Sports Analysis
The University of Connecticut Huskies’ 11-game winning streak was busted with last week’s loss to their rivals, the University of Tennessee Volunteers.
The UConn and Tennessee women’s basketball programs have had one of the fiercest rivalries of NCAA women’s basketball, which started when the two teams faced off for the first and second time in 1995. Both times resulted in victories for Connecticut, with the latter gaining them a national championship.
The two teams have carried a rivalry ever since, with Connecticut leading the all-time record of 17-9 up until they faced off in 2025, with UConn’s first loss to Tennessee since 2007 setting the record now 17-10. The game finished with a score of 76-80 after a long fight from both sides.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Geno Auriemma and Chris Daily coaching at UConn. So far, UConn has had a win-filled season despite some top ten losses against University of Southern California, Notre Dame and now Tennessee. The Huskies’ overall record is 21-3, yet they remain undefeated in the Big East conference at 12-0.
UConn fans have watched star Paige Bueckers play out the end of her college career. After a disappointing four years, Bueckers is hoping this will be the year she can lead her team to the national championship.
Bueckers, a 6-foot guard from Hopkins, Minnesota, joined UConn in 2020 as the number one ranked high school recruit. She was one of the most decorated high school players at the time and was also one of the most famous, having already amassed one million followers on Instagram before signing on to UConn.
Bueckers had the standout first year at UConn that was expected of her. She started all 29 games she appeared in and earned the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the Year. That year she also led Connecticut in points, assists, steals and three-point field goal percentage.
Bueckers’s sophomore year started out well, but in December of 2021, she suffered a knee injury that forced her to miss 19 games of the season. She recovered and was able to play in the season’s playoffs but fell short in the national championship game against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
After the loss, Bueckers missed the entirety of her junior season due to a torn ACL. Her junior redshirt season, Bueckers once again recovered and started 39 games. She was once again one of her team’s most decorated players, but UConn fell to Iowa in the March Madness Final Four, missing out on winning the championship once again.
This year, UConn has come back focused and prepared to win that championship. Though Bueckers has one more eligible year in the NCAA, she has hinted that this will be her last year.
When asked if she will be playing professionally next year, Bueckers said, “Yeah, that’s the plan.”
Bueckers has been ranked as the number one recruit for the WNBA draft in almost all mock drafts. The Dallas Wings have the number one overall pick for the 2025 WNBA draft, which will take place on April 16. Bueckers is also contracted to play in Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 off-season league.
Though UConn has faced losses in all of its major faceups, Coach Geno Auriemma is hoping Bueckers will be able to convert her energy from conference games into those top ten matches. If this momentum carries into the postseason, UConn may have troubles as they may face much fiercer competitors than other Big East teams.
As Bueckers races to the championship, many fans are racing to grab tickets as this may be their last chance to see Bueckers on the court as a Husky. UConn women’s basketball hassold out multiple games and drawn large crowds of fans hoping to see Bueckers. Though this is probably the last season for Bueckers at UConn, there is still much more of the season to come including possibly taking home the coveted national championship Bueckers has long awaited.
