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Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Alika Jenner/Getty Images
Alika Jenner/Getty Images
The UConn women’s basketball team is one step from the NCAA Final Four.
The Huskies are in the Elite Eight in Spokane, Wash., facing No. 1 seed USC Monday night. Paige Bueckers and UConn are chasing the program’s 12th national title.
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Follow along for live updates throughout the night from our CT Insider staff:
UConn is 4-1 in regional finals when playing against the No. 1 seed. The Huskies defeated Penn State (2004, in Hartford), lost in overtime to Duke (2006, in Bridgeport), and beat Louisville (2019 in Albany, N.Y.), North Carolina State (2022, in Bridgeport) and USC (2024 in Portland, Oregon).
It is the second time in UConn history it as faced the same opponent in back-to-back regional finals. The Huskies defeated Kentucky in 2012 in Kingston, R.I. and in 2013 in Bridgeport.
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It’s 9 p.m. and UConn vs. USC hasn’t started yet. But don’t panic.
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Because the TCU vs. Texas game is running a little late, the Huskies and Trojans are being bumped to about 9:20 p.m. The game will still be aired on ESPN.
Paige Bueckers #5 of the UConn Huskies entering the arena before battling the USC Trojans for a trip to the Final Four during the Elite Eight round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held at Spokane Arena on March 31, 2025 in Spokane, Washington.
Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
UConn winning Monday night isn’t a foregone conclusion. But if the Huskies prevail against USC, a very good UCLA team awaits.
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Geno Auriemma probably doesn’t need another reason to complain (between the travel, the times of games and practices, the quick turnaround, and so on). But let’s add one more reason: UCLA has an extra day off.
The Bruins beat LSU 72-65 Sunday, giving them an extra day of rest. The West Coast team could then rest and travel to Tampa. With a win, the Huskies will travel Tuesday across the country and lose three hours in the process before a Friday night game.
UConn men’s basketball great Caron Butler represented his alma mater today.
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Butler, an assistant coach with the Miami Heat, wore a Paige Bueckers jersey during practice Monday. The Heat shared two photos of Butler on the team’s social media accounts.
And Butler responded to the post on X with the classic hashtag: #BleedBlue
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UConn fans have grown accustomed to watching their beloved Huskies on SNY. With a recent switch, future regular season games are largely moving to Fox Sports.
For tonight’s game, Ryan Ruocco will be on play-by-play, former UConn champion Rebecca Lobo will be the analyst and Holly Rowe will be the sideline reporter.
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This game was supposed to be Paige vs. JuJu. But after the sophomore star went down with an ACL tear last week, this will be a different game.
UConn is the heavy favorite, having only lost by 2 earlier this year with USC, in a game Watkins played while the Huskies were largely without Azzi Fudd.
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There are few teams that know as much about a significant injury like this as UConn. Bueckers missed an entire season to an ACL tear, Fudd has missed large chunks of seasons with injuries and the Huskies have a laundry list of injuries the last few years.
“Your heart breaks for her, just the devastation that – especially right now, during the tournament, not being able to be out there with your team during the most important part of the year,” Bueckers said last week.
The flight out West wasn’t ideal for the Huskies – about six hours across the country with a three-hour time difference. One highlight? The UConn squad got to catch up with old friend Inês Bettencourt in person.
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The former reserve point guard for UConn transferred to Gonzaga last year and was back on campus over the weekend where the Huskies got to meet up with one of their favorite former teammates.
“It’s not ideal to be across the country playing in these games, but the fact that we get to see Nesh makes it all worth it, and it’s incredible,” Azzi Fudd said. “And getting to see her at the hotel, like, it’s just not just for me, but it’s so nice to see everyone so happy to see her. It just shows the impact that she had on this team.”
A UConn win tonight means a flight tomorrow back East. But the Huskies won’t be stopping in Storrs. Instead, they’ll be flying diagonally southeast across the country, all the way to Tampa.
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It’s hardly an ideal trip, but it’s what the tournament format calls for.
Unlike the men’s tournament, where teams have nearly a full week off, the women get the short straw when it matters most. UConn plays 9 p.m. Monday and, with a win, will play again Friday night.
That means the bulk of Tuesday is a travel day, Wednesday they can catch their breath in Tampa and by Thursday, there’s media availability, practice and more. Friday? It’s game on.
Coach Geno Auriemma expressed his frustrations with the tournament last week.
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“Whoever came up with this super regional stuff — and I know who they are — ruined the game. They did. They ruined the game,” Auriemma said.
On top of the travel and tight turnaround, Auriemma was frustrated with the fact the women’s tournament has two regions (as opposed to the four for the men’s tournament). That means double the teams at the sites, limiting the time available to practice and the windows. It’s meant some early mornings for the Huskies.
“God bless whoever wins Monday night and they have got to fly cross country, which is all day Tuesday, then they have two days, Wednesday and Thursday, to (prepare for) the biggest game of their life,” Auriemma said.
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Paige Bueckers has been the best player in the NCAA Tournament so far. Already having a good tournament, she rattled off 40 points – a career high and UConn record for the tournament – in Saturday’s Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma.
But which round is she historically the best in? That would be the Elite Eight.
Some players never make it this far, but not Bueckers. This will be her fourth Elite Eight appearance. In previous games, she’s averaged 27.7 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 51.7% and 43.8% from 3-point range.
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“In reality, some players are going to rise to the occasion, and some are going to shrink,” coach Geno Auriemma said. “It’s just the nature of it.”
