Nine years after Breanna Stewart staked her claim as the greatest collegiate women’s player of all time with four titles in four years – raising questions about whether UConn’s dominance was good for the sport – Paige Bueckers burnished a legacy of her own, winning a national championship in her final college game, restoring the crown to the program that made women’s basketball a national conversation.
Make no mistake, the past nine years were by no means a sign of UConn’s regression, rather, a testament to the growth of women’s basketball. The Huskies’ 82–59 dismantling of defending champion South Carolina brought home the program’s 12th national title – the most in women’s college basketball history and more than any men’s program in the sport as well. And yet, the nine-year gap between titles was the longest UConn had gone without one since winning their first in 1995. But UConn wasn’t fading – the rest of the field was rising. And that might be Geno Auriemma’s greatest legacy yet.
The Rise of the Field
In the nine years between national titles, UConn never disappeared.The Huskies reached six Final Fours during that stretch, more than any other program, but always came up one or two steps short. For a fanbase used to confetti, figurative silver and bronze medals weren’t enough. But to the rest of the country, it was a sign of something remarkable: women’s basketball was thriving.
Since UConn’s last championship in 2016, six different schools have hoisted the trophy. South Carolina won their first in 2017 and added two more in 2022 and 2024. Notre Dame, Baylor, and Stanford reclaimed their place among the game’s elite. LSU captured its first title in 2023, setting social media ablaze with celebrations and storylines.
Parity was no longer a dream – it was reality. And while it may have pained UConn Nation to watch others dance, the sport was better for it. The Huskies weren’t falling behind; they were still setting the bar. Everyone else was finally catching up.
Now, UConn is back on top – not because the sport got weaker, but because they got stronger.
The Glow Up
While UConn searched for its next championship moment, women’s basketball entered a golden age of attention, access, and superstardom. What once lived in the shadows became a social and cultural force. Names like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and JuJu Watkins weren’t just buzzy – they were household.
In 2023, Clark and Reese’s NCAA title clash drew over 9 million viewers – more than any men’s game that season – and sparked a rivalry that spilled over into the 2024 college and WNBA seasons. Clark ended UConn’s season at the Final Four that year in a game watched by more than 14 million people, the most-watched women’s college basketball broadcast and the largest audience for an ESPN basketball broadcast ever. The women’s game wasn’t riding shotgun anymore – it was driving.
Even in the NIL era, female stars led the way. LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, USC’s Watkins, and TCU’s Hailey Van Lith boast NIL valuations that rival or exceed top men’s players. Their brands are national. Their games are elite. And the gap between “women’s” basketball and just basketball has never been smaller.
Still, in this new world of parity and personalities, UConn’s presence remained essential. Even when the trophy eluded them, the Huskies were always in the mix – a legacy program that still shaped the conversation, anchored the drama, and held space for the next wave of greatness.
This championship? It didn’t reset the clock. It reminded us the clock never stopped ticking in Storrs.
Geno’s Greatness, Evolved
For two decades, Geno Auriemma wasn’t just winning – he was rewriting the rules of dominance. From 1995 to 2016, UConn claimed 11 national titles, produced the sport’s most iconic players, and turned March into a coronation. The program’s sustained excellence led many to ask the same question year after year: Is this too much of a good thing?
That question echoed across broadcasts and message boards. Was UConn’s dominance ruining the women’s game? Was it healthy for one team to be this far ahead of the pack?
Today, those concerns feel overstated. In hindsight, UConn didn’t suppress the game – they raised the bar for everyone else. And as the rest of the sport climbed, Geno never stopped evolving.
With all due respect to Pat Summitt’s Lady Vols dynasty, Auriemma’s reign most closely resembles John Wooden’s run at UCLA from 1964 to 1975. But here’s the twist: when Wooden’s dynasty ended, UCLA never reclaimed the throne. It took the Bruins 20 years to win another men’s title – their only one since.
Geno? He never left the fight.
What we’re witnessing now is a coach not just chasing banners, but adapting to a sport that has changed completely – with NIL deals, transfer portals, and a deeper national talent pool than ever before. To win in this landscape requires more than culture and tradition. It requires reinvention. And Geno just did that at age 70 (now 71).
That’s not just the mark of a great coach – it’s the mark of a great era.
Paige’s Crown
Paige Bueckers didn’t match Breanna Stewart’s four titles. She didn’t reach Diana Taurasi’s three or Maya Moore’s two. But make no mistake – her legacy is secure.
Because this championship wasn’t just about numbers. It was about resilience.
After missing all of last season with a torn ACL – and large parts of the year before with a knee fracture – Bueckers returned not just to play, but to lead. She carried a young team through growing pains, midseason stumbles, and another wave of injuries. She anchored them with poise and purpose. And when it mattered most, she delivered.
Bueckers didn’t return to the top of the mountain the easy way. She climbed back, inch by inch, carrying the weight of expectation, the burden of injuries, and the legacy of a program that has always measured greatness in banners. And she got there – not by chasing ghosts, but by becoming something new: the face of UConn’s next era.
This championship wasn’t just for Paige. It was for Azzi Fudd, who fought her way back to the court after a year on the sidelines. It was for freshman phenom Sarah Strong, who stepped into the moment. And it was for a team that, in Geno’s words, “grew up when it mattered most.”
When Paige is selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings, she’ll leave Storrs with one ring, one net, and a legacy that echoes far beyond the number of titles.
Because in a sport that has never been more competitive – or more beloved – she did what all the UConn greats have done:
She changed the game.
