For most teams, a 79-66 win would be an ideal season opener, but expectations are higher for Geno Auriemma’s top-ranked UConn. After racing to a 28-point lead, the Huskies saw Louisville rally to cut it to 10 with just over two minutes left. Still, UConn’s experience secured the victory even if it wasn’t flawless. And as the season begins, the spotlight now shifts from Paige to Sarah Strong’s next step.

Everyone was waiting to see how this team adjusts without Paige Bueckers in a competitive scenario, but Geno Auriemma placed a lot of faith in Sarah Strong to run the show. Sarah Strong led the way with a game-high 21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. The UConn coach explained how Paige Bueckers’ absence has given Strong a lot of responsibility for this season. 

“So much of the focus of what we were doing last year was Paige and in reality we played um we played a little bit slower at times last year to accommodate Paige because we wanted to make sure the ball was in her hands and that and that she and Sarah could play a lot of two-man game and Paige was able to find whoever was open easy,” Auriemma said after the game. 

UConn was never the quickest team that relied on its offense. Of course, their individual quality meant UConn had the ninth-best offense at 81.7 points per game. Their defense was the best in the country, limiting opponents to just 52.2 points per game last season. In addition, according to CBB analytics, their pace of 68.1 stood in the 38th percentile in the D1.

Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong were the top two scorers at 19.9 and 16.4 points per game, often playing off each other. As a true point guard, she could make chances out of thin air. That’s not yet true for KK Arnold, who is replacing her (2 assists on the day). 

“Well, without Paige being there, obviously, we’ve lost that. So now she’s going to have it more often, and we’ll find her more often, and it’s incumbent on her to then take the ball and make something great happen. So we put her up, and she scores on a couple of big-time moves inside. We put her outside, and she finds people. I don’t think she shot the ball great today, but she’s a playmaker and we’re going to put the ball in our best playmaker’s hands,” Auriemma concluded. 

The pace on the day reflected this change (72.4). Strong brought the ball up most of the time throughout the game as UConn depended on their pace to give them open looks. Strong’s ability to drive to the rim made things even more difficult for Louisville. She went 9-17 from the field and 0-3 from the three-point line, which Auriemma was sure to point out. 

But Strong displayed her creative muscles, whether it was kicking it from the paint or making the right pass to the cutter. Their three-point shooting was not the best (4-of-26), but it will likely improve with time. They won the battle in the paint, outrebounding Louisville 47-43, which is well past their last season average of 37.0 per game. Geno Auriemma also emphasized how Strong’s rebounding ability, combined with her creativity, puts her among some legendary names. 

Geno Auriemma Puts Sarah Strong in Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart’s Company

Playing at UConn means playing under pressure, as it is the land of the legends. Each season, they are practically expected to win the national championship. In that 8-year drought, that expectation had died a little, but the win last season brought them back up. Sarah Strong, as a freshman, was already one of the best players on the team. As a sophomore, she is subject to do even more. 

“I think when you have a player like Sarah that can rebound the ball like she rebounds it and then start the break and bring the ball up the floor. I think that’s a whole new dynamic that we’ve had some of those guys in the past, whether it was Stewie or Maya Moore, guys that could just be great rebounders and just bring the ball up the floor. So, I really believe that adds a different dimension to our offense,” Auriemma said. However, Sarah Strong isn’t one to shy away from the expectations and the pressure.

“I kind of enjoy it,” Strong said at Big East media day last week, “That’s why I came to UConn.” However, the Maya Moore comparisons aren’t new at all. In fact, Strong’s mother, Allison Feaster, played with Moore in Spain. “To be compared to Maya Moore in any capacity is the highest honor. She’s got to match Maya Moore’s dog. Maya Moore has that dog factor, and so it’s a tremendous honor,” Feaster said.  

The talent is evident. Strong has already performed under the brightest lights last year. She set a March Madness record for most points scored in the tournament by a freshman with 114. “There are players that play four years and don’t get as much done as she did this year,” coach Geno Auriemma said after the title game.

It will be intriguing to see how she handles the extra responsibility for the course of the entire season. Losing a point guard like Bueckers is not easy, but everyone is betting Strong to take over and dominate. With Azzi Fudd returning, UConn looks primed for a back-to-back title win.