2024–25 UConn Huskies women's basketball team

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2024–25 UConn Huskies women's basketball
Connecticut Huskies wordmark.svg
Baha Mar Women's Championship champions
Big East regular season & tournament champions
Conference Big East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 3
Record33–3 (18–0 Big East)
Head coach
Associate head coach Chris Dailey (40th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arena Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
XL Center
Seasons
  2023–24
2025–26 
2024–25 Big East women's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 3 UConn180 1.000333  .917
No. 23 Creighton 162 .889267  .788
Seton Hall 135 .7222310  .697
Marquette 126 .6672111  .656
Villanova 117 .6112014  .588
DePaul 810 .4441319  .406
Providence 612 .3331319  .406
St. John's 513 .2781615  .516
Butler 513 .2781617  .485
Georgetown 414 .2221219  .387
Xavier 117 .056724  .226
2025 Big East tournament winner
As of March 24, 2025
Rankings from AP poll
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, where the Huskies played home games Harry A. Gampel Pavilion - University of Connecticut - DSC09915.JPG
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, where the Huskies played home games

The 2024–25 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represents the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2024-25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies are led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 40th season at UConn, and split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on their campus in Storrs, Connecticut, and the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. UConn is a member of the Big East Conference, which it rejoined in the 2020-21 season; it had been a member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013, and one of the original women's basketball teams in that conference in 1982. [a]

Contents

After losing two graduates to the WNBA, UConn entered this season ranked #2 in both major polls, returning two-time All American Paige Bueckers and a total of six players previously redshirted for injury, with some still unavailable at the season's start. The Huskies added a solid recruiting class including #1 ranked recruit Sarah Strong to the lineup, also picking up Princeton graduate Kaitlyn Chen from the transfer portal.

An early season win against Fairleigh Dickinson was Auriemma's 2017th career victory, making him the winningest head coach in NCAA history. The Huskies won early non-conference victories against Ole Miss, North Carolina, Louisville, and Iowa State, while losing against ranked USC, Notre Dame, and Tennessee. In a much anticipated February game of ranked opponents, UConn shocked home team and returning national champion South Carolina, 87–58. The Huskies continued to dominate Big East conference play, going undefeated for the second consecutive season.

Previous season

UConn was ranked second in pre-season polls but lost three early non-conference games and several key players to injury by midseason. The Huskies went undefeated in Big East conference play and the post-season conference tournament, anchored by previous All-Americans Aaliyah Edwards and Paige Bueckers. Both players were selected to the 2023–24 All-Big East and All-American teams; point guard Nika Mühl was an All-Big East selection and completed the season as UConn's all-time career assist leader. The Huskies entered the NCAA tournament seeded third in their bracket, but emerged victorious with Bueckers awarded the most outstanding player. The Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Huskies in their Final Four contest, a match watched by a record 14.4 million ESPN college basketball viewers. UConn ended the season 33–6, ranked #3 in both polls. Both Edwards and Mühl were selected in the 2024 WNBA draft.

Offseason

Departures

The Huskies graduated senior starters Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Mühl from the 2023–24 roster, and both were drafted into the Women's National Basketball Association. Two undergraduates chose to enter the transfer portal after the NCAA tournament, senior Amari Deberry and junior Inês Bettencourt.

NameNumberPos.HeightYearHometownReason for departure
Aaliyah Edwards 3F6'3"Graduated Kingston, Ontario Drafted by the WNBA's Washington Mystics
Nika Mühl 10G5'11"Graduated Zagreb, Croatia Drafted by the WNBA's Seattle Storm
Inês Bettencourt21G5'9"Junior São Miguel, Portugal Transferred to Gonzaga
Amari Deberry42F6'6"Senior Williamsville, New York Transferred to Maryland

Incoming transfers

The Huskies added Kaitlyn Chen, a graduate student who transferred from Princeton University. While at Princeton, Chen was the 2023–24 Ivy League Player of the Year and was two-time All-Ivy First Team. She has one year of eligibility remaining. [1]

NameNumberPos.HeightYearHometownPrevious school
Kaitlyn Chen 20G5'9"Graduate student San Marino, California Princeton

Injuries

Tour of Huskies' team facilities
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg UCONN Women's Basketball Virtual Tour

Recruiting

Recruiting class of 2024

On December 3, 2022, UConn received a verbal commitment from five-star guard Allie Ziebell. [2] Fellow five-star guard Morgan Cheli committed to UConn soon after. In November 2023, ESPN ranked the Huskies' 2024 class as the sixth-best in the country. [3] On April 6, 2024, the #1 player in the class of 2024, five-star forward Sarah Strong, also committed to UConn. [4]

College recruiting information
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Sarah Strong
F
Fuquay-Varina, NCGrace Christian School6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)N/A 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A    247Sports: N/A    ESPN: 5 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 98
Allie Ziebell
G
Neenah, WINeenah High School5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)N/A 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A    247Sports: N/A    ESPN: 5 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 98
Morgan Cheli
G
San Jose, CAArchbishop Mitty High School6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)N/A 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A    247Sports: N/A    ESPN: 5 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 97
Overall recruiting rankings:   ESPN: 6
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2024 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

Recruiting class of 2025

College recruiting information (2025)
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Kelis Fisher
PG
Baltimore, MDIMG Academy5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)N/A 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A    247Sports: N/A    ESPN: 5 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 96
Gandy Malou-Mamel
C
Limerick, IrelandGill St. Bernard's School6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)N/A 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A    247Sports: N/A    ESPN: 4 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 92
Blanca Quinonez
F
Milagro, Ecuador6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)N/A 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A    247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Recruiting class of 2026

College recruiting information (2026)
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date

N/AN/A 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A    247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Coaching

Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma and Hall of Fame associate head coach Chris Dailey returned for their 40th season. Assistant coach Jamelle Elliott was a UConn assistant coach from 1998 to 2009 and returned after a nine-year head coaching stint at Cincinnati. Assistant coach Morgan Valley was the head coach of the Hartford Hawks when hired by the Huskies. Elliott and Valley are both former UConn players. [5] [6] Tonya Cardoza, another former Huskies assistant, returned to UConn in 2023 after serving as Temple's head coach for 15 years. [7] In 2023, UConn announced Ben Kantor was promoted to assistant coach from his previous staff position serving as the team's video coordinator since 2015. [7] The November 20 home victory against Fairleigh Dickinson was Auriemma's 2017th, making him the winningest head coach in NCAA history. [8]

Roster

2024–25 UConn Huskies women's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 2KK Arnold5 ft 9 in(1.75 m)So Germantown Germantown, WI
G 5 Paige Bueckers 6 ft 0 in(1.83 m)RS Sr Hopkins Hopkins, MN
C 8 Jana El-Alfy 6 ft 5 in(1.96 m)RS Fr Al Ahly SC Cairo, Egypt
G 10Qadence Samuels6 ft 0 in(1.83 m)So Bishop McNamara Forestville, MD
G 11Allie Ziebell6 ft 0 in(1.83 m)Fr Neenah Neenah, WI
G 12Ashlynn Shade5 ft 10 in(1.78 m)So La Lumiere Noblesville, IN
G 20 Kaitlyn Chen 5 ft 9 in(1.75 m)GS Princeton San Marino, CA
F 21 Sarah Strong 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m)Fr Grace Christian Fuquay-Varina, NC
G 23Morgan Cheli  Cruz Roja.svg 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m)Fr Archbishop Mitty San Jose, CA
F 25Ice Brady6 ft 3 in(1.91 m)RS So Cathedral Catholic San Diego, CA
G 33 Caroline Ducharme 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m)RS Jr Noble & Greenough Milton, MA
F 34Ayanna Patterson  Cruz Roja.svg 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m)RS So Homestead Fort Wayne, IN
G 35 Azzi Fudd 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m)RS Jr St. John's College HS Arlington, VA
F 44Aubrey Griffin6 ft 1 in(1.85 m)RS Sr Ossining Ossining, NY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: January 20, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 3, 2024*
12:00 p.m.,  WWAX
No. 2 Fort Hays State W 89–49 
 27  Bueckers  9  2 Tied  5  Chen  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion  (10,299)
Storrs, CT
Regular season
November 7, 2024*
7:00 p.m.,  SNY
No. 2 Boston University W 86–32 1–0
 17  2 tied  11  El Alfy  7  Bueckers  XL Center  (13,355)
Hartford, CT
November 10, 2024*
4:30 p.m., SNY
No. 2 South Florida W 86–49 2–0
 22  Bueckers  7  2 tied  7  Chen Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
November 15, 2024*
6:00 p.m.,  ESPN2
No. 2 vs. No. 14  North Carolina W 69–58 3–0
 29  Bueckers  13  Strong  6  Strong  Greensboro Coliseum  (10,467)
Greensboro, NC
November 20, 2024*
7:00 p.m., SNY
No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson W 85–41 4–0
 20  Strong  9  Bueckers  6  Strong Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
November 25, 2024*
7:30 p.m.,  FloHoops
No. 2 vs.  Oregon State
Baha Mar Women's Championship semifinals
W 71–52 5–0
 23  Bueckers  8  Strong  6  Bueckers Baha Mar Convention Center (567)
Nassau, Bahamas
November 27, 2024*
7:30 p.m., FloHoops
No. 2 vs. No. 18  Ole Miss
Baha Mar Women's Championship finals
W 73–60 6–0
 29  Bueckers  9  El Alfy  4  2 tied Baha Mar Convention Center (1,507)
Nassau, Bahamas
December 3, 2024*
7:00 p.m., SNY
No. 2 Holy Cross W 88–52 7–0
 22  Strong  7  2 tied  7  Chen Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
December 7, 2024*
9:00 p.m.,  FOX
No. 2 vs. No. 22  Louisville
Women's Champions Classic
W 85–52 8–0
 21  Strong  10  Bueckers  6  Bueckers  Barclays Center  (9,114)
Brooklyn, NY
December 12, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 at No. 8  Notre Dame
Rivalry
L 68–79 8–1
 25  Bueckers  7  Strong  2  4 tied  Purcell Pavilion  (9,149)
South Bend, IN
December 15, 2024
1:30 p.m., SNY
No. 2 Georgetown W 79–44 9–1
(1–0)
 24  Bueckers  14  Strong  5  Strong XL Center (15,684)
Hartford, CT
December 17, 2024*
8:30 p.m.,  FS1
No. 4 vs.  Iowa State
Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase
W 101–68 10–1
 29  Strong  9  2 tied  8  Chen  Mohegan Sun Arena  (6,812)
Uncasville, CT
December 21, 2024*
8:00 p.m., FOX
No. 4 No. 7  USC L 70–72 10–2
 22  2 tied  13  Strong  5  Strong XL Center (15,684)
Hartford, CT
December 29, 2024
1:30 p.m., SNY
No. 7 Providence W 67–41 11–2
(2–0)
 23  Bueckers  4  2 tied  4  Bueckers XL Center (15,684)
Hartford, CT
January 1, 2025
2:00 p.m., SNY
No. 7 at  Marquette W 77–45 12–2
(3–0)
 15  Strong  7  Strong  7  Arnold  Al McGuire Center  (3,750)
Milwaukee, WI
January 5, 2025
1:30 p.m., SNY
No. 7 at  Villanova W 83–52 13–2
(4–0)
 21  Strong  5  3 tied  9  Bueckers  Finneran Pavilion  (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 8, 2025
7:30 p.m., SNY
No. 7 Xavier W 81–27 14–2
(5–0)
 23  Fudd  7  Strong  3  4 tied XL Center (13,529)
Hartford, CT
January 11, 2025
4:00 p.m., SNY
No. 7 at GeorgetownW 73–55 15–2
(6–0)
 21  Fudd  9  Strong  6  Strong  McDonough Arena  (3,827)
Washington, D.C.
January 15, 2025
7:00 p.m., SNY
No. 6 at  St. John's W 71–45 16–2
(7–0)
 13  Fudd  6  El Alfy  5  Strong  Carnesecca Arena  (4,917)
Queens, NY
January 19, 2025
1:00 p.m., SNY
No. 6 Seton Hall W 96–36 17–2
(8–0)
 23  Strong  11  Strong  7  Bueckers Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
January 22, 2025
7:00 p.m., SNY
No. 6 VillanovaW 100–57 18–2
(9–0)
 22  Strong  8  Bueckers  9  Bueckers Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
January 25, 2025
5:30 p.m., FOX
No. 6 at  Creighton W 72–61 19–2
(10–0)
 26  Strong  12  Strong  4  Bueckers  CHI Health Center Omaha  (11,141)
Omaha, NE
January 29, 2025
7:00 p.m., SNY
No. 6 at  DePaul W 84–58 20–2
(11–0)
 17  2 tied  8  Strong  5  Fudd  Wintrust Arena  (8,305)
Chicago, IL
February 2, 2025
1:00 p.m., SNY
No. 6 Butler W 101–59 21–2
(12–0)
 18  Bueckers  5  2 tied  5  3 tied XL Center (15,684)
Hartford, CT
February 6, 2025*
6:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 5 at No. 19  Tennessee
Rivalry
L 76–80 21–3
 18  Strong  9  Strong  8  Bueckers  Thompson-Boling Arena  (16,215)
Knoxville, TN
February 9, 2025
12:00 p.m.,  CBSSN
No. 5 at ProvidenceW 77–40 22–3
(13–0)
 20  Bueckers  9  Strong  7  Arnold  Amica Mutual Pavilion  (7,483)
Providence, RI
February 12, 2025
7:30 p.m., SNY
No. 7 St. John'sW 78–40 23–3
(14–0)
 34  Fudd  9  Griffin  4  2 tied Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
February 16, 2025*
1:00 p.m.,  ABC
No. 7 at No. 4  South Carolina
College GameDay
W 87–58 24–3
 28  Fudd  13  Strong  10  Bueckers  Colonial Life Arena  (18,000)
Columbia, SC
February 19, 2025
7:00 p.m., SNY
No. 5 at Seton HallW 91–49 25–3
(15–0)
 23  Bueckers  9  Bueckers  5  Bueckers  Walsh Gymnasium  (1,350)
South Orange, NJ
February 22, 2025
4:30 p.m., SNY
No. 5 at ButlerW 86–47 26–3
(16–0)
 23  Bueckers  9  Strong  10  Bueckers  Hinkle Fieldhouse  (9,100)
Indianapolis, IN
February 27, 2025
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
No. 5 No. 22 CreightonW 72–53 27–3
(17–0)
 22  Strong  9  Strong  7  Bueckers XL Center (15,684)
Hartford, CT
March 2, 2025
2:00 p.m., FS1
No. 5 MarquetteW 92–57 28–3
(18–0)
 19  Bueckers  5  Strong  7  Bueckers Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
Big East tournament
March 8, 2025
12:00 p.m., FS1
(1) No. 3 vs. (8) St. John's
Quarterfinals
W 71–40 29–3
 20  Bueckers  14  Strong  4  2 tied Mohegan Sun Arena (8,816)
Uncasville, CT
March 9, 2025
2:30 p.m., FOX
(1) No. 3 vs. (5) Villanova
Semifinals
W 82–54 30–3
 23  Bueckers  16  Strong  6  Bueckers Mohegan Sun Arena 
Uncasville, CT
March 10, 2025
7:00 p.m., FS1
(1) No. 3 vs. (2) No. 22 Creighton
Championship
W 70–50 31–3
 24  Bueckers  11  Strong  4  Strong Mohegan Sun Arena 
Uncasville, CT
NCAA tournament
March 22, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ABC
(2 S4) No. 3 (15 S4)  Arkansas State
First Round
W 103–34 32–3
 27  Fudd  12  Strong  7  Fudd Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
March 24, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ESPN
(2 S4) No. 3 (10 S4) No. 24  South Dakota State
Second Round
W 91–57 33–3
 34  Bueckers  7  Strong  5  2 tied Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299)
Storrs, CT
March 29, 2025*
5:30 p.m., ESPN
(2 S4) No. 3 vs. (3 S4) No. 11  Oklahoma
Sweet Sixteen
    Spokane Arena  
Spokane, WA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

[9]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP 2 (2)222 (9)2 (7)2 (8)4777666575533 (7)3 (5)
Coaches 2 (3)2 (1)2 (1)1 (13)2 (14)2 (8)5788666575533 (3)3 (3)

Player statistics

PlayerGames PlayedMinutesField GoalsThree PointersFree ThrowsReboundsAssistsBlocksStealsPoints
Sarah Strong36100824148483051266186578
Paige Bueckers34100225060921481642370652
Kaitlyn Chen3683897292563120141248
Ashlynn Shade3681311450149850650292
KK Arnold3679075103595104458195
Azzi Fudd30761152722561531036401
Jana El-Alfy3658482127181362219192
Ice Brady284474531687511118109
Morgan Cheli243182510158301961
Allie Ziebell312673222618112692
Qadence Samuels3118116652824643
Aubrey Griffin131612402050146768
Caroline Ducharme730510620011

[10]

Awards and honors

See also

Footnotes

  1. The settlement of the 2013 split of the Big East Conference resulted in the so-called "Catholic 7" purchasing the "Big East" name and reorganizing as a new conference. The original conference charter was retained by the Division I FBS football schools that now operate as the American Athletic Conference. As part of the settlement, the current Big East recognizes the competitive history of the original conference in all sports that it sponsors.

References

  1. Philippou, Alexa (April 28, 2024). "Former Ivy Player of Year Chen joining UConn". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  2. Arguello, Ricardo (December 3, 2022). "Neenah girls basketball standout Allie Ziebell commits to UConn". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  3. Laflin, Shane. "2024 women's college basketball recruiting rankings: Updated top 25 classes". espn.com. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  4. "Top 2024 recruit Sarah Strong commits to UConn". espn.com. April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  5. Bonjour, Doug (February 14, 2019). "UConn's Jamelle Elliott happy to be back home". Connecticut Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  6. "Morgan Valley leaves Hartford to become UConn assistant". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Eaton-Robb, Pat (June 13, 2023). "Former Temple coach Tonya Cardoza returning to UConn, among two assistant hires". USA Today. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  8. Voepel, Michael (November 21, 2024). "The road to the record: Geno Auriemma's 12 biggest coaching wins at UConn". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  9. "2024-2025 Women's Basketball Schedule". UConn Huskies . Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  10. "2024-25 Women's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  11. 1 2 "The Associated Press 2024-25 women's college basketball All-America teams". apnews.com. March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "USBWA unveils 2024-25 Women's All-America Team". sportswriters.net. March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "2025 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Annual Awards Announced". bigeast.com. March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  14. "Huskies Win Fifth-Straight BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament title". bigeast.com. March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.