After defeating their long-time rivals in the Tennessee Lady Vols, 96-66 on Sunday, the top-ranked UConn Huskies (23-0, 12-0) are gearing up to take on the DePaul Blue Demons (5-19, 2-11) on Wednesday evening.
Despite being tied at the half on Sunday, UConn rallied back to take the 30-point win.
“We played three games. We played the first quarter, kind of sort of. We played the second quarter and then we played the second half.” Head coach Geno Auriemma said to the media postgame, “But it was pretty satisfying, pretty rewarding. I know they’re really, really happy.”
Against the Vols, two players stood out.
Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd.
Fudd and Strong have been standing out throughout the program’s 2025-26 campaign, and combined for 53 points and 16 rebounds, each playing 37 minutes, respectively.
Not only are Strong and Fudd integral to their program’s success on the hardwood, but they are also imperative to their teammates off the court, in terms of their leadership.
“Sarah [Strong]’s voice is getting louder. Azzi [Fudd] — she doesn’t use her voice often, but when she does, it’s pretty impactful.” Auriemma said on Sunday, “To me, it’s doing the things that really have to be done right now. That’s what makes the rest of the team go ‘yeah, that’s why they are who they are.’”
As the Huskies shift to completely playing conference play for the rest of the regular season, the win against Tennessee was fundamental for the Huskies, as they look to stay undefeated.
In terms of the Blue Demons, the Huskies should keep an eye on junior guard Kate Novik, who averages 12.1 points per game.
The last time these two conference foes faced off against each other was this season on Dec. 27, where the Huskies took the win 102-35.
In this matchup, the Huskies held Novik to just four points on the day and Strong and Fudd contributed 20 and 16 points to the final score, respectively.
The Blue Demons are coming off back-to-back losses against the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the Big East and sit in last place in the Big East conference standings.
To win, the Huskies will need to utilize their full court pressure
Tip-off between these two Big East foes is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill. Husky fans can tune in to the game on TruTV.