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Geno Auriemma said over and over entering the season that the UConn women’s basketball team wasn’t going to look unbeatable in November they way they did when they brought the 2025 NCAA Championship home in April, but the Huskies seemed plenty dominant in the first week of 2025-26. No. 1 UConn won its first two matchups over No. 22 Louisville and Florida State by an average of 22.5 points, and though it was outscored in the fourth quarter of both games — with starters on the floor against Louisville — the team held both opponents below 70 points defensively. The offense has thrived behind the duo of redshirt senior guard Azzi Fudd and sophomore forward Sarah Strong, who scored more than 20 points apiece in each game. Even when they aren’t at their best, the Huskies are giving Auriemma plenty of reasons to enjoy the early stages of the journey toward another possible title. “I’m the worst one to be saying this, but there’s that old adage that perfection is the thief of happiness and joy,” Auriemma said. “When you’re trying to be the perfect player, be the perfect team, play the perfect game. … I’m striving for those things for them, and we all are every day, but trying to think we can be that every day, every game, every possession, every quarter, that just makes for a miserable season, and I don’t want that for them.” Behind its superstars, UConn is finding valuable contributions from all over its roster. The biggest surprise of the season is sophomore guard Kayleigh Heckel, who is currently the team’s third leading scorer while coming off the bench. The USC transfer posted a career-high six steals in the win over Florida State on Sunday, and she is averaging 13 points per game plus 2.5 assists on 50% shooting from the field. Junior point guard KK Arnold is also averaging 10 points and 2.5 steals across the first two games. “I think when we have (Kayleigh) and KK out there together, I think that gives us a really, really good defensive presenc,” Auriemma said. “I thought when (Kayleigh) was in high school, she was what you see out there now except a little more raw. … So I don’t think she’s changed that much, but the changes she has made are for the better. She’s a way better offensive player than I thought she was.” Why pressure defense will be part of UConn women’s basketball’s identity this season No. 1 UConn will look to keep rolling on Wednesday when it hosts Loyola Chicago at Gampel Pavilion. The Ramblers haven’t beaten a ranked opponent since upsetting No. 16 DePaul in 2014, and they are 0-3 all-time against top 10 teams, so the Huskies should get plenty of opportunities to continue experimenting with their lineups and rotations. Fudd, Strong and center Serah Williams, the Wisconsin transfer, all sat for the entire fourth quarter against Florida State, a luxury that UConn has this year with the depth of its bench. Auriemma used all 12 available players on Sunday, and he could have as many as 14 to work with against Loyola Chicago. Freshman forward Blanca Quinonez was sidelined for the first two games by a left shoulder injury, but she returned to practice without contact late last week and went through the Huskies’ pregame warmups Sunday. Freshman center Gandy Malou-Mamel has been out since the end of October after she “got whacked” during a drill, but she also practiced several days last week and went through warmups with Quinonez. The only piece still missing long-term is sophomore guard Morgan Cheli, who underwent surgery for an ankle injury in February. Cheli didn’t travel with the team for the season opener in Annapolis, Md., and she wore a walking boot on the sideline during the Florida State game that she didn’t have at either of the preseason exhibition games. “Morgan had a lot of piddly stuff that was a result of things that happened in high school, things that happened here and didn’t go according to plan,” Auriemma said. “There was always another ‘but’ along the way, so I think we’re getting close to being on the right track. Just, I can’t give you an exact date (for her return).” With so much talent available, the fierce competition in practice that Auriemma described throughout preseason is coming to fruition on the court. Sophomore guard Allie Ziebell saw more playing time than junior starter Ashlynn Shade in the Florida State game and was significantly more efficient, scoring seven points shooting 3-for-4 from the field with four rebounds, two steals and a single turnover. Shade shot 1-for-5 and had four boards but also led the team in turnovers with four. Williams certainly has the highest ceiling of anyone in UConn’s frontcourt, but the starting center split minutes almost equally with redshirt sophomore Jana El Alfy in the first half against the Seminoles. “I thought (the rotation) was pretty good,” Auriemma said after the Florida State game. “I certainly didn’t want Sarah and Azzi to play 38 minutes, so that was a given. We wanted to make sure we took care of that. I certainly wanted Allie to play more minutes than she played against Louisville, and we took care of that. You’re not always going to get it right, but I thought we got it pretty close to what I wanted to do.” Dom Amore: For UConn women, Geno Auriemma, the row of championship banners has no end in sight How to watch UConn women’s basketball vs Loyola Chicago Site: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs Time/date: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday Series record: First meeting TV: truTV
