Geno Auriemma Reveals What UConn Must Fix After Big East Win vs St. John's

UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma was not happy about one aspect of his team's Big East Tournament game win on Saturday.

Feb 16, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma directs his team against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The UConn Huskies women's basketball team cruised to a 71-40 win over the St. John's Red Storm during the quarterfinal of the Big East Tournament on March 8.

UConn's defense shined through on Saturday, as they only allowed the St. John's offense to score two total points in the first quarter. While the Huskies' shooting from range was brutal (they shot 2 for 19 on threes during the game), they relied on a steady barrage of midrange buckets from star guard Paige Bueckers (who scored 20 points) and dominant post play from freshman forward Sarah Strong, who accrued 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Strong only took eight shots in the game, which is well below her regular season average of 11.5 field goals per game. Geno Auriemma addressed this while praising Strong when speaking with SNY's Chelsea Sherrod after the win.

"You can count on Sarah for something," Auriemma said, per an X post from SNY. "Whether it's gonna be defensive rebounding, whether it's gonna be assists, or whether it's gonna be points scored. She just has a knack for where the ball is and how to impact every possession.

"We probably didn't get her the ball enough, which we need to fix, but for the first time out there [in the postseason], she didn't look like a freshman, we'll put it that way," Auriemma added of Strong.

"They're not the easiest team to play defense against, because they do so many things. Our players know it's going to be hard"
@ChelseaSherrod talks with Geno Auriemma after UConn's victory over St. John's about the Huskies defense, Sarah Strong's performance, and more: pic.twitter.com/C8tGiMCFlP

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) March 8, 2025

Auriemma furthered this sentiment during his postgame press conference when he said, "So there was limited possessions, limited touches for Sarah, not happy about that."

Geno Auriemma says he “isn’t happy” about Sarah Strong’s limited touches today.

— Jake McCreven (@mccrevenjake) March 8, 2025

We imagine that Strong will get plenty of touches during the Huskies' Big East Tournament semifinal game against Villanova on Sunday.