The University of Connecticut Huskies have earned their 12th national title after defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks, 82-59, in the final game of the March Madness Tournament.
All 12 championships have come under the coaching of Geno Auriemma, extending his record number of national titles by a coach and making him the first coach in NCAA history to win a national championship in four different decades.
UConn’s trip to the national championship trophy was not an easy one.
The Huskies made easy work of their early opponents, defeating Arkansas State, 103-34, in the Round of 64, South Dakota State, 91-57, in the Round of 32, and No. 3 seed in the Spokane 2 region, the University of Oklahoma, 82-59, in the Sweet 16.
The real test began when the Huskies faced No. 1 seed, the University of Southern California Trojans, in an Elite 8 matchup.
USC’s AP All-American First Team player, JuJu Watkins, suffered an ACL tear in their Round of 32 game against Mississippi State, ending her season. Unfortunately for the Trojans, the major loss would prove to be detrimental to their season, with UConn winning, 78-64.
Paige Bueckers, the 2021 AP Player of the Year and three-time First Team All-American, scored 31 points during the game, averaging 35 points from the Round of 32 to the Elite 8. The point total of 105 is the most scored by a UConn player in a three-game stretch in program history.
UConn would then travel from Spokane, Washington, to the other side of the country for the Final Four.
The Huskies were set to play No. 1 seed, the University of California, Los Angeles, led by yet another First Team All-American, Lauren Betts.
While Betts performed well, scoring 26 points and five rebounds, the remainder of her team struggled against the suffocating defense orchestrated by Auriemma.
UConn would roll to an 85-51 victory, the largest margin of victory in a Final Four game, men’s or women’s, ever.
It was a team effort for the Huskies, with freshman Sarah Strong leading the way, scoring 22 points.
Guard Azzi Fudd, who had struggled in the tournament leading up to this game, had 19 points. Bueckers, while she did not score more than 30, finished with 16 points.
The national championship was set to be a 2022 rematch between the UConn Huskies and another No. 1 seed, the South Carolina Gamecocks.
This game was the only one UConn and Auriemma lost in the NCAA National Championship game.
South Carolina had won two of the last three national championships, including one against UConn. A worry arose among UConn’s fanbase leading up to the game, with rumors stating that Dawn Staley was Geno Auriemma’s kryptonite.
It’s safe to say the result this year said otherwise.
The start of this year’s 2025 national championship was a competitive one.
South Carolina hung tight with Connecticut, with the Huskies only holding a five-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was similar to the first, with UConn playing better both offensively and defensively compared to South Carolina.
Another five-point margin in the second quarter led to a 36-26 UConn lead at halftime.
The third quarter would end up being the deciding quarter for the game.
Bueckers, Fudd, and Strong combined for 23 points in the quarter alone.
A stressed Dawn Staley looked on as a confident Geno Auriemma led his team to a commanding 62-42 lead at the end of the third.
The Huskies wouldn’t stop at a 20-point margin.
UConn stretched the lead all the way to 32 points with four minutes and 20 seconds left in the game.
With one minute and 30 seconds left, Auriemma subbed out his three most productive players—Bueckers, Strong, and Fudd. With it being Bueckers’ last game, Auriemma embraced her as she came off the court one final time.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been that emotional when a player has walked off the court,” Auriemma said to ESPN.
The Huskies defeated the Gamecocks, 82-59.
Azzi Fudd, who finished with 24 points in her best game of the tournament, was named Final Four Player of the Tournament.
Strong completed arguably the best game of her career, with 24 points and 15 rebounds.
Bueckers finished her final game with 17 points.
With limited minutes off the bench, KK Arnold provided a second-half spark, securing nine points with a perfect shooting percentage.
With 71-year-old Auriemma winning yet another championship, many questions were asked about his future after the game.
“Who knows when that morning I wake up and just say, ‘Listen, I can’t do it anymore,’” Auriemma said to USA Today. “But I don’t see that being tomorrow morning, let’s put it that way.”
UConn will gun for another championship next year with a similarly shaped starting lineup, though without Bueckers, who will go down as one of UConn’s greatest players ever.
Just like the late Gigi Bryant said, “Whenever you can’t, UConn.”
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