STORRS, Conn. — Last time UConn played an NCAA Tournament game, it ended with a moment fit for cinema — Wade Trophy winner Paige Bueckers embracing Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma in a tearful hug. With a dominant win over South Carolina, the Huskies won their 12th national title, their first since 2016. While the game was certainly a celebration of UConn’s return to the top, it was Bueckers’ storybook ending that became the biggest storyline out of Tampa.
“Last year I think eventually the narrative was, ‘Let’s win one for Paige, let’s win one for Paige.’ … But in reality each of those players that played in that game that are back got to experience something for the very first time,” Auriemma told reporters on Friday.
“Somebody said, ‘would you rather have the pressure of getting Paige another one, or would you rather have the pressure of winning one without the best player in the country last year?’ In addition to the two players [Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong] that we had that could be the best player in the country this year. Whoever knows? I would say I would take last year’s pressure over this year’s pressure.”
If last year’s narrative was about UConn’s superstar, this year’s is about defending the title and completing a seventh undefeated season — and the Huskies have the pieces to get the job done. Led by the dynamic duo of All-Americans Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, UConn’s roster is anchored by junior guard and floor general KK Arnold, with newcomers Serah Williams, Kayleigh Heckel and Blanca Quiñonez adding an unrelenting depth that has worn teams down all season.
The Huskies begin their quest for a 13th title on Saturday on their home floor against University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Like every March for the past 30 or so years, UConn seems to be playing its best basketball right now. As the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, the pressure’s on them to raise another banner at Gampel Pavilion.
“Pressure and UConn go together … I think the fact that they have to deal with that from the minute they step on campus, I think helps them during these times,” Auriemma said.
UTSA relishes unlikely NCAA Tournament bid
It hasn’t been an easy season for the UTSA Roadrunners, who struggled to a 9-9 record in conference play while managing several injuries. There were times this season where the Roadrunners had more injured players than active players, with five total players suffering season-ending injuries.
In an improbable series of events, UTSA strung together a span of four wins in four days at the American Conference Tournament, swiping away No. 1 seed Rice’s NCAA Tournament bid.
“I think that all the adversity, the challenges we went through made it worth it when we got to cut the net down,” junior forward Idara Udo told reporters. “I think we kind of forgot about the struggles and the path that got us here. It just makes you believe that when you work hard and you buy in, it pays off. No matter the circumstances you’re in, you can always come out on top.”
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Though UTSA head coach describes facing the undefeated UConn Huskies as a “monumental challenge,” she relishes the opportunity.
“Obviously our team is incredibly excited to be here,” Aston told reporters. “You know, I’ve been coaching long enough to know that these opportunities don’t come around every day, and it’s been an absolute thrill for me as a coach to see these young people have this opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament, experience everything, and just kind of take it all in.”
Aston, who began her Division I head coaching career in 2007, has now led three programs (Charlotte, Texas, UTSA) to NCAA Tournament appearances. Though she’s been here before, she looks forward to seeing how her current team measures up against the best team in the country.
“I respect the game a lot. I love the game,” Aston said. “When you have an opportunity to go toe to toe regardless of where you’re at with the best and the tradition that UConn carries with it, then there is a respect that goes with that and there is an excitement that goes with it.”
History repeating for Iowa State head coach
The first time Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly stepped into Gampel Pavilion, the UConn Huskies were just over a year removed from their first-ever game (on Jan. 31, 1990) in the new arena. The following March, Fennelly led the No. 11 seed Toledo Rockets into Storrs for a first-round game against the No. 3 seed UConn Huskies in the 1991 NCAA Tournament.
In a thrilling 81-80 game, UConn eked out its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory en route to the program’s first-ever Final Four in New Orleans. Coach Auriemma credits that win and UConn’s Final Four run with putting the Huskies on the national radar in a way that changed the program’s trajectory forever. Fennelly doesn’t quite share that same nostalgia.
“My recollections of that game are probably different than his, I would say,” Fennelly joked with reporters, before elaborating on how that game is still talked about in Toledo women’s basketball lore.
Now, 35 years later, Auriemma still calls Gampel Pavilion home, while Fennelly coaches the Iowa State Cyclones, a role he’s held since the 1995-96 season. Fennelly has transformed Iowa State into a nationally-prominent program, and the No. 8 seed Cyclones were selected for their 24th NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Though it’s a place he’s become accustomed to in recent years, Fennelly still feels the same joy entering the sport’s most prestigious tournament.
“Besides Christmas with my grandkids, Selection Sunday is the greatest day of the year for me. It’s what I live for,” Fennelly said. “It’s on my practice card every morning, every day. So to be selected to represent your school … It doesn’t get much better.”
When Iowa State takes the court on Saturday against Syracuse, it will be led by AP Second Team All-American Audi Crooks, who has scored in double figures in 97 straight games. It’s the longest streak by a Cyclone women’s basketball player, the longest active streak in NCAA women’s basketball and the longest streak by a Big 12 player since Brittney Griner‘s 116-game run at Baylor from 2010-2013.
Now a junior, Crooks represents the state of Iowa with pride and an infectious joy. Heading into Saturday’s game, she’s hoping to clinch a win for her home state and earn the chance to play another day in Gampel.
“I love the state of Iowa — born and raised,” Crooks told The IX Sports. ” … We have a rich history of six-on-six basketball. I’m proud to represent that state and to continue on what women’s basketball has become.”
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Chemistry led Cuse to NCAA Tournament
When eight new players arrived in Syracuse team in June, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack knew exactly the place to bring the new-look squad.
“We took them to the mecca of the world, which is New York City,” Legette-Jack told reporters. “We didn’t know what we were going to get, eight new players, so many different coaches and so many changes that occurred at our university. So we just said, let’s just take a trip.”
That trip got the Orange’s season off on the right foot, and the team “came together as sisters” while laughing and exploring their way through the Big Apple. When the team got back to campus for preseason prep, the chemistry was immediate.
“Preseason came and I just liked the mentality. There was no person left behind. They run the mile and the people that finished first were going around the track and pushed the other ones through the line,” Legette-Jack said.
Syracuse finished the regular season with a 22-7 record (12-6 in ACC), earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Now, in what Coach Legette-Jack refers to as “fourth season” — following the two seasons of regular season play (nonconference and conference) and the ACC Tournament — she’s returned her alma mater to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
“I am humbled and grateful for the support Syracuse has given,” Legette-Jack said. “Not just my program, but all programs. But ours in particular. … We’re building something that was very familiar to me when I was a student-athlete, when we were winning bowl game after bowl game, and getting to the NCAA in women’s basketball, and our lacrosse team was going to championship games and winning national championships.”
Legette-Jack certainly has her eyes on the continued upward trajectory of a historically-proud institution that, as a player, she led to a BIG EAST Championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. For now, though, she’s focused on what’s right in front of her, and her team is following her lead.
“The biggest thing right now is just for us to have an understanding that we got 40 minutes left to play, and right now we’re going to be facing different competition,” senior guard Laila Phelia told reporters. “It’s going to be big for us to continue to play Syracuse women’s basketball.”
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