"Somebody's going to have a really bad Christmas": Geno Auriemma on the timing of upcoming Notre Dame vs UConn matchup

Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies are set to face some heavyweights this month. They take on No. 8 Notre Dame on Thursday and No. 5 USC on Dec. 21.

During his chat with the media on Monday, Auriemma was asked about his preferred time to play the Fighting Irish and he said (24:18):

"I think we've always played them the first week in December. It was usually during the NFL playoffs, and I always thought that was really good. So this is about the time. You know, early December, which is good. You play a game like that too close to Christmas, somebody's going to have a really bad Christmas, like, maybe. So yeah, this is the perfect time."

Going by history, the UConn Huskies have an edge over Notre Dame, having won 39 of their 54 meetings. However, when they played each other the last time in January 2024, the Fighting Irish won 82-67. It's the first time Notre Dame has won back-to-back games against UConn since 2013.

At the time, the Huskies were battling with an injury-ridden roster. This time around, UConn has an advantage as they have added new pieces to the team and are currently on an eight-game winning streak.

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Geno Auriemma addresses UConn inconsistency issue ahead of tough December slate

While the UConn Huskies are still dealing with injuries to the team, they are also facing inconsistency issues. Geno Auriemma commented on it last week, saying:

"In all the games that we've played so far this year, we've looked really, really good regardless of who the opponent is, and we've looked not so good regardless of who the opponent is," Auriemma said per CBS Sports.

Owing to this, the Huskies could rely on their second unit consisting of Morgan Cheli, KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade.

"Because when Aubrey comes back, Aubrey used to be a starter. KK, Ash (Shade), you got guys that are going to be way different than what other people's second units are going to be, so yeah that's a great luxury to have."

Freshman Sarah Strong is also going to be Auriemma's important piece if the Huskies hope to win against the Fighting Irish.

The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. EST at the Purcell Pavilion and will be broadcast on ESPN.