huskies had to postpone their Jan. 8 game against DePaul because they only had six active players as a result of injuries on their roster. Aaliyah Edwards injured her ankle and Ayanna Patterson suffered an undisclosed injury against Xavier.

UConn (13-2) is currently ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25. It's put together six straight wins since an 85-78 loss to Maryland on Dec. 11.