The UConn Huskies paid tribute to greatness on Saturday night, honoring nine members of the 2015 and 2016 national championship teams inside a lively Gampel Pavilion. Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and the rest of the returning stars sat courtside as they watched Geno Auriemma’s team cruise past Villanova, keeping alive the dream of an unbeaten run,  something they all accomplished during the 2015–16 season.

“The communication on defense was the best it’s been all season,” Geno Auriemma said of his team after their 99–50 win over Villanova. And while the Huskies boast the second-best defense in the country, holding opponents to 51.8 points per game, there were specific reasons why Auriemma was so pleased with this particular performance.

Auriemma’s team clamped down on a Villanova team that typically shoots 46% from the floor, holding them to just 28%. The Wildcats also hit only 25% of their threes, a sign of just how disciplined and connected UConn was defensively. But that’s not all!

The Huskies also owned the paint, outrebounding Villanova 46–34 and piling up 58 points inside while the Wildcats managed only 12. But UConn didn’t stop there. Their defense turned the game into a turnover paradise, as Villanova coughed up the ball 26 times, which Auriemma and co turned into 36 points.

“It was a pretty complete game by us, both mentally and physically,” Auriemma said in the postgame conference, and the numbers clearly back that up. It wasn’t just the defense that stood out. Offensively, UConn shot 55% from the field, made 39 field goals, hit 30% from three, and knocked down 30 free throws on 71% shooting at the line. A complete performance in every sense of the word.

UConn were once again led from the front by Sarah Strong, who put up 24 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks, and 3 steals against Villanova, while extending her streak of double-figure scoring games to 32 straight. It is that consistency that has her firmly in the National Player of the Year conversation.

But there was another player who stole some of the spotlight and impressed Geno Auriemma.

Geno Auriemma praises KK Arnold

Losing a star like Paige Bueckers usually sets a team back, but UConn have barely missed a beat thanks to their new starting point guard, KK Arnold. And tonight meant even more for her. One of the nine Huskies being honored was Moriah Jefferson, a player Arnold idolized as a kid.

With her idol sitting courtside and her mask on, Arnold delivered her best performance of the season, scoring a season-high 13 points, tying her career-high with seven assists, and grabbing a team-high four steals. Her performance clearly delighted Coach Auriemma.

“She’s an energy-giver, and you can plug into her; she’s like a battery, and everybody else feeds off of it,” Geno Auriemma said of Arnold. “Every team needs that, and she inspires other people to be like that. And then, you know, you got Sarah Strong diving on loose balls, you know, in a 40-point game. That’s kind of who they are right now.”

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Arnold has embraced her new role as UConn’s starting point guard and flourished. The 5-foot-9 junior is posting career highs in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, turning into the steady floor general few predicted. She has helped bring the best out of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd as the Huskies continue their pursuit of title No. 13.