The stories of UConn's season

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Headlines

News

• UConn’s trip to USF set for Dec. 3

• Kayleigh Heckel invited to USA Basketball U19 trials

Analysis

• Mailbag: Starting lineup predictions, TV deal, best newcomer and more (part one)

• Mailbag: Most memorable games, best players to cover and other behind-the-scenes stories (part two)

Last week’s Weekly

• What made UConn's 2025 national title unique

The stories of UConn's season

Though it seems predestined now considering the fairytale nature of the ending, there were moments during UConn’s 2024-25 season when a national championship felt far from certain. More so than most of the program’s previous title-winners, these Huskies went through plenty of trials and tribulations to reach the mountain top.

While the story of UConn’s 12th national title can certainly be told with the benefit of hindsight, the best way to remember the emotions, the struggles and the uncertainty is to go back and read about the biggest moments of the season as they happened.

Having covered the Huskies from start to finish, let’s take a look back at our best stories from a most memorable year:

Preseason

• Despite three seasons of injuries, hope springs eternal for UConn

• UConn hoping to have a deep rotation this season

• Will UConn's competition for minutes affect team chemistry?

Despite coming off three injury-marred seasons, UConn was optimistic about the 2024-25 campaign. Geno Auriemma explained that “hope springs eternal” during summer workouts and discussed his desire to use a deeper rotation — even if that meant the testing the team’s chemistry along the way.

Setting the foundation

• Paige Bueckers is ready to be selfish: "Leave nothing up to chance"

• Geno: Sarah Strong "will significantly change the trajectory of our program"

Though it seems impossible to remember a time before Sarah Strong established herself as an indispensable piece of the team, she was still an unknown in the preseason. Auriemma did his best to change that by saying she was as impressive as any freshman that had come through the program in recent memory before offering his now-famous declaration that Strong “will significantly change the trajectory of our program”.

Bueckers also revealed that UConn’s Final Four loss to Iowa the previous season provided a much-needed “reality check” and vowed to be more assertive in her final season.

40 years (and counting)

• On a night for Geno, he turns the spotlight on everyone else

• How Geno's early days at UConn built a foundation for the dynasty

• How Chris Dailey has been central to UConn's success

On Nov. 20, UConn celebrated Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey’s 40th season in Storrs on the night Auriemma became college basketball’s all-time wins leader. Scores of alumni were in the crowd and eventually made their way onto the court at Gampel Pavilion during a postgame ceremony that ended with the greatest of all time being presented with a literal goat.

Guess who’s back

• With wide smile, Azzi Fudd makes her return

That same night, Azzi Fudd made her season debut after sitting out the first three games of the season while working her way back from a torn ACL. For the first time, UConn could put Bueckers, Strong and Fudd on the floor together.

Highs and lows

• UConn delivers No. 22 Louisville "a good old-fashioned ass whooping"

• UConn's lack of killer instinct on full display in loss to Notre Dame

• UConn explodes for historic shooting performance that Geno never saw coming

• How UConn's small-ball lineup sparked comeback bid

UConn’s toughest stretch of the regular season came during a two week stretch from Dec. 7 and 21 when it faced four ranked teams in a five-game span. The Huskies flashed their ceiling for the first time in a dominant win over Louisville but quickly fell back to earth in an uninspired defeat at Notre Dame. Behind a huge first quarter from Ashlynn Shade, they dominated Iowa State in historic fashion only to go into the Christmas break on a sour note with a comeback bid that fell short in a loss to USC.

A major scare

• UConn believes Paige Bueckers avoided worst-case scenario with injury

• Azzi Fudd takes over in Paige Bueckers' absence: 'I was hoping she would do it'

Just after New Year’s, UConn’s season flashed before everyone’s eyes when Bueckers suffered a knee injury in a win at Villanova. It all ended up okay, luckily. Bueckers only missed two games with a sprain while her absence helped spark Fudd down the stretch.

One game, two milestones

• Paige Bueckers hits 2,000 points; Aubrey Griffin makes long-awaited return

UConn’s 60-point win over Seton Hall on Jan. 19 was plenty eventful. Bueckers became the fastest player in program history to reach 2,000 career points while Aubrey Griffin returned from a torn ACL.

The inflection point

• Geno is happy that Tennessee rivalry has faded: 'It just became stupid'

• UConn's big game woes continue with loss to Tennessee

• Geno hammers team after loss to Tennessee

UConn’s loss at Tennessee in early February might be one of the most important defeats in program history. Bueckers and Fudd both had bad nights while the Huskies as a whole struggled in crunch time. They looked like a team more likely to flame out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament than win a national championship.

It proved to be the wake-up call that UConn needed, though. After giving his team plenty of time to grow, Auriemma finally called them out following the defeat while the players got sick of losing for good. The Huskies wouldn’t drop another game the rest of the way.

The (eventual) national champions arrive

• UConn 'punks' South Carolina in stunning blowout: 'We played to win'

• Azzi Fudd's takeover at South Carolina was a long time coming, but nothing new

Expectations were low for UConn when it traveled to South Carolina. The Gamecocks had won the previous four meetings and looked to be the team to beat in March yet again. The best case scenario for the Huskies seemed to be be sneaking out a tight win, though a moral victory would’ve sufficed.

Instead, UConn cruised to a stunning 29-point victory that showed the rest of the country what the Huskies were capable of at their best.

“This is in them,” Auriemma said. “Can it come out every day? I don't know. But now we know it's in them.”

The run starts

• UConn lands as 2-seed in Spokane 4 Regional

• Why UConn will likely decide its own fate in the NCAA Tournament

UConn won the Big East regular season and tournament titles with ease then moved on to the NCAA Tournament. While the Huskies were locked in as the top 2-seed, the committee surprised everyone by putting USC in the same region instead of Texas. That meant UConn would head to the West Coast in March for the third straight season.

• Like 'caged animals', UConn unleashes on Arkansas State in NCAA Tournament opener

• Paige Bueckers closes Gampel career with yet another unstoppable performance

• Paige Bueckers goes nuclear to send UConn to the Elite Eight

• Kaitlyn Chen helps lift UConn to Tampa for her "first and last Final Four"

UConn flew through the first two rounds then punched its ticket to Tampa with a pair of tough victories in the regionals. Bueckers was sensational throughout in her quest to finish her collegiate career with a title.

Four It All

• Paige Bueckers heads to another Final Four in search of perfect ending

• Paige Bueckers embracing the pressure at her last Final Four

As UConn arrived at the Final Four, there was one dominant storyline: Can Bueckers win the elusive national championship and ride off into the sunset on top?

A historic beatdown puts UConn one win away

• Jana El Alfy shines in Final Four win over UCLA: 'That's what I came here for'

• UConn plays perfect game to record largest win in Final Four history

While UConn faced No. 1 overall seed UCLA in the national semifinal, the Huskies proved that they were the team to beat in Tampa with a historically lopsided victory. Even in the moment, it was clear they were on the precipice of their 12th national championship after this performance.

Finishing the job

• Paige Bueckers finishes legendary UConn career with a fairytale ending

• 'Vintage Azzi' Fudd lifts UConn to its 12th National Championship

• After dominating the Final Four, UConn reminds everyone it still runs the sport

• Despite self-doubts, Geno shows why he's still the greatest coach of all time

• Why UConn's championship drought didn't bother Geno much

While South Carolina put up a better fight than UCLA, UConn still steamrolled them to win its 12th national championship. Paige Bueckers finally got her ring while the Huskies reminded everyone they’re still the golden standard.

For the first time in nine years, UConn went out on top.

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