[ad_1]
Perhaps Darnell Haney was right.
In last week’s Women’s College Hoops Spotlight, we highlighted a comment the Georgetown coach made about UConn being the “best team they’ve had” since he’s been coaching against them. While that seemed like quite a statement to make at the time, UConn — the No. 1 team in the country — backed that up this week when it crushed then-No. 15 Tennessee, 96-66, at home Sunday.
As we also previously mentioned, the last time the Huskies lost a game was to these same Volunteers almost exactly a year ago. The result didn’t matter in the grand scheme of the season because UConn went on to win the national championship, the program’s 12th overall and first since 2016.
The Huskies’ current winning streak is now up to 39 straight games, and they’re one win away from tying Texas and cracking the top-10 longest win streaks in NCAA history — though the program also has four of the top-5 longest streaks.
No. 15 Tennessee Lady Volunteers vs No. 1 UConn Huskies Highlights 🏀 FOX College Hoops
Check out the best moments from this showdown between the No. 15 Tennessee Lady Volunteers and the No. 1 UConn Huskies!
UConn is the only undefeated team left in the country, and it’s supremely talented, with players like Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong leading the Wooden Award midseason top 25 list. In Sunday’s win over Tennessee, the two combined to put up 53 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and three blocks. As a team, UConn shot 58% from the field while holding the Lady Vols to 38%. They also had double the amount of steals (14-7) and had six blocks while Tennessee had none.
Yes, the final score was lopsided, but the teams were tied 42-42 at halftime and UConn only led 57-53 midway through the third quarter. That’s when Strong got a run started and UConn outscored Tennessee 39-13 over the final 15 minutes of the latest edition of this storied rivalry.
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT: UConn’s Azzi Fudd shoots against the Tennessee Volunteers on February 01, 2026. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
[NCAA: Women’s College Hoops Top 10, Bubble Team NET Rankings]
“You play these video games to be actually examined, to seek out out slightly bit about what your workforce is product of,” UConn coach Gene Auriemma instructed reporters after the sport. “It’s good that it’s important to form of regroup and end up.”
That first half was one of many only a few instances the Huskies have skilled adversity this season. Auriemma’s workforce has been blowing previous opponents all 12 months — their common margin of victory is 39.3 factors by way of 23 video games, with a 72-69 win over then-No. 6 Michigan again in November being the closest recreation they’ve performed.
UConn solely has eight common season video games left, none of that are in opposition to ranked opponents. Will a weaker schedule over this ultimate stretch harm the Huskies as soon as they attain the NCAA event?
Who’s to say, however profitable back-to-back titles would require Auriemma’s group to doubtlessly beat some mixture of bodily and difficult groups like South Carolina, UCLA, Texas, LSU and/or Louisville.
[ad_2]
