Auriemma After Paige, UConn's Win: 'There's Disney World and Then There's UConn World'

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma believes the Huskies are in a class of their own after punching a ticket to the Final Four for the 24th time.

With Monday's 78-64 win over USC, the program has now reached the national semifinals in 16 of the past 17 NCAA tournaments.

"There's Disneyland, there's Disney World and then there's UConn World," Auriemma said, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou. "These are fantasy numbers that make no sense. You couldn't predict this and you couldn't script this at all."

UConn no longer maintains the same place within women's basketball it did during the height of its dynasty. The Huskies' last national title was in 2016. That drought feels like a lifetime when they collected 10 championships between 2000-16.

But even with the sport becoming more balanced and new contenders ascending, UConn remains a constant. There's no reason to believe that will change in the immediate future.

Senior guard Paige Bueckers grabbed the headlines from Monday night, and understandably so. She finished with 31 points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds.

Freshman forward Sarah Strong was just as good, pouring in 22 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. She's already looks like the next Huskies legend in the making. Strong is averaging 16.1 points, 8.8 boards, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

Bueckers is moving on after this season, having confirmed she's entering the 2025 WNBA draft. With Strong in the fold and senior guard Azzi Fudd sticking around for one more year, a 25th Final Four appearance will be the expectation in 2025-26.