UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma has made an admission about having a roster without Paige Bueckers, one of his best players, for the first time in five seasons. On Thursday, Nov. 6, @espnw on Instagram uploaded a carousel post, showing a few moments between Auriemma and current Dallas Wings star Bueckers when she was a part of the Huskies program.
One of the clips shows Auriemma talking about no longer having Bueckers on his team in the current 2025-26 season. After all, Bueckers was one of the greatest players ever to don a Huskies jersey, as she played for five years.
“ Not having Paige is like losing three players. Okay. I mean, she would’ve got every rebound that we had to get defensive stops, make threes, dish the ball. So you know, that’s a lot to replace in game one,” Auriemma explained.
“Geno Auriemma is already missing Paige Bueckers 😂,” @espnw on Instagram captioned with a laughing emoji.
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In her final year with the Huskies in the 2024-25 season, Bueckers spearheaded coach Auriemma’s Huskies to the 2025 NCAA championship after defeating the 2024 national champions, coach Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks, in the NCAA title game by 23 points, 82-59. This was Auriemma and the Huskies’ record-extending 12th national championship in history.
Bueckers has since joined the Wings in the WNBA after she was drafted with the first overall pick in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Draft. The Hopkins, Minnesota, native was named the Rookie of the Year, as well as an All-Star starter. Auriemma and the Huskies, who are still receiving support from Bueckers, are looking to win NCAA title No. 13, led by the likes of Bueckers’ girlfriend, Azzi Fudd.
Read More: “Don’t Text Me And Get Your Panties in a Bunch”: Geno Auriemma and Azzi Fudd Pick UConn Legends’ Starting 5 Feat. Diana Taurasi, Paige Bueckers and more
Geno Auriemma And The 2025-26 UConn Huskies Won Their First Game Convincingly
Despite no longer having Paige Bueckers in the fray, it seems as though Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies have brought about the momentum from their 2025 national title run into the 2025-26 campaign.
This is because they won their first game of the year by 13 points, 79-66, against a respectable opponent, the Louisville Cardinals, on Tuesday, Nov. 4. They take on the Florida State Seminoles next in their first home game of the season on Sunday, Nov. 9.
Also Read: Azzi Fudd Reveals 1 Thing She Learned from GF Paige Bueckers Ahead of Last Season with UConn
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