The defending champion UConn Huskies began the 2025-26 season with a convincing 79-66 win over No. 20 Louisville in the inaugural women”s Armed Forces Classic held in Annapolis, Maryland. UConn, the top-ranked team in the AP preseason poll, demonstrated their prowess, leading by as many as 28 points and achieving their 30th consecutive season-opening victory, which ranks as the second-longest active streak in Division I basketball.
The game, originally scheduled to take place at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, was relocated to the United States less than two weeks prior due to a government shutdown. This matchup marked the first for UConn without their former star, three-time All-American and 2025 No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers, who is now playing in the WNBA. Despite her absence, the Huskies showcased their talent and lived up to their top ranking.
Leading the charge for UConn were Sarah Strong, a preseason first-team All-American, and Azzi Fudd, the 2025 Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Together, they scored 41 points, with junior KK Arnold adding 13 points and USC transfer Kayleigh Heckel contributing 14 points. Additionally, Wisconsin transfer Serah Williams made her first career start as a Husky, finishing with 4 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Fudd commented on the team”s new dynamic, saying, “This team is super different than last year, even though it was only a few different pieces. But I think what those pieces bring are so valuable. Tonight was a lot of fun. I think as the season goes on and we continue to build our chemistry and learn how to keep playing well together and what our strengths are, it”s going to be even more fun and really special.”
UConn dominated early, establishing a 25-9 lead by the end of the first quarter and heading into halftime with a 21-point advantage. Although the Huskies struggled with their long-range shooting, hitting only 4 of 26 from beyond the arc, they controlled the paint, outscoring the Cardinals 50-18.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma expressed satisfaction with the team”s performance, noting, “The way we got there was pretty cool, not making any 3s and still getting up 28, that”s not an easy thing to do.” Strong, who impressed during UConn”s championship run last season, recorded 9 rebounds and 5 assists, showcasing her ability to lead the team in multiple facets.
As the game progressed, Louisville adjusted to a zone defense, which led to a temporary stall for the Huskies. The Cardinals trimmed the deficit from 25 points to just 10 with 2:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, Strong”s back-to-back baskets sealed the victory for UConn.
Fudd reflected on the lessons learned from the game, stating, “Everything”s a learning experience. So, one, not kind of letting up like we did in that fourth quarter but also figuring things out at the end. It got kind of close. Sarah had some clutch shots at the end, we made some great decisions on defense, just good team basketball. So that was good practice, good little moments for us to work on and keep building on.”
Auriemma downplayed concerns regarding the second half”s performance, emphasizing the importance of not letting the win feel like a loss. “Let me put it this way: I don”t ever want to walk off the court this year because we”re UConn and we”re defending national champions and we”re preseason No. 1 and make wins feel like losses because we didn”t win by enough, we didn”t win the right way, we had too many lulls, we were too sloppy,” he remarked. “Today we were a typical basketball team — a little bit better than typical — but generally speaking, that”s what happens in basketball games. You have peaks and valleys. You play really well. You don”t play well. You shoot good. You don”t shoot good. So for the first game out, I thought it was a tremendous success.”
This game marked UConn”s first season opener against a ranked opponent since the 2017-18 season, when they faced No. 10 Stanford. The program now holds a 7-1 record in season openers against Top 25 teams.
