The Big Lead

March Madness 2025: Previewing UConn's Women's Final Four Chance

By Sam Westmoreland

Mar 31, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts after a play against the USC Trojans during the first half of a Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images
Mar 31, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts after a play against the USC Trojans during the first half of a Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images
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The UConn Huskies are in a fascinating place right now. They are still the juggernaut they've been since winning their first national title in 1995, raking in All-American recruits and building dominant teams under head coach Geno Auriemma. They spent most of this season as one of the top-ranked teams in the country, and have been among the favorites to win the whole thing since their opening game this season.

But the Huskies are mired in a nine-year title drought; their last one came in 2016, when the Brianna Stewart-led team cut down the nets. It's the longest run without a title for the Huskies since their first under Auriemma, and the fan base is restless, and the team is hungry.

They've lost in the Final Four in three of the last four years, and got stomped in the title game by South Carolina in the fourth. In fact, the Huskies have lost in the Final Four in seven of the last eight years of the tournament (there was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID). Paige Bueckers and the Huskies want this badly.

But will they seal the deal? Will this Huskies team make the leap and break through again? Or will they come up short once more? Let's break it down.

RELATED: March Madness 2025: Previewing Final Four matchups

Biggest Strengths: This might be the best offensive team in the country, and it might not be all that close. The Huskies vaporized their first three opponents of the tournament, including a very good Oklahoma team, averaging 92 points in those wins. Bueckers is the unquestioned and unabashed leader of this team, leading it in scoring and driving the bus with her playmaking ability.

Pairing her with fellow guards Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong has given UConn a seemingly unstoppable trio. Fudd, Strong, Bueckers, and fellow guard Ashlynn Shade all shoot at least 37 percent from three. This team plays small, fast, aggressive basketball. They want to score, and score quickly, and they have the players to do it.

Strong might be the best freshman in the country, and one of the most talented first-year players the sport has seen in a long time. You'd be hard-pressed to find a team with as many explosive, dangerous weapons as the Huskies.

Biggest Weakness: Size. It's a pretty straightforward one, really. The Huskies essentially play four guards and Strong, who is just 6'2", in their regular rotation. 6'5" freshman Jana El Alfy plays just 13 minutes per game, and Ice Brady has essentially fallen out of UConn's rotation.

Strong has done yeoman's work on the interior this season, but having just one reliable big (and a relatively small one at that) is a pretty significant issue that could bite this team. Strong counters it by operating on the outside offensively, drawing opposing centers and forwards out of their comfort zone, but against more athletic bigs, it could be a major problem.

UConn relies heavily on their outside game offensively. Close down open three-point looks and crash the boards against them, and they suddenly become much more vulnerable.

Best-Case Scenario: The Paige Bueckers offensive wonder tour continues unabated, as UConn uses their explosive, unstoppable offense to overwhelm their opponents here. This is a team who is going to try and outscore you, and if they get going on a roll, it's virtually impossible to beat them. And if Bueckers and Fudd are both hitting shots? Good night.

Worst-Case Scenario: The Huskies' lack of size comes back to haunt them. Strong gets in early foul trouble and suddenly, UConn has no one taller than 6'0" in the lineup. Suddenly, the shots stop falling, and the Huskies can't cope with, let's say, 6'7" Lauren Betts on the interior. Faced with size and athleticisim, Geno and company's run comes to another early end, and Bueckers' stellar career ends without a title.

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