Geno Auriemma Surprised by UConn's Blowout Win Over Syracuse
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The UConn Huskies started their March Madness with one of their worst 3-point shooting games against UTSA. But that cold stretch didn't last long.
The Huskies played their Sweet 16-clinching game against Syracuse and 13 threes en route to the 98-45.
Geno Auriemma admitted that entering the game, he thought the Huskies looked “tired mentally and physically,” but the game on the hardcourts was one for the books. Azzi Fudd, after shooting 1-for-5 from deep in the first round of the tournament, turned it around against the Orange.
Fudd ended the night with 34 points, matching her career-high. Of those points, 26 were scored before halftime, tying another career-high, and she also hit six first-half threes. This pushed UConn to a 65-12 lead by the break. The Huskies even forced a stretch where Syracuse went over 10 minutes without a basket.
It was hands-down one of the best games this season, and that’s what surprised Auriemma, especially considering his team looked tired just days before.
“I thought we looked tired because it’s that time of the year," said Auriemma. "You waited 10–12 days, whatever it is, to play, and you’ve just laid around, and we were on spring break. So I thought we looked a little tired, mentally and physically, when we played on Saturday... I was worried. I’m thinking this is going to maybe take some time to shake the cobwebs. Today, when we came out, it was unbelievable.”
Fudd took control of the perimeter, while Sarah Strong continued to do it all, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds. The Huskies are just four wins away from back-to-back national championships and sitting on the fifth-longest winning streak in Division I history.
I thought we knew not to leave @azzi_35 by herself on the 3PT line 👌#MarchMadness x 🎥 ESPN / @uconnwbb pic.twitter.com/526O59Ovdl
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 23, 2026
That is simply historic. However, Auriemma revealed that he was also worried about his team performing without their former backbone.
“I thought they’d be nervous… this is their first time, there’s no Paige (Bueckers),” Auriemma said. “They’re being asked to do a bunch of different things, and I was really happy, and really surprised.”
For the first time in four seasons, the Huskies entered the NCAA tournament without Bueckers. Bueckers led the Huskies to last season’s national championship. She ended her time as a Husky with a 19.9 scoring average and 2,439 total points, third most in UConn history.
The Huskies went 37-3 in 2024-25, including an 18-0 conference record and a 16-game winning streak entering March. This season, the Huskies are 36-0, riding a 52-game win streak and entering their 32nd straight Sweet 16. And yet, Auriemma isn’t fully convinced this season will yield the same result.
“Whether or not that’s a huge carryover come Friday, I don’t know," he said. "But it’s better than getting on a plane tomorrow, going, 'Man, we're in big trouble. I don’t like where we are at all. I don’t like anything about our team. We won because we just have better players.' That kind of stuff. I feel pretty good about it. As good as you can feel without being overconfident.”
Next up, the Huskies Face the Tar Heels
UConn holds a 9-4 edge all-time against the Tar Heels and even won their last meeting 69-58. The Huskies have also won seven of the last 10 matchups. This season, however, it might be a tougher game.
North Carolina enters with a record of 28-7 and is coming off a brilliant defensive game against Maryland, which has a top-10 offense. The Tar Heels limited Maryland to 32.4% shooting and had two 20-point scorers of their own in that game for the first time since last season, with Elina Aarnisalo leading the team for the seventh time this year.
-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.