TAMPA, Fla. — UConn and Geno Auriemma are back at the top of women’s college basketball.
The Huskies defeated South Carolina 82–59 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa on Sunday to win their 12th national title, breaking a tie with the UCLA men’s basketball team for the most in NCAA history, men’s or women’s. The championship ended a nine-season drought for UConn, the longest since Auriemma’s first stretch as head coach (1985–1994).
The 71-year-old coach, who has led the Huskies to all 12 of their championships, has said that his retirement is looming. “These kids are fun, but there is going to come a time when the fun doesn’t eliminate how hard it is to do this job,” Auriemma said Sunday after the game. He said that his job has felt more like an “obligation” in recent years.
However, he also said Saturday that due to the team’s success and his love for the players and team staff, it’s “very difficult” to walk away from the program. He noted Sunday that this title was one of the most “emotional” of the dozen.
In 2024, UConn announced a five-year, $18.7 million extension with Auriemma that runs until the 2028–2029 season. The $3.74 million average annual value was the highest at the time the deal was signed, though it was surpassed in January by Dawn Staley, whose new deal will pay her $4 million annually.
Paige Bueckers Is on the Clock
The Huskies star, who finished with 17 points against the Gamecocks, will only have a week to soak in the national championship before she officially turns pro. The WNBA draft is on April 14, and Bueckers is expected to go No. 1 to the Dallas Wings.
Reports have circulated that the 23-year-old may attempt to maneuver her way to another franchise—a move akin to what Eli Manning did in the NFL in 2004. Bueckers told FOS on Thursday that there is “nowhere specific” she wants to play when she turns pro. “Wherever I end up,” Bueckers said.
The Wings are one of five franchises in the WNBA considered “independent,” meaning their owners do not also own another major sports franchise in the same city. The other independent WNBA franchises are the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, and Seattle Storm.
