UConn HC Geno Auriemma Jabs NCAA After Baylor Ruling
The UConn Huskies are undefeated, sitting at 18-0 overall and 9-0 in Big East play. Their last game was against Villanova and ended in a 99-50 win for the Huskies. Sarah Strong was brilliant as ever, making 24 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks.
Meanwhile, Azzi Fudd scored 14 points, KK Arnold added 13, and Blanca Quiñonez finished with 13. With that win, the Huskies are pushing their winning streak to 34 games. But the night in Storrs was not just about the win.
Moments before the Vilanova game tipped off, something momentous happened. The Huskies inducted the 2014-15 and 2015-16 teams into the Huskies of Honor, celebrating the 10th anniversary of two of the most untouchable seasons in program history. The former team went 38–1, while the latter squad went undefeated, finishing 38–0, and both went on to win the national title.
Moriah Jefferson, Breanna Stewart, and Morgan Tuck ended their time at UConn with a historic four-year run that saw the Huskies go 151-5. The current Huskies squad is on a similar undefeated path. Naturally, comparisons followed.
Soon after the game, Geno Auriemma, who has coached the Huskies to 12 championships, was asked whether this unbeaten team could reach the level of that 2016 juggernaut.
As Auriemma sees it, “Well, I think the way the NCAA is now, we could give those other guys some more eligibility and bring them back. Otherwise, this team doesn’t have an opportunity to be that team, nor will many other teams that ever play college basketball be like that team. Can they do similar things? Maybe. I think that’s something every kid wants to do, to kind of leave a mark at UConn. But maybe because I’m old-fashioned, I think there were some teams that played here at UConn that no one would ever beat, then or now.”
Recently, Baylor cleared former NBA draft pick James Nnaji to play this season after the NCAA ruled he still met its eligibility requirements. The decision followed a strict interpretation of the five-year clock and the fact that Nnaji never appeared in an official NBA game. Auriemma also had something else to add.
“So I would like for this team to just be a team that, whoever they play against, they beat. Trying to beat those other guys or trying to be like that team is probably undoable. Undoable,” added Auriemma.
What is next for Geno Auriemma and UConn?
Next up, the Huskies face a familiar opponent in Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies face the Fighting Irish. This is going to be an intriguing matchup, considering the Huskies have lost their last three games against the Irish.
a complete team win pic.twitter.com/jUMNkFgNDY
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) January 17, 2026
Last season, the Huskies won their 12th national championship; however, they lost to the Irish 68-79 in South Bend during the regular season. And the game before that in 2023-24 ended in a 67-82 loss for the Huskies.
But this season could be different, given UConn's undefeated roster and strong defense. In fact, Auriemma called the Vilanova game the most "complete" game of this season.
After Notre Dame, the schedule gets tough with road trips to Georgetown and Seton Hall, followed by home dates with Xavier and Tennessee. The games against DePaul and Butler follow.
-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.