Geno Auriemma takes his trolling to another level when it comes to Paige Bueckers. “We had dinner with Paige last night, and listening to her speak, it reminded me of how much those five years took off of my life, listening to the things that she says,” Auriemma joked. Now Auriemma is continuing his punches toward the former UConn star, as he has revealed a play even the 2025 No. 1 draft pick couldn’t guard. 

Auriemma admitted they were a ‘different team’ without Paige Bueckers but insisted that doesn’t mean they are better. But with Bueckers going to the WNBA, Auriemma and UConn had to adapt. They had the pieces for an elite team but for it to run smoothly, they needed a different system. That meant drawing up different plays. Now, Auriemma has revealed one of post-Paige Bueckers plays named after her franchise. 

“So this is a play. We don’t run it very often but it’s called Dallas because we ran it when Paige left.”  Geno Auriemma said. “So we pass it to this guy and our big guy is down here like this and the other guys are here, right? And then we would cut and this guy would dribble and this guy would sneak up there and we’d pop out and we’d pass it and then we’d go off a flare screen and we’d get a bucket or this guy would slip it.”

So, the play goes like this: the point guard passes to the wing. The center is posted up under the rim and the team is in a 4-out or 3-out formation. The point guard cuts baseline, after which the wing recenters and dribbles  at the top of the key. The center comes up towards the ball handler and the 4 gets open outside. The 4 gets the ball and gets a bucket off a flare screen for a bucket from the right wing or towards the rim. 

The misdirection and late flare make it particularly effective against aggressive, ball-hawking defenders. Well, Paige couldn’t guard this in practice, so few will be able to guard it in-game. “Yeah, we did it and Paige left, and she came up to school one day and we ran it against her. And she couldn’t guard it,” Auriemma further said.

Well, we know Bueckers returned to her alma mater back in October 2025 for the national championship rings. She was tried out as a “new practice player” going against her former teammates. That is probably what Auriemma is talking about here. While Auriemma is tweaking his offense, his next challenge may lie on the defensive end: going against arguably the best defender in college basketball, Hannah Hidalgo. 

Geno Auriemma Is All Praise For Hannah Hidalgo After Her Record Setting Night

Hannah Hidalgo did what even Paige Bueckers couldn’t. Against Vanderbilt, Hidalgo recorded the second triple-double in NCAA tournament history involving steals, finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and seven assists. It was also just the second triple double with 30+ points. Now, UConn and Geno Auriemma face this monster in their Elite 8 matchup. Auriemma was full of praise for Hidalgo ahead of the game. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen a performance like what she had yesterday in a long, long time,” Auriemma said.“She’s a unique player that comes along once in a lifetime, and she has the ability to disrupt and cause chaos like nobody I’ve ever seen.”

Hidalgo is certainly playing like an alien right now. She is averaging 27.1 points, 6.3 steals,4.8 assists and 8.6 rebounds in the last 10 games. Bueckers once called her a ‘pest,’ referring to her ability to steal the ball whenever she wants to and irritate the opposition. UConn will be tested in their Elite eight match up as Auriemma will need to take control of the game inorder to subdue Hidalgo.

They have their own weapons in Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, who can change the game by themselves. It is shaping up to be a tasty matchup that will shape the future for both Hidalgo and UConn.