FORT WORTH, Texas — Geno Auriemma declared he has “never been prouder” to take a team to the Final Four, a striking sentiment from the coach whose program’s standard for excellence is nearly unparalleled, after UConn’s 70-52 victory over Notre Dame on Sunday preserved the Huskies’ 38-0 season and a 54-game winning streak.
Accepting his 25th regional championship trophy, Auriemma capped the celebration with a lasso line dance, donning a cowboy hat as confetti fell and teammate KK Arnold egged him on — a rare, unguarded moment that Azzi Fudd said was proof of how much the coach meant it. “When he breaks out a dance move, that’s how you know he’s proud,” the fifth-year guard said.
The win in Fort Worth not only punched UConn’s ticket to the Final Four but highlighted the collective strengths that have carried the Huskies this season: a fluid offense that dished 18 assists on 24 baskets and a stifling defense that limited Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo by denying her easy access to the paint. Blanco Quiñonez emerged as a key spark, scoring a team-high 14 first-half points and finishing with 20 to earn all-tournament honors alongside Fudd and Most Outstanding Player Sarah Strong.
Strong, a sophomore who has stepped into a clear leadership role, is drawing national attention and is being discussed as a frontrunner for the Naismith National Player of the Year award. Her steady play, paired with Fudd’s experience and freshman contributors like KK Arnold and Ashlyn Shade, has masked the youth of this roster — a younger group following the departures of fifth-year seniors Paige Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen to the WNBA.
Auriemma acknowledged the unusual pressure that accompanies an unblemished record. “Getting all the way to this point undefeated is a lot of baggage to carry,” he said, noting that every day opponents come prepared specifically to break the streak. Still, he emphasized the team’s character: unlike some of his past championship teams that carried an overt swagger, this roster “doesn’t have that kind of swagger, trash-talking kind of mentality,” he said, which in his mind makes the journey more precarious.
Statistically, this squad has been dominant. Its 51.1 net rating ranks third in program history, trailing only UConn’s 2015 and 2016 title teams. Yet Auriemma — a 12-time national champion whose teams have claimed multiple undefeated titles — was careful to frame his praise in perspective, calling this regional trophy “no. 1” for the younger players on the roster and reminding reporters that he has a long line of former champions who have helped shape the program’s expectations.
With the Final Four in Phoenix looming, UConn now faces the twin realities of its legacy and the immediate task: remain unbeaten against a field that will be circling the Huskies as they chase another national title. For the moment, the coach’s cowboy-hat celebration and an unambiguous expression of pride have given this team a new, public measure of confidence as it heads into college basketball’s culminating weekend.