Geno Auriemma Reveals When He's Comfortable Playing Without UConn's Paige Bueckers

UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma is fine with Paige Bueckers not being in the game during one scenario.

Mar 8, 2025; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma talks to guard Paige Bueckers (5) from the sideline as they take on the St. John's Red Storm at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The UConn Huskies women's basketball team cruised to the Big East Tournament championship game after their 82-54 semifinal rout of the Villanova Wildcats on Sunday.

It's no surprise that the Huskies made it to this point given that they've yet to lose a Big East game this season. Then again, while winning the Big East is surely one milestone that UConn feels like they need to cross off, it's no secret that the main goal is the 2025 NCAA National Championship.

And to do that, the Huskies are going to need consistently great performances from all of their top players once March Madness begins.

Last year, the extremely injury-depleted Huskies still made it to the Final Four, largely due to the extraordinary play of Paige Bueckers, who often looked like she was playing alone at times.

That is not the case this season. In fact, when speaking with the media after Sunday's game, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma revealed one scenario when he can keep Bueckers on the bench and still feel good about his team's chances.

"I always like to think that we don't want to play with both Sarah [Strong] and Paige on the bench," Auriemma said, per an X post from SNY. "That's not something that's good for us. That's how important I think [Sarah] is.

"I'm okay with Paige being out of the game as long as Sarah's in the game. It's more like having two or three players out there instead of just one," Auriemma continued.

"I'm okay with Paige being out of the game as long as Sarah's in the game. It's more like having two or three players out there instead of just one."

- Geno Auriemma on Sarah Strong pic.twitter.com/vuisrv0mG3

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) March 9, 2025

This is extremely high praise for Huskies forward Sarah Strong, who seems like the runaway favorite for National Freshman of the Year.

There's no doubt that with both Strong and Bueckers on the court and playing well, the Huskies have a great shot of winning the 2025 National Championship.