UConn captured its sixth consecutive Big East tournament title on Monday with a dominant three-game run at Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Huskies defeated Georgetown, Creighton and Villanova by an average of 44.3 points to claim the program's 31st conference tournament title. Along the way, Sarah Strong earned Most Outstanding Player honors while Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold landed on the all-tournament team.

UConn remains undefeated at 31-0 heading into the 2026 NCAA Tournament. And while the Huskies secured the Big East's automatic bid, the team still faces a major question: Will it earn the national tournament's No. 1 overall seed?

The Connecticut women's basketball powerhouse held that distinction in the first two NCAA bracket reveals. However, UCLA is now gunning for the top spot after finishing the season 31-1 overall with an undefeated Big Ten regular-season run. The Bruins routed Iowa 96-45 in the Big Ten title game and own 18 Q1 victories — double UConn's nine.

UConn leads UCLA in the NET rankings, Torvik rankings, and AP Top 25 Poll, though UCLA did steal three first-place AP Poll votes from the Huskies this week.

Receiving the No. 1 overall seed carries significance beyond bragging rights, with the top NCAA team getting an extra day of rest between the regional finals and the Final Four.

Mohegan Sun Extends Big East Tournament Hosting Deal

The Big East announced during Monday's championship game that the tournament will stay at Mohegan Sun Arena for at least three more years, with Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma praising the venue and atmosphere.

"When you have that many people coming out year after year, when you have people here at 11:30 at night watching the game, the people here at Mohegan know how to run events," said the legendary UConn boss. "I can't imagine it being anywhere else, to be honest with you."

Top-ranked UConn women's basketball demolished fifth-seeded Creighton 100-51 in Sunday's Big East tournament semifinal. The Huskies advanced to Monday's championship game against Villanova.

Sophomore forward Sarah Strong dominated in just 25 minutes on the court, finishing with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and six steals. KK Arnold added 18 points and four assists, while Azzi Fudd contributed 16 points and six assists.

The Huskies seized control immediately, opening with a 7-0 run before breaking the game open with a 17-0 surge that built a 29-9 first-quarter lead. UConn shot 12-of-19 from the field in the opening frame while forcing nine Creighton turnovers.

Creighton attempted a second-quarter rally with an 8-2 run, before UConn responded with a 26-5 burst to take a commanding 57-22 halftime advantage. Strong led the charge with 17 first-half points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, while tying her career-high with six first-half steals.

"Just having so many people being able to come in and contribute — looking at this stat sheet today, seeing that everyone came in, scored, got a rebound, got a steal, they did something," Fudd said postgame.

"Being on a team this deep has been a lot of fun... I feel like we're in a great place."

The margin expanded to 82-38 entering the fourth quarter, with UConn shooting 40-of-70 from the field and 14-of-22 from 3-point range. The Huskies defense forced 19 turnovers and recorded 13 steals, extending UConn's conference tournament winning streak to 38 games.

Kennedy Townsend led Creighton with 13 points, with the Bluejays shooting 18-of-54 from the field.

How to Watch UConn Women's Basketball in the Big East Tournament Final

UConn tips off its 24th championship game on Monday at 7 PM ET, live on Peacock and NBCSN.

The Big East women's basketball tournament bracket has arrived, with UConn positioned as the overwhelming favorite after a perfect 31-0 regular-season record.

UConn secured the No. 1 seed after dominating conference play. The Huskies won games by an average of 37.8 points this season — the third-best margin in NCAA women's basketball history. Their 47-game winning streak dates back to last year's national championship run.

Coach Geno Auriemma's squad recorded just one single-digit victory this season, with November's narrow three-point win over then-No. 6 Michigan. Since then, UConn has blown out every opponent, finishing the regular season undefeated for the 11th time in program history.

Under Auriemma, the Huskies have won national titles in seven of their last 10 perfect seasons.

Villanova earned the No. 2 seed in the women's basketball tournament bracket after posting a 16-4 conference record. The Wildcats lost their two 2025/26 matchups against UConn by a combined 63 points.

How to Watch the Big East Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket

The Big East tournament features 11 teams, with first-round action starting March 6th. That's when Georgetown faces Butler at 11 AM ET, before Providence takes on DePaul at 1:30 PM ET and St. John's battles Xavier at 4 PM ET.

UConn received a double-bye, entering the conference bracket during Saturday's quarterfinals at 12 PM ET. The semifinals follow on March 8th, with the championship game scheduled for March 9th at 7 PM ET.

All Big East tournament games air live across Peacock and NBCSN, with the final exclusively airing on Peacock.

Monday night's NCAA Big East basketball final saw No. 3 UConn lift their fifth straight trophy, winning the conference tournament title with a 70-50 defeat of No. 22 Creighton.

Star senior Paige Bueckers led the Huskies' charge, finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and a pair each of blocks and steals.

Freshman Sarah Strong also showed out with her third straight double-double, registering 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, six steals, and three blocks.

Notably, Bueckers made UConn history with the win, exiting her college career with a perfect 66-0 conference record and becoming the first-ever Husky to win three Most Outstanding Player awards at the Big East tournament in the process.

"For her to be able to constantly come up with these kind of performances, time and time again, she just has that thing that those kinds of players have," said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma after the game.

UConn now holds a record 30 conference tournament titles — eight more than any other Division I program.

"We have a belief system in our program that this is the expectation," explained Auriemma. "I truly believe that the higher you set expectations, the closer you get to achieving those. And we have tremendously high expectations every year, those never go away. And some years you fall short, but most times we don't."

NCAA conference tournaments impact AP Poll rankings

Thanks to their command of the Big East, UConn became to the only Top 15 team to hold steady in Monday afternoon's AP Poll update, as the Top 25 list saw significant shifts in the lead-up to Selection Sunday.

After defeating USC for the Big Ten tournament title on Sunday, UCLA earned a three-spot rise to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, while their rival Trojans fell from No. 2 to No. 4 with the loss.

Meanwhile, South Carolina rose from No. 5 to No. 2 after downing former No. 1 Texas in Sunday's SEC finale, putting the defending NCAA champs in a neck-and-neck race with the Bruins for the No. 1 overall seed in this year's national tournament.

The Longhorns now clock in at No. 5, despite still being a likely candidate for one of Sunday's four No. 1 seeds.

Making history just behind Texas are Big 12 champions TCU, whose two-spot leap to No. 6 gave the Horned Frogs their highest-ever ranking.

The Top 10's biggest climber, however, was Duke, who jumped four spots to No. 7 after their title-winning upset run through the ACC tournament.

At the same time, once-No. 1 Notre Dame's slide continued, with the Irish dropping two more spots to No. 8 after exiting their conference tournament in the semifinal round.

Rounding out the Top 10 are ACC tournament runners-up NC State, who fell two spots to No. 9, and SEC semifinalist No. 10 LSU, whose one spot drop comes after injuries to the team's two top scorers hindered the Tigers' conference tournament play.

AP NCAA Basketball Top 25: Week 19

1. UCLA (30-2, Big Ten)
2. South Carolina (30-3, SEC)
3. UConn (31-3, Big East)
4. USC (28-3, Big Ten)
5. Texas (31-3, SEC)
6. TCU (31-3, Big 12)
7. Duke (26-7, ACC)
8. Notre Dame (26-5, ACC)
9. NC State (26-6, ACC)
10. LSU (28-5, SEC)
11. Oklahoma (25-7, SEC)
12. North Carolina (27-7, ACC)
13. Kentucky (22-7, SEC)
14. Baylor (27-7, Big 12)
15. Ohio State (25-6, Big Ten)
16. West Virginia (24-7, Big 12)
17. Oklahoma State (25-6, Big 12)
18. Maryland (23-7, Big Ten)
19. Kansas State (26-7, Big 12)
20. Tennessee (22-9, SEC)
21. Alabama (23-8, SEC)
22. Creighton (26-6, Big East)
23. Florida State (23-8, ACC)
24. South Dakota State (26-3, Summit League)
25. Ole Miss (20-10, SEC)