2024–25 UConn Huskies women's basketball team facts for kids
The 2024–25 UConn Huskies women's basketball team had an amazing season. They played for the University of Connecticut (UConn) and won the national championship in the 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The team was led by their famous head coach, Geno Auriemma, who has been with UConn for 40 years. They played their home games at two different places: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, and the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. UConn is part of the Big East Conference, which they rejoined in the 2020–21 season. They were also part of the original Big East Conference from 1979 to 2013.
The Huskies started the season ranked #2 in the country. They had star player Paige Bueckers, who had been named an All-American twice. Some players who were injured in previous seasons were back, but a few were still recovering. The team also welcomed new talented players, including Sarah Strong, who was ranked the #1 recruit. They also added Kaitlyn Chen from Princeton University.
Coach Auriemma made history early in the season. A win against Fairleigh Dickinson was his 2017th career victory. This made him the winningest head coach in NCAA history! The Huskies won many games against top teams like North Carolina, Ole Miss, and Louisville. They did lose a few games to other highly ranked teams such as Notre Dame, USC, and Tennessee. In February, UConn had a huge win against South Carolina, who were the defending national champions. UConn won that game 87–58.
The Huskies were unstoppable in their Big East conference games. They went undefeated for the second year in a row and won the Big East tournament. In the NCAA tournament, UConn was a second-seeded team. They played incredibly well, winning games by an average of 34 points. In the championship game, they faced South Carolina again and won 82–59. This victory gave UConn their 12th national championship! They finished the season with an amazing record of 37 wins and only 3 losses.
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A Look Back at Last Season
The previous season was also very strong for UConn. They were ranked second before the season started. Even though they lost some key players to injuries, they still played great. They won all their Big East conference games and the conference tournament. Star players Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards were named All-Americans. Nika Mühl became UConn's all-time leader in assists.
In the NCAA tournament, UConn was a third-seeded team. They made it to the Final Four, where they played against the Iowa Hawkeyes. That game was watched by a record 14.4 million people! UConn finished the season with 33 wins and 6 losses. Both Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Mühl were chosen in the 2024 WNBA draft to play professional basketball.
Changes Before the Season
Players Leaving the Team
After the 2023–24 season, two senior players, Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Mühl, graduated. Both of them were drafted into the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Two other players, Amari Deberry and Inês Bettencourt, decided to transfer to other schools.
New Players Joining the Team
UConn welcomed Kaitlyn Chen, a graduate student who transferred from Princeton University. At Princeton, Kaitlyn was named the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2023–24.
New Recruits
UConn also brought in some very talented young players for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
- For the 2024 class, they got commitments from five-star guards Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli.
- On April 6, 2024, Sarah Strong, who was the #1 ranked player in the 2024 class, also decided to join UConn.
- For the 2025 class, ESPN ranked UConn's incoming players as the sixth-best in the country. This class included players like Kelis Fisher, Gandy Malou-Mamel, and Blanca Quinonez.
Coaching Staff
The coaching team remained strong. Head coach Geno Auriemma and associate head coach Chris Dailey returned for their 40th season. Assistant coaches Jamelle Elliott, Morgan Valley, and Tonya Cardoza are all former UConn players. Ben Kantor was also promoted to assistant coach. As mentioned earlier, Coach Auriemma made history by becoming the winningest coach in NCAA history during the season.
How the Season Unfolded
UConn started the season ranked #2 in the country. They had Paige Bueckers back, along with other players who had recovered from injuries. New players like Sarah Strong and Kaitlyn Chen joined the team.
Coach Geno Auriemma achieved his 2017th career victory early in the season against Fairleigh Dickinson. This made him the winningest coach in NCAA history. The main starting lineup for UConn included guards Bueckers, Chen, and Azzi Fudd (who returned from a year-long injury). Sarah Strong played forward, and Jana El-Alfy was the center. Players like Ashlynn Shade, KK Arnold, and Ice Brady were important players coming off the bench.
The Huskies had a great start, winning against ranked teams like North Carolina, Ole Miss, and Louisville. However, they lost some non-conference games in December to Notre Dame and USC.
Once Big East conference play began, UConn went on an 11-game winning streak. This streak ended in February with a loss to ranked non-conference opponent Tennessee. Just ten days later, UConn had a huge win against South Carolina, who were ranked #4 and were the defending national champions. UConn won that game 87–58.
UConn finished their regular season with 28 wins and 3 losses. They won the Big East regular season title, going undefeated in conference play for the second year in a row. They also won the Big East tournament. Both Bueckers and Strong were named to All-American teams. The media started calling Bueckers, Strong, and Fudd UConn's "big three." Everyone expected them to lead the team far in the NCAA tournament.
Going into the NCAA tournament, UConn was ranked #3 and was seeded second in their regional. They easily defeated Arkansas State and South Dakota State to reach their 31st straight Sweet Sixteen. UConn then beat Oklahoma and won a rematch against USC to advance to the Final Four. Paige Bueckers, who had already decided to enter the 2025 WNBA draft, scored over 30 points in three straight games, including a career-high 40 points against Oklahoma. UConn won their Final Four game against UCLA by 34 points. The championship game was another exciting rematch against South Carolina. The Huskies defeated the Gamecocks to win their 12th national championship! Azzi Fudd was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
UConn ended the season with an incredible 37 wins and only 3 losses. They had a 16-game winning streak to finish the season. All 37 of their wins were by double-digit points. Sarah Strong led the team in rebounds. Paige Bueckers led the team in points and assists, and she finished her UConn career with the third-most points in the program's history.
Team Roster
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Awards and Honors
Many players and coaches received special awards for their amazing performance:
- Paige Bueckers
- Won the Wade Trophy and Honda Sport Award for Basketball
- Received the Nancy Lieberman Award
- Named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association, and Women's Basketball Coaches Association
- Was the Big East Player of the Year
- Named to the First-team All-Big East
- Was the Big East tournament Most Outstanding Player
- Sarah Strong
- Named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press
- Named a third-team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association
- Named an All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
- Won WBCA Freshman of the Year
- Named to the First-team All-Big East
- Was the Big East Freshman of the Year and on the Big East All-Freshman Team
- Azzi Fudd
- Named the NCAA Division I tournament Most Outstanding Player
- Named to the First-team All-Big East
- Ashlynn Shade
- Was the Big East Sixth Woman of the Year
- Geno Auriemma
- Was named Big East Co-Coach of the Year
See also
- 2024–25 UConn Huskies men's basketball team
