UConn continue their pursuit of a 13th national championship by doing what UConn always does. Geno Auriemma’s side sits atop the rankings at No. 1, unbeaten at 11–0 on the season and a perfect 3–0 in Big East play. But even after an emphatic 89–53 win over the Marquette Golden Eagles, Auriemma wasn’t fully satisfied.

Geno Auriemma had a few issues with Sarah Strong’s performance. When asked about the season-high six turnovers she committed, the UConn head coach didn’t hold back in his assessment.

“You know, some of it was just carelessness. And we talked about it, and there were none after that,” Geno Auriemma said in the postgame press conference. “I think sometimes she tries too hard to make a play for somebody else. Most of the time she gets it right, and sometimes she tries too hard to make things be there that aren’t there.”

Sarah Strong got off to a rough start, opening the game 0-for-3 from the field. For a brief moment, it felt like she was giving the Golden Eagles a window to make things interesting. That never materialized. Strong quickly settled in, found her rhythm, and took over. The sophomore forward went on to knock down nine straight field goals, finishing with 22 points as UConn cruised to a 36-point win over Marquette and kept its unbeaten run intact.

Strong also filled up the box score with seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals, while getting plenty of support around her. Captain Azzi Fudd added 14 points and a team-high three steals, shooting 50% from the field, and knocked down two free throws to stay perfect at the line this season. Freshman forward Blanca Quiñonez chipped in 12 points for her second straight double-digit outing, while senior center Serah Williams contributed 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists.

Yes, Geno Auriemma wasn’t thrilled with some of the careless moments from Strong, but she still finished the night as UConn’s leading scorer, something she’s now done six times already this season.

The National Player of the Year candidate is averaging 17.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 3.4 steals per game, numbers that underline just how important she is to this team. She’s clearly UConn’s best player right now, which also explains why Auriemma continues to hold her to such a high standard.

But Auriemma holds his entire team to an elite standard, something he once again made clear during his postgame press conference.

Geno Auriemma’s Relentless Demands

“We’re trying to concentrate really, really hard on taking some things away,” Auriemma said. “In today’s world, you have to be really, really good defensively, defending the 3-point line, and I think that’s something that we’re constantly, constantly working on. That’s something that I’m never satisfied with.”

Auriemma’s ability to demand and extract the best from his team was once again on full display. Marquette entered the matchup as the No. 5 three-point shooting team in the country, knocking down nearly 40% from deep, but UConn shut that down completely. The Huskies held the Golden Eagles to just 31% from beyond the arc, well below their 39.9% season average, and forced a season-high 21 turnovers in the process.

The reason UConn remains the most successful program in the country comes down to the standard Geno Auriemma sets year after year. Championships aren’t won without discipline, effort, and accountability, and that “gold standard” is non-negotiable in Storrs. You can’t be a champion without embracing it, and you can’t be a UConn player unless you’re willing to leave everything on the floor every single night.

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That relentless demand for excellence, more than anything else, is the real secret behind UConn’s sustained dominance.