UConn Women Extend Historic Sweet 16 Streak

Like death and taxes, you can always count on Connecticut for a deep run in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

On Monday, the 2-seed Huskies edged Central Florida 52-47 in the second round to extend their record Sweet 16 streak to 28 consecutive seasons.

Geno Auriemma has dominated the landscape since taking over the program in 1985, thanks to a steady stream of future WNBA superstars. 

• Under Auriemma, UConn has won 11 national championships (most recently in 2016) and reached 21 Final Fours — both women’s records.
• The eight-time Naismith Coach of the Year was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
• In 2021, Auriemma signed a five-year extension with a $600,000 base salary and an additional $2.2M for speaking, consulting, and media obligations.

This season has been a challenging one, as Paige Bueckers missed more than two months with a knee injury. But in her absence, projected top-10 pick Christyn Williams (14.5 PPG) and freshman Azzi Fudd (12.4 PPG) kept the Huskies’ title hopes alive.

With Bueckers back and UConn four wins from a championship, the Huskies have the second-best odds (+300*) behind South Carolina (+105*).

UConn will face Indiana on Saturday (2 p.m. ET) in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for an opportunity to advance to the Elite Eight for the 27th time in school history.