The 2024-2025 season for the UConn Huskies was one filled with anticipation, expectations, and a lot of unknowns. Beginning the season with Azzi Fudd, Aubrey Griffin, Caroline Ducharme, and Ayanna Patterson on the bench was the anticipation. Sarah Strong, Morgan Cheli, and Allie Ziebell were the expectations. The unknowns were when, how, and where all the pieces might finally be put in order.
The first piece to come back into view was the return of Azzi Fudd, who played her first game against Fairleigh Dickinson. In a limited number of minutes, Fudd only scored four points in 12 minutes, but she was back. In subsequent games, both minutes and points increased. Griffin was the second player to return, also on limited minutes, against DePaul. Finally, the much anticipated return of Ducharme came on the road at Butler.
When next she played at home, her entrance on the court was met with rousing applause, considering the series of injuries Ducharme has incurred over the past two seasons. All these returning players provided the Huskies with an enormous morale boost. Unfortunately, Cheli had a season-ending injury, but her contributions were significant, not just from a points point of view, but Cheli was playing with confidence and a surety that bodes well for the future. Her return will be most welcome.
UConn’s Lone Three Losses and Another Big East Title
The three losses during the regular season to Notre Dame, USC, and Tennessee were indeed setbacks. There were 11 wins in between the USC loss and the Tennessee loss and only two between Notre Dame and USC.
There was, however, a significant shift in purpose after the Tennessee loss and a determination not to lose again. Three games after the loss the Lady Vols, UConn had what is referred to as a “statement” win against reigning champs South Carolina, and won dramatically. UConn topped the Gamecocks 87 – 58, ending their home streak of 71 games and letting the basketball community know that the Huskies were on the way.
UConn ended the regular season by taking the Big East title and then convincingly winning the Big East conference tournament. This put the Huskies as a No. 2 seed in the NCAAW tournament.
The Huskies’ Dominant Run in the Women’s NCAA Tournament
It has been said from time to time that UConn in March is a different team. If different means better, then yes, that’s true. But this season, there was a palpable difference in passion. It may have been due to the departing players Paige Bueckers, Kaitlyn Chen, and Griffin and wanting to finally secure the elusive 12th title.
From the beginning of the tournament, and UConn’s trouncing of Arkansas State, South Dakota State, and Oklahoma, it looked as though the Huskies were a legitimate title contender. The much anticipated and hoped for meeting with USC in the Elite Eight was somewhat marred by the injury to JuJu Watkins, but nevertheless, the matchup was going to be a highly charged game.
Although USC played a good game, UConn never took their foot off the gas. Even though USC made a dent in the Huskies’ lead in the third quarter, UConn roared back in the fourth quarter and took the game 78 – 64, their closest margin in the tournament.
What followed next was nothing short of extraordinary. Facing the overall No. 1 seed UCLA in the Final Four, UConn essentially took them apart. Except for Bruins star Lauren Betts, who scored 26 points, no one else for UCLA scored in double digits.
In fact, the trio of Sarah Strong, Paige Bueckers, and Azzi Fudd combined for 57 points. As a team, UCLA only scored 51. A decisive win set UConn up with a rematch of the 2022 final game with South Carolina. Having lost so decisively to UConn the previous month, South Carolina was out for revenge, and UConn was looking to erase the memory of the 2022 loss. The rest is history.
Another National Championship for UConn
UConn’s pounding of the Gamecocks, the second time in the season, was an example of what pure determination, skill, and perseverance can do in the face of adversity. It was a stunning victory and the end of the “Paige Bueckers Era” at UConn. It may very well have been the beginning of the “Sarah Strong Era.” To watch a freshman play like anything but a freshman was eye-opening.
With Fudd returning next year, and hopefully a fully recovered bench, plus new players going in, the chances of UConn continuing forward seem pretty damn good. While title No. 13 is way off in the distance, the taste for it is there. Of course, every team is going to be preparing for the same thing. 2025 – 2026 is going to be another exciting season, not just for UConn but for the basketball community.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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