The Huskies haven't lost in nearly a year. The Lady Volunteers were the team that handed the Huskies that defeat.
When the No. 1 UConn women take the court Sunday, it will have been 360 days since they lost a game.
In that span, UConn has:
- 38 consecutive wins
- 22 consecutive Big East wins
- 1 Big East championship
- 1 national championship
It’s with those achievements in mind that the Huskies (22-0, 12-0 Big East) will meet No. 15 Tennessee (14-4, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) on Sunday at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Conn. The Lady Volunteers were the last team to beat the Huskies on Feb. 6, 2025, 80-76, in Knoxville, Tenn.
UConn was ranked No. 5 at the time; Tennessee No. 19. Sarah Strong led the Huskies with 18 points and nine rebounds, Paige Bueckers scored 14 points and added eight assists, and Azzi Fudd chipped in 10 points with three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Tennessee’s Zee Spearman led the way with 16.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma isn’t looking to settle a score. Rather, this game, to him, is an opportunity to face the kind of team that awaits the Huskies in the NCAA Tournament come March after a constant stream of Big East games.
It’s the final nonconference game of the season. The most recent came Jan. 19 when the Huskies defeated Notre Dame 85-47.
“Kind of like we talked about before the Notre Dame game. These are games that fans love, players love to play in,” Auriemma told reporters Saturday. “They’re games that give you an opportunity to compete against somebody that’s not in your league, that was an NCAA tournament team, that plays a different style from another conference. You want to do all of those things before you get to the NCAA Tournament so you can say, 'We’ve seen that.'”
After the game with the Lady Vols, the Huskies will have eight regular-season conference games, followed by the Big East tournament before March madness begins.
Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper (55) is defended by UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) during a women's college basketball game between the Lady Vols and UConn at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. Credit: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesAuriemma said that while the win over the Fighting Irish was impressive, there still is much to learn and games to go.
“You just want to see a lot of different styles of play. After the Notre Dame game, I don’t think anybody was ready to cancel the rest of the season and say give them [UConn] the national championship. I just hope we continue to play well and keep building on what we’re already doing. Again, it’s a game the kids look forward to; it’s an exciting game against a really good team."
Auriemma said Serah Williams, who missed the most recent game against Xavier with an ankle injury, will play against Tennessee. Super freshman Blanca Quinonez (shoulder) will not.
That puts the burden on Strong and Fudd to carry the load, but they are surrounded by an exceptional supporting cast. Allie Ziebell scored 34 points in the 97-39 victory over Xavier on Wednesday.
Tennessee is coming off a seven-game winning streak that was snapped Thursday night in a 77-62 loss to Mississippi State.
The Huskies lead the all-time series before the teams, 17-10.