Azzi Fudd and UConn destroying Dawn Staley’s South Carolina should motivate Geno Auriemma, NCAA analyst shares

NCAA analyst Robin Lundberg expressed that Geno Auriemma should be motivated by UConn's 87-58 win over Dawn Staley's Gamecocks on Sunday. Huskies entered the road game as the underdogs, battling with consistency issues and recent history of injuries. Their stints against Notre Dame, USC and Tennessee further diminished their odds.

Lundberg said that Auriemma should be impressed by his 2024-25 roster and motivated enough to lead the program to its 12th NCAA title.

"South Carolina has really been the most recent powerhouse, Connecticut hasn't won since 2016 - but Geno Auriemma, there's got to be a part of him that's motivated by that (Sunday's win)," Lundberg said on his YouTube video (at 2:00).

"There's got to be a part of him that looks at it and licks his chops a little bit and says all right I'm gonna show you, I'm gonna spin back around and let you know what's going on."

Sunday's win marked the first time UConn won against South Carolina in the last four years. The Huskies' last victory over Dawn Staley's crew was a hard-fought 63-59 OT win on Feb. 8, 2021. The Gamecocks won four consecutive contests after that, including the 2022 NCAA championship game.

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Azzi Fudd led the fireworks for Geno Auriemma

South Carolina aptly schemed for Paige Bueckers, limiting the star guard to just 25% shooting. However, as the 2025 WNBA draft lottery prospect led the playmaking, Azzi Fudd shined again.

The senior scored 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting (6-of-10 3-pointers), providing Geno Auriemma's crew a scoring boost when it needed it the most. After trailing by nine at the break, Dawn Staley's crew posted 21 points in the third quarter, hoping to comeback. They also held the entire UConn team, except Fudd, to just 1-of-8 shooting.

With that, Azzi Fudd erupted to score 18 third-quarter points on 7-of-9 shooting. Her hot hand not only neutralized the Gamecocks' run but also helped UConn extend its lead to 26 heading into the fourth.

Apart from handing the defending champions the third loss of the season, Geno Auriemma's crew also ended its 71-game home arena victory streak.