If you subtract Paige Bueckers from the UConn women’s basketball roster, what are you left with?

Still one heck of a good team.

The No. 1 Huskies proved that Tuesday night with their 79-66 victory over No. 20 Louisville in the season opener for both teams.

Bueckers, the former UConn star who was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft earlier this year, was in the building to watch her former team and take in the pageantry of the Armed Forces Classic, played at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Coach Geno Auriemma will find areas for the defending national champion Huskies to work on to be sure, but he generally was pleased by the play in the season opener against a ranked team.

"For the first game out, I thought it was a tremendous success,” he said.

Sarah Strong led the Huskies in points (21), rebounds (nine) and assists (five).

The Huskies jumped out to a 14-1 lead, fueled by seven points from KK Arnold and five from Azzi Fudd and two from Serah Williams, a transfer from Wisconsin.

Louisville never had a lead.

Strong and Arnold each scored 13 points as UConn shot 48.7% (19 of 39) in the first half and roared to a 44-23 lead at halftime. The Cardinals connected on just 26.4% (9 of 34) of their shots.

The UConn lead grew to 28 with 6:35 left in the third quarter following five quick points from Ashlynn Shade. But Louisville outscored the Huskies 13-6 in the rest of the frame to trail by 21 entering the fourth.

A Fudd jumper and a layup by Kayleigh Heckel put UConn up 65-40 in the first minute of the final quarter, but the Cardinals didn’t give up. A 23-8 Louisville run cut the UConn lead to 10 with 2:22 remaining, but the Cardinals didn’t get closer.

Fudd finished the game with 20 points, Heckel had 14 in her UConn debut, and Arnold contributed 13 points and seven rebounds.

Laura Ziegler had a double-double for Louisville with 16 points and 18 rebounds. Imari Berry and Skylar Jones also were in double figures with 13 points.

The game was scheduled to be played at Ramstein Air Base in Germany but was moved to the Naval Academy because of the federal government shutdown. It worked out beautifully for Fudd, who is from the Baltimore area and played before friends and family for just the second time in her UConn career.

“It's incredible. I mean I had a lot of people come out and support me today, so I know I'm super lucky to have that kind of support and love being able to play here,” she said. “My grandma was here.

“It's just super special and then again, being at the Naval Academy, it's incredible.”