Geno Auriemma Makes Clear Call on NCAA's Best Freshman Before UConn-USC Game

UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma offered strong praise of one freshman before UConn plays USC on December 13.

Apr 5, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma talks to media before the NCAA Woman’s Final practice at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The defending champion and No. 1-ranked UConn Huskies women's basketball team faces one of its toughest tests of the 2025-26 regular season on December 13, when the team heads to California to take on the No. 16-ranked USC Trojans at USC's home court.

The last time these two teams faced was in the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA tournament. UConn cruised to a relatively easy 78-64 win over USC in that game to advance to the Final Four. Unfortunately, a main reason why this game wasn't competitive was that USC superstar guard JuJu Watkins suffered a torn ACL earlier in the tournament, which forced her to miss the game.

Watkins is also sitting out this entire 2025-26 season because of the injury, which makes USC's already tough task of taking UConn down that much more difficult. However, they still have some hope because of what superstar freshman Jazzy Davidson has shown in her brief college career.

Davidson (who was the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2025 high school recruiting class, according to ESPN) is averaging 16.7 points, 7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. She leads USC in every single one of these stats except for steals per game, as two teammates have 1.8 per contest.

Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Jazzy Davidson (9) makes a free throw against the NC State Wolfpack during the third quarter of the Ally Tipoff game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Geno Ariemma's Jazzy Davidson Praise Speaks Volumes

Legendary UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma tried hard to get Davidson to commit to UConn before she ultimately chose USC last September. And he has been very impressed with her start to her college career, which he conveyed when speaking with the media on December 12.

"It's kind of like, they haven't missed that much, you know, [with] JuJu being out. And you get a freshman that comes in and kind of leads them in just about everything. Again, it's kind of like what I thought about Sarah [Strong] last year. You know they're gonna be good, you know she's gonna have a big impact. You just don't know at what point," Auriemma said when asked about Jazzy Davidson, per an X post from SNY.

"But [Davidson] really has stamped herself on that team. And she's probably the best freshman in the country at this point, based on what has happened on the court, not the hype part. So I think she's everything that she was advertised to be," he added.

Geno Auriemma on Jazzy Davidson:

"She really has stamped herself on that team. She's probably the best freshman in the country at this point based on what has happened on the court, not the hype part" pic.twitter.com/yc7ewT5JHq

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) December 12, 2025

Auriemma deeming Davidson the best freshman in the country speaks volumes about her potential. It will be interesting to see how Auriemma defends Davidson on Saturday, and whether she can help lead the Women of Troy to an upset win over the undefeated Huskies.