"If that's all you have, it's not going to work": Geno Auriemma on how Paige Bueckers wouldn't win NCAA title without Sarah Strong, KK Arnold and more

UConn coach Geno Auriemma won his first national title in nine years on Sunday evening when the No. 2-seeded Huskies blew out coach Dawn Staley's No. 1-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 in the championship game. The game was characterized by stellar performances from Huskies star Paige Bueckers' supporting cast of Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong.

During an interview on "SNY" on Tuesday, Auriemma broke down the reasons why the stellar Bueckers would not have won the natty without the help of her teammates including K.K. Arnold, Strong and Fudd (1:15).

"You can have a Paige Bueckers but if that's all you have, that's not gonna work,' Geno Auriemma said. "You need to surround her with complimentary players that will add to what she's doing and then she makes them better. So, we knew that going forward we had all the pieces that we needed and we needed some players to get better. When you get right down to it, those players then have to come in and perform.

"Who knew that Sarah would come in here and play like a senior? You knew she was gonna be good but you didn't know that she would just take over Final Four games. You end up with the perfect storm, all the right things happen. The right complimentary players and it all comes together and we all live happily ever after."

Geno Auriemma built a strong supporting cast for Paige Bueckers

After Paige Bueckers won the National Player of the Year honors as a freshman, she has been saddled with expectations of being UConn's savior and bringing the Huskies and Geno Auriemma their first national title since 2016.

The Huskies have fallen agonizingly short, losing the championship game to the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2022 and falling controversially to the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four last year.

This year, Geno Auriemma had the right pieces around Bueckers with Azzi Fudd staying fit after years of being plagued by injuries while Sarah Strong has been one of the best players in the country despite being a freshman.

During the natty game, Bueckers managed 17.0 points with 10.0 points coming from the free-throw line. Fudd filled the breach managing 24.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist while Strong matched her with 24.0 points, 15.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists to cover Buecker's points shortfall.

During his postgame news conference, Auriemma summarized the big three's partnership.

“All three of them complement each other so well,” Geno Auriemma said. “They all have such unique skill sets.”

Geno Auriemma has reached the top once again and next year, will still have the talents of Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong to lean on as UConn return to defend their championship.