Geno Auriemma Questions UConn’s Defense After Marquette Game
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Despite a 36-point win over Marquette, Geno Auriemma evaluated UConn’s defensive performance through shot quality rather than margin. The Huskies held Marquette to 38.2 percent shooting, forced 21 turnovers, and built a 73–29 lead after three quarters.
Still, when Auriemma spoke to the press after the game, he had something interesting to say about the defense.
“A little bit, I think,” Auriemma said when asked if he liked the defensive performance. “Sometimes you play great defensively. I thought we were better defensively against USC than we were tonight, simply because the quality of shots USC got were not high-percentage shots. Sometimes your defense looks really good because the other team misses, and sometimes it looks good because you didn’t let them get what they wanted.”
On the surface, the numbers scream great defense. The Golden Eagles only managed one brief stretch of consecutive baskets before halftime. UConn erased Marquette’s offense early, closing space, shrinking driving lanes, and cutting off rhythm.
11-0 run for the Huskies! pic.twitter.com/gJtwrcT0fV
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) December 18, 2025
Marquette finished 5-for-16 from three and scored just 22 points in the paint. Still, the fourth quarter lingered. With UConn’s starters resting, Marquette outscored the Huskies 24–16, padding numbers but also reinforcing Auriemma’s point that defense isn’t static. It’s fragile if habits slip.
“For me, I look at what kind of shots they got. Did they get open shots and just miss them, or did we do a great job not letting them have those looks? In today’s game, you have to be really, really good at defending the three-point line. That’s something you’re constantly working on, and it’s something I’m never satisfied with. You also have to be really good in transition defense, which most coaches are never satisfied with, and you have to be great at defensive rebounding. If you can do those three things, then your defense usually looks pretty good,” added Auriemma.
Against Marquette, UConn checked two boxes cleanly and had the third. Auriemma’s statement makes more sense when viewed in the broader context. Through 11 games, UConn is holding opponents to 51.9 points per game while winning by an average of nearly 38 points.
Opponents are shooting just 33.1 percent from the field and under 30 percent from three. The Huskies are forcing 23.4 turnovers per game and converting those into 33 points a night. The pattern shows up repeatedly. And Auriemma knows the importance of a good defense all too well.
“Did I think we’d be this good at this point in the season? I don’t know. Last year, it took us a long time to become a really, really good defensive team. Time will tell, but I like where we are. I think we could be a lot better, though,” said Auriemma.
Azzi Fudd Backs Geno Auriemma, Reveals UConn’s Focus This Season
Azzi Fudd, while agreeing with Auriemma, also looked at the defensive identity as an intent rather than a criticism. “We started this season really trying to make an emphasis on defense being part of our team identity,” Fudd said. “From preseason to now, it was defense.”
And that identity showed in the Marquette game. The Golden Eagles managed just nine points in the second quarter, even as UConn turned the ball over six times in that span. Those mistakes never turned into momentum because the defense was brilliant.
And the reason for that, as Fudd puts it, is, “When we’re trapping, when we’re rotating, you know you can trust that the person has your back if you go for a steal and miss.” That trust brings aggression.
It’s why UConn can gamble without panicking and why sloppy offensive stretches don’t snowball. The point-of-attack pressure disrupted Marquette’s timing and fed the assist on the other end. By the time Marquette found daylight late, the game was already buried.
“Defense is effort,” Fudd added. “And we feed off each other’s energy.” Right now, that energy is loud enough to decide games early. Auriemma just wants to know if it can stay loud when it matters most.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.