UConn head coach Geno Auriemma is on the brink of becoming the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, with the No. 2 Huskies hosting Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday night.
Should UConn win, Auriemma will surpass retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer after pulling even with her 1,216 career wins with last Friday's victory over No. 16 UNC. Unlike VanDerveer, who had stints leading Idaho and Ohio State prior to Stanford, Auriemma's entire head coaching career has been his 40 years at UConn.
Forty seasons of UConn excellence for Auriemma
Already a bonafide legend of the game, Auriemma has helmed UConn's women's basketball program since 1985, inheriting a team that had only seen one winning season prior to his arrival.
"We started at ground zero, at nothing — we didn’t have the advantage of location, the advantages of the reputation of the school, we didn’t have the luxury of a big-time league that could elevate us," Auriemma explained. "We started at the absolute ground level and it has evolved into this.”
Of course, Auriemma is referring to the program's stacked resume. That success stems from his high standards, recruiting prowess, and the work ethic and selflessness he demands from his players.
In total, the nine-time AP Coach of the Year boasts a record 11 national championships, including a stranglehold on the NCAA title from 2013 to 2016. His Huskies have completed six undefeated seasons and featured in 23 Final Fours — more than any other NCAA team, men's or women's.
Rightfully sharing in Auriemma's record is his veritable partner-in-crime, associate head coach Chris Dailey, who has served UConn alongside Auriemma all 40 seasons.
UConn's unmatched legacy of world-class athletes
Wednesday's sold-out game will include dozens of Auriemma's former players in attendance. At least 63 — from superstars Sue Bird to Diana Taurasi to Maya Moore — are expected to make the trip to Storrs to celebrate the milestone.
Subsequently, Athletes are Auriemma's true legacy. The 70-year-old is responsible for shaping the players who arguably put not just UConn, but women's basketball on the national map.
The Huskies' first-ever Final Four appearance in 1991 allowed Auriemma to take serious aim at the country's top high school recruits. And it was center Rebecca Lobo who first took a chance on the program.
Despite her parents' protests, Lobo chose the relative unknown over established dynasties specifically to learn from Auriemma.
"He was the selling point. The reason to go there was to play for him. That has stayed consistent, but especially in the early years," Lobo recently told reporters. "He could be the one to usher you into the best version of yourself."
Coach Auriemma's UConn-to-WNBA pipeline
That "best version" has turned many UConn players into stellar pros. Including Lobo, who became UConn's first WNBA player during the league's 1997 formation, a total of 47 Huskies have featured in the WNBA. Last season, 17 former UConn players were on the league's rosters, with at least one on all 12 teams.
Current star Paige Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, putting Auriemma on the verge of sending a sixth top pick to the league. Previously, other No. 1 picks include Bird, Taurasi, Moore, Tina Charles, and Breanna Stewart.
The future pro is always quick to sing Auriemma's praises, summing up what so many players echo about the coach. "It means everything to play for UConn, and to play for him," Bueckers recently said.
As for Auriemma, who's currently contracted to continue his Huskies' dominance through 2029, Wednesday's likely milestone snuck up on him.
"I don’t think anybody goes into anything thinking that they're going to spend 40 years of their life at one place doing the exact same thing," Auriemma told reporters earlier this week. "The best way I can describe it, you know, it just caught up to me."
How to watch UConn vs. Fairleigh Dickinson women's college basketball
The star-studded sold-out game honoring UConn head coach Geno Auriemma will tip off in Storrs against Fairleigh Dickinson at 7 PM ET on Wednesday. Live regional coverage will air on SNY.
In today’s episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins previews the NCAA's top teams as the college basketball season tips off. She chats through the biggest questions on fans' minds, from South Carolina's shot at a repeat NCAA championship to whether or not UConn star and likely 2025 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers needs a national title.
Later, Watkins focuses in on the NWSL, where the first-ever eight-team playoffs will officially take the pitch in this weekend's quarterfinals. With underdogs and star squads squaring off, Watkins breaks down the head-to-head matchups, including which games might produce closer than predicted results.
The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.
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The Associated Press dropped its NCAA preseason All-America team on Tuesday, with Trojan guard JuJu Watkins and forward KiKi Iriafen representing a highly anticipated new-look USC on the list.
The 30-member national media panel also named UConn superstar and projected 2025 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, Texas sophomore Madison Booker, and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo to the exceptional five-player squad. What's more, Watkins and Bueckers received unanimous nods.
New-look USC faces high NCAA expectations
Last season, Watkins put together arguably the most impressive freshman campaign in NCAA basketball history, averaging over 27 points per game and setting a national freshman scoring record with 920 points.
Along with this week's AP nod, the sophomore secured the 2024/25 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year vote last month.
In grad student Iriafen, USC landed this offseason's top transfer, as the Stanford standout flew south in the wake of both the Pac-12's 2024 dissolution and the April retirement of Cardinal leader Tara VanDerveer — the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history.
Last season, Iriafen averaged a double-double at 19.4 points and 11 rebounds per game. Now on the preseason No. 3 team, she'll aim, alongside Watkins, to improve on the Trojans' 2024 Elite Eight run — their best March Madness performance in 30 years.
USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb called Watkins the X-factor in Iriafen's transfer decision.
"Kiki came because she wanted to play with JuJu, who recruited her because she wanted to play with Kiki," she explained. "It’s exciting to see their personalities mesh."
Underclassmen lead the charge in NCAA preseason All-America team
With the sophomore trio of Watkins, Booker, and Hidalgo, young players are leading the 2024/25 NCAA season, even before the November tip-off.
"It’s unbelievable," remarked Gottlieb. "Those players excelled as freshmen and their teams won. They did it in multiple ways. It’s really exciting for the game and the future of it."
Last season, Hildago's 22.6-point average led Notre Dame to the ACC Tournament title and the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16.
Booker, on the other hand, had an unexpected breakout season after the star Texas guard Rori Harmon was sidelined with an ACL injury. The newly minted starter stepped up for Texas in a big way, ultimately averaging 16.5 points, five assists, and five rebounds through her freshman year.
Last season, Booker also led the Longhorns to a Big 12 Tournament title.
South Carolina snubbed?
Notably, the preseason All-America team does not include any players from reigning NCAA champion South Carolina, who went undefeated in their 2023/24 campaign. The news comes a little over a week after the Gamecocks topped the preseason AP women’s college basketball rankings.
"We knew we’d have a target on our backs this season as the reigning champions and this preseason ranking just confirms that," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told the AP last week. "We appreciate the recognition, but I know our coaching staff and our team are more focused on what we see in the gym every day. And that’s every player working extremely hard to get better individually and as a team."
The publication first started compiling an NCAA preseason All-America team ahead of the 1994/95 season.
Picking up right where they left off, 2024 NCAA champions South Carolina claimed the No. 1 spot on yesterday's AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll. This marks the fourth time in five years the Gamecocks have topped the preseason rankings.
"We knew we'’'d have a target on our backs this season as the reigning champions and this preseason ranking just confirms that," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, who swept the 2024 Coach of the Year awards, told the AP.
"We appreciate the recognition, but I know our coaching staff and our team are more focused on what we see in the gym every day," she continued. "And that's every player working extremely hard to get better individually and as a team."
The 2024/25 Gamecock roster is nearly identical to last season's undefeated squad. With all but one starter — Chicago Sky rookie Kamilla Cardoso — returning, fans can expect to see stars like MiLaysia Fulwiley, Ashlyn Watkins, and Te-Hina Paopao continuing to set the standard in Columbia.
The Gamecocks, who blasted Memphis 106-63 in an exhibition game Tuesday night, will officially tip off their hunt for a third national championship in four seasons when they take on Michigan on November 4th. Over the previous three seasons, South Carolina has lost only three games.
Bueckers, Watkins boost NCAA teams' preseason stock
The impact of big-name players is palpable on the AP's preseason Top 25 list.
Dynasty UConn is on South Carolina's heels at No. 2, thanks in large part to projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Paige Bueckers. Though like many Huskies, Bueckers battled injuries over the last few seasons, hampering UConn's impact.
Her return last year fueled the Huskies all the way to the Final Four. This season — both Bueckers's final collegiate season and legendary head coach Geno Auriemma's 40th year at the helm — she'll take aim at bringing UConn's first NCAA trophy since 2016 back to Storrs.
On the other coast, USC clocks into the AP poll at No. 3 behind headliner JuJu Watkins, who put up arguably the most impactful freshman campaign in NCAA history last year.
Watkins aside, the Pac-12 implosion and resulting conference realignment has other aspects of USC looking decidedly different this season. Now representing the Big Ten alongside fellow former Pac-12 squad No. 5 UCLA, USC picked up top transfers Kiki Iriafen (Stanford) and Talia von Oelhoffen (Oregon State) in the offseason to build a title-contending 2024/25 roster.
Last season's Big 12 champion No. 4 Texas will now play in the SEC. With standout Rori Harmon back from ACL injury to duet with Madison Booker — who stepped up in a huge way last season in Harmon's stead — the Longhorns look a tough addition to the conference.
Former college basketball powerhouses omitted
With the departure of top players, a couple of last season's powerhouse teams failed to make the preseason Top-25 cut.
Without 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, plus the retirement of longtime head coach Lisa Bluder, 2024 NCAA runners-up Iowa fell from the rankings.
The biggest snub, however, belongs to new ACC addition Stanford, who went unranked for the first time since 1999. The Cardinal lost LA Sparks rookie Cameron Brink alongside transfer Kiki Iriafen after Tara VanDerveer — the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history — retired last April.
The preseason AP Top 25 women's college basketball poll
1. South Carolina (SEC)
2. UConn (Big East)
3. USC (Big Ten)
4. Texas (SEC)
5. UCLA (Big Ten)
6. Notre Dame (ACC)
7. LSU (SEC)
8. Iowa State (Big 12)
9. NC State (ACC)
10. Oklahoma (SEC)
11. Duke (ACC)
12. Baylor (Big 12)
13. Kansas State (Big 12)
14. Ohio State (Big Ten)
15. UNC (ACC)
16. West Virginia (Big 12)
17. Louisville (ACC)
18. Maryland (Big Ten)
19. Florida State (ACC)
20. Ole Miss (SEC)
21. Creighton (Big East)
22. Kentucky (SEC)
23. Nebraska (Big Ten)
24. Alabama (SEC)
25. Indiana (Big Ten)
Paige Bueckers isn’t rushing her decision on whether or not she’ll enter the WNBA draft.
While Bueckers is a projected first-round pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, the UConn star said on Tuesday that the deciding factors aren’t limited to the WNBA and which teams have picks.
Bueckers was asked on Tuesday if UConn’s injuries have impacted her decision to return or go pro next season. Injuries to Azzi Fudd, Aubrey Griffin, Jana El Alfy, Ayanna Patterson and Caroline Ducharme have all impacted the team this season and seriously dampened its championship potential.
“I think that’s what it’s all about,” Bueckers said. “It’s not about teams in the draft; who’s got what pick. 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. And so that’s, I think, the deciding factor — just wanting to be here longer and not anything necessarily that’s already picked and chosen in the draft.”
Bueckers has herself dealt with injuries that have impacted her college career, including an ACL injury that kept her out of last season. The year previous she missed 19 games en route to helping the Huskies reach the 2022 national title game.
She joked on Tuesday about the prospect of head coach Geno Auriemma wanting her to return. Due to her injuries, Bueckers has two years of eligibility remaining.
“At the beginning of the season he didn’t want me back. Now he probably wants me back,” she said. “It just depends on the ebbs and flows of the season but, still a conversation I’m gonna have.”
Paige Bueckers discussed the potential of adding on another year at UConn:
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) January 10, 2024
"It's not about teams in the [WNBA] Draft, who's got what pick. It's all about me loving playing here, me loving my teammates and wanting to get more experiences and time with them" pic.twitter.com/mHijsQ73L2
After collecting three losses before the start of conference play this season, no doubt many college basketball fans questioned the state of the UConn dynasty.
But Aaliyah Edwards has been playing high-quality basketball of late, helping the Huskies to prove the doubters wrong.
“When (Aaliyah) plays the way she’s played these last four, five games, she’s an All-American player,” head coach Geno Auriemma said to CT Insider’s Maggie Vanoni after UConn’s match against Toronto Metropolitan — a homecoming game scheduled specifically for Edwards in her home country.
Edwards relished her Canadian welcome. She mouthed along to “O Canada,” and is proud of the show that she put on north of the border.
“I hope it leaves a big impact on just women’s basketball in Canada,” Edwards told CT Insider. “I know a lot of people were there to support either myself or of UConn, but I would just encourage anybody just to go watch their local team, just women’s basketball in general…”
The sold-out crowd at Mattamy Athletic Centre exploded into applause for Edwards when her name was called in UConn’s lineup before the match. Her recent play deserves this level of fanfare.
The Huskies’ last five games have been wins for the team. And in those games, Edwards is averaging almost 19 points per game. Against Toronto Metropolitan, UNC, Ball State and Butler, the senior forward put up double-doubles.
The senior and her high-scoring teammate, Paige Bueckers, have hit their stride for UConn and it’s reflected in the team’s success. The energy is palpable for Auriemma as well. He told Vanoni that he likes the positive energy his team is feeling into the holiday break.
“I like where we are right now,” he said.
Once again, UConn basketball is navigating major injuries.
This season, though, the Huskies are doing so with Paige Bueckers on the court instead of on the sidelines – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges.
Already UConn is dealing with two season-ending injuries to Azzi Fudd and Jana El Alfy. Ayanna Patterson and Caroline Ducharme also are sidelined.
As a result, Bueckers has been tasked with playing multiple roles. And while she’s the best player UConn has, it’s taking some time for her teammates to adjust both to having her back in the lineup and to her playing new positions.
“We’re not completely there yet on how to seamlessly incorporate all the other people with the way Paige wants to play. And I don’t know when that will be 100% like I like it,” head coach Geno Auriemma said Sunday, as reported by CT Insider. “Right now, we just have to go with what we got and hope that every game we can get more contributions from more people.”
That means better off-ball movement around Bueckers, who runs the offense for UConn.
“We have to find a way to get more people consistently engaged around her,” Auriemma continued. “If she’s not getting enough assists, that means we’re not doing a good job moving without the ball because she would find you if we are, and that’s been a serious problem for this team for quite some time now.”
Through nine games, Auriemma has experimented with six different starting lineups. It’s about the Huskies attempting to “mix and match and find our way,” according to Auriemma. But eventually, he trusts, the team will figure it out.
“We’re all still trying to figure out how to play together as a basketball team and get sort of a chemistry within each other,” Bueckers said. “We’re all just trying to figure out how to be the best in our roles that we can be every single night and stay consistent in that.”
Paige Bueckers took the court for the second half of No. 17 UConn’s game with No. 24 North Carolina with 998 career points to her name. Fifteen seconds later, she reached 1,000.
KK Arnold grabbed a steal in the Huskies’ defensive end. She barrelled down the court, and when she reached the key, she dished to Bueckers on her right side. Buckers crashed the net with the ball in hand and tapped a layup off the glass.
After she tied Maya Moore to become one of the fastest UConn basketball players to reach 1,000 career points, Bueckers fell to the floor, rolled to her feet, and continued playing.
A minute and a half later, Bueckers collected her own steal in the Huskies’ end and drove to the hoop again for another easy layup. And she celebrated her 1,002nd point instead of No. 1,000.
As UNC called for a timeout, Bueckers puffed out her chest and screamed into the roar of the Connecticut crowd. Her teammates flocked to her and celebrated her achievement at her side.
“Maya is one of the GOATs, so to be in that space is just amazing,” Bueckers said to ESPN after the game. “It’s just a testament to all that my teammates have done for me, all that my coaches have done for me, I’m just a product of what they do for me, so extremely grateful and it’s an honor to be next to her.”
Bueckers showed out at the Invesco QQQ Basketball Hall of Fame women’s showcase. She dropped 26 points against the Tar Heels and unleashed her defensive prowess as well, batting four blocks and making three steals.
“I don’t know if it was the shooting sleeve or what but I felt like I was just trying to contribute to winning in any way that I can,” Bueckers said to ESPN. “I feel like if I play hard on the defensive end, stuff goes better for me on offense.”
Paige Bueckers struggled in UConn’s 80-68 loss to Texas on Sunday, which head coach Geno Auriemma attributes to being off her game.
Bueckers had just five points before the half and finished the game with 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting. She also had four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The 35 minutes were the most she’s played since the 2022 national championship game, which UConn lost to South Carolina.
The 2021 National Player of the Year is still progressing after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. And since Azzi Fudd went down in November with a season-ending ACL and meniscal tear in her right knee, Bueckers has taken on an even greater scoring load, which has forced her into taking shots when they aren’t necessarily there.
“I thought she was lousy today. Quite honestly, I thought she was bad, and I told her that,” Auriemma told CT Insider after the Texas game. “You know, Paige isn’t good when she needs seven dribbles to get a shot off. Paige isn’t good when she’s got to, you know, take on guys one-against-two (or) one-against-three going in the lane. You know, forcing things, hoping to get to the free-throw line. That’s not her game. That’s not who she is.”
Fudd’s injury leaves Bueckers as UConn’s biggest weapon from beyond the arc, where she averages a team-high 43.3 percent. She’s also the only player on the team to have attempted more than 82 shots.
Senior forward Aaliyah Edwards has also stepped up in Fudd’s absence, leading the way with 22 points, six rebounds and three assists against Texas. Auriemma knows he’ll need more from Edwards, Bueckers and the rest of UConn’s healthy players as the team battles injuries once again. With three losses so far this season, the Huskies fell to No. 17 in this week’s AP Top 25, their lowest ranking in 30 years.
“It’s important that we get other people to contribute more and to feel more confident doing what they’re good at, you know. It’s noticeable on the road, you know, how difficult it is for some of these guys. And, again, there’s no substitute,” Auriemma told CT Insider last week. “It’s not possible to beat good teams unless we get more contributions from other people.”
UConn’s injury woes have continued into this season, and it’s led to the Huskies’ players and coach experiencing déjà vu from years past.
“It just kills me to watch us play sometimes,” head coach Geno Auriemma told reporters after practice on Friday.
Last month, star guard Azzi Fudd went down with an ACL and meniscus tear in her right knee that will sideline her for the rest of the season. Junior guard Caroline Ducharme, meanwhile, remains out with neck spasms, and her timeline for return remains unclear.
“Don’t ask me how long, because I wish I knew,” Auriemma said of Ducharme. “You don’t know when they’re coming and you don’t know how long they’re going to last. We just keep trying and trying and trying. … I feel terrible for the kid.”
Many had thought this year would be different. Paige Bueckers, the 2021 National Player of the Year, is back from the ACL tear that kept her sidelined last season. Fudd, who has dealt with injuries throughout her career, started the season fully healthy. Now, Fudd and Jana El Alfy, who tore her Achilles tendon in July, will both miss the rest of the season. Sophomore forward Ayanna Patterson is also out following an offseason knee surgery.
In their absence, UConn has lost two of their last three games, including an 80-68 defeat to Texas on Sunday. The 4-3 Huskies haven’t lost three games this early in the season since 1980.
“I think they were all anticipating that this year was going to be different, that this year all that was going away and that was all behind us. And the response, I think, has been like a real punch in the gut. Like, ‘I’ve got to do this again,’” Auriemma said. “Me seeing that and me seeing their frustration, and them seeing mine, I think it’s inevitable. You can’t hide it.
“And I probably have not handled it great internally, and probably externally at times, as well. And that’s my job is as an adult, to make sure that I handle it, make sure that I am in complete control of myself and that I’m able to [answer], ‘How do I get each individual through another season?’ Like anybody else you know, I don’t think anybody deserves to be in this situation as many times as we’ve been in it.”
After all the injuries UConn has dealt with in the past few years, senior guard Nika Mühl said Friday that she doesn’t “know any different.”
“I feel like that’s the only cards we’ve been dealt since I’ve been here,” Mühl said. “So overcoming adversity is not something unfamiliar to us.”