"This team was SO damn good”: College hoops fans reminisce about Napheesa Collier’s stacked UConn team

The 2025 NCAA Tournament is ongoing, and college hoops fans were taken back in 2018, when Napheesa Collier's UConn recorded one of the highest scores in women's college basketball history. On Thursday, ESPN made an Instagram post recalling then-No. 1 seed UConn's commanding 140-52 victory over then-No. 15 Saint Francis in the first round of the 2018 tournament.

Collier scored 25 points and nine assists while teammate Azura Stevens scored 26 points and 10 rebounds.

"The first round of the 2018 NCAA tourney was the second highest score in NCAA WBB history 🔥," ESPN wrote.

Fans in the comments section shared their reactions, with many reminiscing about UConn's stacked 2018 team.

"This team was SO damn good," a fan wrote.

"DAMNNNNN, THAT WAS INSANE ROSTER. 😮‍💨," another fan wrote.

"Bruh just look how stacked that team is!!! Haha," a fan commented.

Fans react to ESPN's IG post. Image via @espn

However, other fans were unimpressed by UConn's victory since the Huskies eventually lost to Notre Dame in the Final Four.

"They play people they know they can beat," a fan wrote.

"And instead of showing a better more competitive game they kept this on tv 👎🏽," another fan wrote.

"I was so sad when they didn’t win it all," a fan commented.

Fans react to ESPN's IG post. Image via @espn

Napheesa Collier wins Unrivaled MVP

Former UConn women's basketball star Napheesa Collier has been named the Unrivaled's Most Valuable Player, becoming the first MVP in league history. She co-founded the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league with fellow UConn great Breanna Stewart last year.

The Minnesota Lynx star won the Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament and the grand prize of $200,000 last month. She shared $100,000 of the winnings with training and performance staff and coaches on her team, while her four Lunar Owls teammates got $10,000 each.

However, the No. 1 seed Lunar Owls fell 73-70 to the No. 4 seed Vinyl in the second of two semifinal games on Sunday. Collier scored 36 points with eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks, despite her availability being questioned due to an ankle injury.

“Just being with this team was a high. Our chemistry was great from the beginning. The way that we approached every day, so professional, how locked in we were. It was just a pleasure to be with this team,” Collier said after the game. “Obviously, we want to take that into next year, but kind of just thinking about this for tonight.”

Collier has enjoyed a stellar career as a basketball player after leaving college. She won gold with the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team in Paris last summer. The Minnesota Lynx star also won WNBA Defensive Player of the Year last year.