UConn Huskies stars Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are set to lead the charge for their team in the 2025-26 season. With preparations in full swing for the squad in the preseason, they recently defeated the Boston College Eagles by 17 points, 84-67, in an exhibition game at Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, Connecticut, to jump-start their 2025 national title defense.
At the post-game press conference, coach Geno Auriemma, Fudd, and Strong were in attendance. Auriemma looked at his players and jokingly congratulated them for a job well done, which confused Fudd and Strong.
Sarah Strong was then asked for her thoughts on becoming more of a leader now that former Huskies sensation Paige Bueckers has departed.
“I’ll say it’s changed in a very big way. I feel like last year, I kind of stood back and let everyone else speak. I really didn’t say much. I feel like this year I’m getting more comfortable with, I don’t know, giving constructive criticism and being able to accept it from my teammates and I just feel like I’m doing a better job of actually speaking and being involved in everything,” Strong said (4:38).
The Huskies are entering the 2025-26 campaign as the defending champions after they beat the 2024 NCAA winners, the South Carolina Gamecocks, by 23 points, 82-59, in this year’s NCAA title game. The 2024-25 Huskies finished with an overall record of 37-3 (18-0 Big East) en route to bringing their program its 12th NCAA championship.
Azzi Fudd was asked what her takeaway from the game was. She said the energy that her teammates gave her on defense was impressive. However, the fifth-year standout believes there is still a lot of work to do for the 2025-26 campaign.
“Something positive I would take away from the game would be I thought our defensive intensity, I mean, there’s still a lot, like I said, a lot that we need to work on, a lot that we saw we got to fix. But, I thought that was a good start,” Fudd said (4:00).
Read More: Paige Bueckers Drops 4-Word Reaction As GF Azzi Fudd And UConn Start Their Season
Paige Bueckers Shared On Social Media That She Was Watching Her Alma Mater’s First 2025 Preseason Game
Paige Bueckers revealed through her Instagram stories that she was watching her alma mater, the UConn Huskies, defeat the Boston College Eagles live. The 23-year-old also had a couple of heartfelt messages in the upload, which was reposted by the Huskies’ official Instagram account.
“UConn Hoops on my iPad @uconnwbb. An alum is crazy,” Bueckers wrote with emojis.
The Huskies’ social media team responded, writing:
“UConn Husky and iPad kid forever.”
Also Read: Former US President Barack Obama Congratulates Paige Bueckers, UConn Huskies After NCAA Championship Victory
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