How the Huskies won their 12th national championship — and why Auriemma wanted so badly for Paige Bueckers to get this one.

Even without Paige Bueckers, UConn is a worthy candidate for the best team in the country thanks to its rising superstar Sarah Strong. She finished the season second nationally in win shares behind only Bueckers and figures to become even more prolific with more of the offense running through her as a sophomore.

The thing about legends? They just can’t stop proving their greatness (See: Paige Bueckers and Geno Auriemma). UConn women's basketball is back on top

The Huskies used to be the cream of the crop in women’s basketball, but that title has been grasped by Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks in recent years. UConn has been in every national tournament since 1989,

The UConn star was named the 2025 Final Four Most Outstanding Player following her 24-point performance in the national championship win over South Carolina. Fudd added 5 rebounds and 3 steals, capping a dominant title game that helped seal the Huskies’ 12th NCAA championship — and first since 2016.

UConn capped its season at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball pol l on Monday, one day after winning its 12th national championship. The Huskies received all 31 votes from a national media panel after Geno Auriemma's team beat South Carolina 82-59 for the title.

Believe it or not, it’s been nearly 10 years since UConn won the Women’s NCAA Tournament. The Huskies last cut down the nets in 2016, capping off an undefeated season and a four-peat. UConn will look to end its “drought” in Sunday’s National Championship.

How do you sum up UConn's latest national title under Geno Auriemma? The answer for ESPN's Ryan Ruocco is to focus on Huskies superstar Paige Bueckers, who proved she was the biggest superstar in the women's NCAA tournament who's finishing a storybook college career as she presumably heads to the WNBA.