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UConn women's basketball came into this NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, but it comes out of it at No. 1. Geno Auriemma and the Huskies dominated all of their March Madness opponents, including a resounding 82-59 win over top seed South Carolina in Sunday's national championship game.
Paige Bueckers has been the star of the show for UConn throughout the tournament, including three consecutive 30-point games at one point during her flaming-hot run through the bracket. The projected No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft didn't have it all going on Sunday, but the other two legs of the UConn big three stepped up big time.
Like she was in the Final Four blowout over UCLA, Azzi Fudd was the best player on the floor for large stretches on Sunday. Fudd finished the game with 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting and came up with a big bucket every time that UConn needed it in the first half.
When it wasn't Fudd dicing up the South Carolina defense, freshman phenom Sarah Strong dominated the interior on both ends. The superstar big notched 24 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in a dominant performance.
The big story is Bueckers, who still finished with 17 points and six rebounds despite a rough shooting day, coming out on top as a national champion to end her storied UConn career. After reaching four Final Fours in four healthy seasons, the Minnesota native is officially stamped as a Connecticut legend and a champion at the most storied program in the history of the sport.
This is also a big win for the ever-growing legacy of Auriemma, who is now 12-1 in national title games with UConn and avenged his only loss, against Dawn Staley and South Carolina in 2022.
Despite not being a No. 1 seed, this UConn team will be remembered as a dominant force who went on an all-time great tournament run, capping it off with three consecutive dominant wins over No. 1 seeds. In total, UConn won its six games by a combined 197 points and was never in any danger of losing.
On the other side, South Carolina falls one win short of a repeat and a third national championship in four years, but the Gamecocks will surely be back with a hunger after the sting of a crushing defeat on the biggest stage.
While this run exemplifies the talent and depth that this UConn women's basketball team has, this title game will be remembered as the moment the Bueckers cemented herself as an all-time great in college basketball. As she heads into the WNBA, it only feels right that she leaves UConn at the top of the mountain.
