Unbeaten UConn has 'a lot of baggage to carry,' but it always felt like Huskies would be packing for Phoenix

'I don't think I've ever been prouder to take a team to the Final Four,' Geno Auriemma said on Sunday

Lindsay Gibbs

Mar 29, 2026

6:49 pm ET

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4 min read

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FORT WORTH, Texas --On Sunday afternoon in the Elite Eight, the UConn Huskies won their 54th game in a row. They defeated sixth-seeded Notre Dame, 70-52, and became the first team to punch its ticket to the 2026 Women's Final Four in Phoenix.

Before a cowboy hat was placed atop his head during the postgame ceremony -- when in Texas, I guess -- UConn coach Geno Auriemma said, "I don't think I've ever been prouder to take a team to the Final Four than this team right here."

That is quite a statement, because this team has a lot of competition. This is UConn's 25th Final Four in program history and 17th in the last 18 years. UConn has more Final Four appearances since 2003 than any other school has all-time.

"That means a lot," senior guard Azzi Fudd said after the game, when asked about Auriemma's comments. "I mean, he doesn't say anything he doesn't mean. He doesn't give out compliments too often, depending on who you are. So to hear him say that, it does mean a lot, and we feel the same way. We love this team so much, so it does mean the world to go to the Final Four with everyone."

This will be the ninth time the Huskies (38-0) will enter the Final Four undefeated. In Phoenix, they will try to complete their seventh undefeated season, and first since 2016. They're seeking to win consecutive national championships for the fourth time, and become the first repeat national champions since the last time they were repeat national champions, back in the Breanna Stewart era of 2013 to 2016.

Sunday's game was not the prettiest for the Huskies. They only scored 12 points in the second quarter and 15 points in the third. Azzi Fudd was held to just 13 points for the game and zero 3-pointers. The team never looked completely settled offensively, but their defense carried them through. And despite some rough stretches, the Huskies looked completely in control from the tip.

"Winning this game is so hard. I mean, imagine the catastrophic feeling if UConn loses this game today. Oh, my God, you know, 38 or -- whatever the heck we are, and everybody back home everywhere, oh, you're undefeated, and you can't get to the Final Four. That's tragedy," Auriemma said. "So that's why I'm so happy for them to be going to the Final Four."

The Huskies won it all last year, but the journey had some bumps along the way. In the 2024-25 season, UConn lost three games, and didn't reach the No. 1 ranking until the season-ending poll The Huskies were a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It took until March for the team to hit its stride.

This particular group has resembled the dominant Huskies teams of the past, holding the No. 1 ranking wire-to-wire and only winning one game by a margin fewer than 10 points -- a 72-69 win over Michigan in November. They've hardly ever trailed in games, let alone dealt with crunch time. And, led by sophomore standout Sarah Strong and a stalwart senior Fudd, the 2025-26 UConn team has not seemed fazed by the pressure.

"I am really proud of them because getting all the way to this point undefeated is a lot of baggage to carry," Auriemma said. "I mean, every day somebody is coming after you to break your streak or to, you know -- you have to carry that we're undefeated. So I'm really proud of the way they've handled all this and how they don't let it bother them. They don't get caught up in anything other than, 'What do we have to do today?'"

In-season adversity is such a huge part of most Final Four journeys, but from the outside, this UConn team hasn't had to face much. When asked in press conferences, the players and their head coach pointed to the purposeful adversity they face in practices as the reason they are so ready for this moment.

"As far as adversity goes, I would say the adversity is me, right?" Auriemma said. "Every day for five months, they have to put up with me, so I try to be for them all the things that can happen at this time of the year that you need to be prepared for.

"I'm the officials that are calling every single foul in practice. I'm the other team that's making every 3. I'm the other team that won't let the ball go in the basket. I'm the one that is changing the rules and making sure that they have to fight through it."

Added Fudd: "We can be confident knowing that we've been prepared. Our coaches -- what we've done the last 35, however many games, was all in preparation for moments like this. So when it comes down to it, we have full confidence in ourselves, in each other. We know the coaches feel the same."

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