UConn women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma gave a priceless take on his team's dominant 85-51 win over UCLA. The Huskies made the No. 1 team in the country look like they didn't belong on the same court as them on Friday night. Star guard Azzi Fudd set the tone with 19 points in the first half and was joined by her All-American teammates Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong. The Huskies were up by 20 at halftime and never looked back against a juggernaut UCLA squad.

Auriemma discussed his thoughts on the Huskies' performance against the Bruins and looked absolutely shocked while making this statement.

“I have to say that this was somewhat unexpected. You always go into these games this time of the year expecting it to be incredibly difficult. Not that it wasn’t because I think our guys played as hard tonight as any group can play. But I don't think we made a mistake the entire evening, especially on the defensive end. I'm just incredibly proud of these guys and what they were able to do. And how it was a complete team effort led by these three (Bueckers, Fudd, and Strong)…I’m humbled by their performance tonight.”

It all came together for UConn women's basketball on Friday night

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Geno Auriemma's statement was not even meant to be a slight at his team, and very few people expected a clash between the Huskies and the Bruins to look like this. Yes, UConn has shown this kind of form before. The blowout win at South Carolina earlier this season comes to mind (and it'd be nice if this group could replicate that performance on Sunday). Still, this is the Final Four, where the pressure is as high as ever. And, for example, a true freshman like Sarah Strong was completely unfazed by this stage, dropping 22 points and eight rebounds on 9/13 shooting.

In addition, UCLA's 51 points are by far its lowest point total of the season. UConn women's basketball was simply unconscious against the Bruins and now will get an opportunity to compete for its twelfth national title. The storylines are abundant heading a clash with South Carolina in the championship. First, the Gamecocks are trying to get revenge for having their 71 home-winning streak snapped by the Huskies.

Should South Carolina win, the program would cement itself as this sport's next great dynasty with three titles in four years. In addition, the last time Paige Bueckers was in a national championship game, it was during her freshman year in a loss to the Gamecocks. So much has happened since that 2022 clash, but it's fitting that this is the stage Bueckers will end her career on against this opponent.