UConn HC Texts Kim Mulkey While Bracing for Gauntlet
The UConn Huskies have started the season 4-0, and their performances have shown why they are the top-ranked program in the country. In their last matchup, the Huskies faced Ohio State and took them down 100-68.
Sarah Strong powered that win with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, Azzi Fudd added 19 points and seven assists. Even the bench punched above its weight with freshman Blanca Quinonez dropping 18 points and Serah Williams contributing 12. However, things are soon going to get tougher for UConn.
With every win, the schedule becomes stiffer, and the tone around the program shifts from celebration to calculation. Soon after the win, Geno Auriemma spoke to the press about the matches that lie ahead. The next team that the Huskies face is Michigan, and Auriemma had something to say about the Wolverines.
“Yeah. Well, based on the little bit I've seen of Michigan, they will be for sure the best team we’ve played this year by a long shot at this time in the season. They’re talented, they’re smart, they’re well-balanced. They play exceptionally well together, they’re really well coached,” said Auriemma.
Wolverines keep coming...steal and score from @mathurin2025 #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/ZZjjnvTcKH
— Michigan Women’s Basketball (@umichwbball) November 15, 2025
That is especially interesting considering that it comes from a coach coming off his 12th championship. In fact, the last match the Wolverines played was against Notre Dame. And that matchup was as impressive as it was scary. So much so that Auriemma even texted his SEC rival coach, Kim Mulkey, about it.
As Auriemma puts it, “I texted Kim this morning, and I said, ‘Wow, I was shocked by the score against Notre Dame that they played.’ Not that they won, but I just didn’t expect that score. And she said, ‘Yeah, I'm not looking forward to Friday.’ And I said, ‘I’m not either. Maybe we ought to just have a couple of drinks, go gamble a little bit, and call it a day.’ They’re not going to be an easy team to play against at all.”
Mila with the steal, Liv with the finish#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/GNXYhzVSs2
— Michigan Women’s Basketball (@umichwbball) November 15, 2025
Auriemma is not wrong. Michigan took down the Fighting Irish 93-54. The Wolverines had a 50-28 advantage on the glass. Michigan never trailed, had four players in double figures, and pushed its record to 3-0. And they looked ready to punch above their ranking.
For UConn, the tape was a message that the gauntlet is here, right on schedule, and this coming clash at Mohegan Sun could determine how the Huskies navigate the rest of November. To make things more interesting, 48 hours after facing the Wolverines, the Huskies will have to face yet another opponent.
Geno Auriemma Gets Candid About Utah Matchup
Ideally, for a team that has Fudd, Strong, Williams, and Quinonez, taking down Utah should not be too tough. And Auriemma had something to add about the matchup with Utah as well.
“Utah, you know, they’re going through some transitions. Their best player left to go play at UCLA. That’s what I was saying the other night, anymore, you don’t know what team you’re playing against because you don’t have enough of a sample this year. And you can’t look at last year and go, ‘Oh, this is who they are,’ because so many teams have lost players, Ohio State being a perfect example, their best player, and then you get a couple guys graduate,” said Auriemma.
The Utes enter the season transformed after losing star guard Gianna Kneepkens, a player who averaged 19.3 points per game last season. Kneepkens now plays for UCLA. Additionally, Utah is also navigating a coaching transition and roster reshuffling; they’ve become one of those teams that one cannot scout on last year’s film.
That uncertainty alone makes them dangerous, especially in a site setting like Mohegan Sun Arena. However, Auriemma is still optimistic for the most part.
“So, I like the idea that we’re playing a game, day off, game, because that’s the NCAA Tournament. It’s exactly like the Tournament. So it’ll be good for us. It’ll be a really, really, really good test for us. Really good,” added Auriemma.
-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.