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STORRS, Conn. — Geno Auriemma scratched his head and sighed during Sunday’s media availability. He’s the winningest coach in college basketball. In his 41 years helming UConn, Auriemma has seen dozens of players walk into Gampel Pavilion as quiet freshmen and exit as acclaimed legends.

Paige Bueckers. Diana Taurasi. Breanna Stewart. Sue Bird. It seemed Sarah Strong was next up — at least to the naked eye.

She’s got the accolades, the statistics and the clutch factor to match those aforementioned greats. But the Huskies’ standard is at a different level. So, to Auriemma, the sophomore forward still has a ways to go.

“She’s not quite where I want her to be,” Auriemma said. “There’s still some things that I think we need to obviously keep adding.”

When No. 9 seed Syracuse (24-8, 12-6 Atlantic Coast) faces No. 1 overall seed UConn (35-0, 20-0 Big East) in the NCAA Tournament Second Round Monday, its full focus should lie on the Huskies’ No. 21, despite Auriemma’s words. Strong was named the National Player of the Year by ESPN and The Athletic, and she’s indisputably the best player the Orange will see this season.

But in March Madness, it’s not as simple as studying your opponent for a week like the last four months. Time is half the battle.

Syracuse enters its clash with UConn less than 48 hours removed from a statement win over No. 8 seed Iowa State. In that victory, it had to deal with Second Team All-American Audi Crooks, who exploded for 37 points.

Now, with Strong on its hands, SU’s center of attention must shift rapidly. Otherwise, Strong will do what she’s done all season: dominate.

“You can’t stop her,” SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “We couldn’t stop Crooks. I’m not a miracle worker. I’m never going to say I’m that kind of coach that can create that. Because no one stopped her in (35) games.”

If Syracuse can’t stop Strong, does it have a chance Monday? ESPN’s spread has the Huskies as a 36.5-point favorite. That’s a decisive no. Though for Legette-Jack, there’s always hope. She said the Orange just need to “contain” Strong a little bit. If they do, she believes they have just as good a chance as anyone.

“I want to throw different fun things out there defensively to see if, indeed, that sticks,” Legette-Jack said. “And if it sticks, we’ll stay with it. If it doesn’t, we’ll change it, and we’ll make it fun, and we’ll win some things.”

It’s unclear what Legette-Jack’s referring to when she says fun, but no opponent has enjoyed facing UConn — and Strong — this season. The Huskies have won 51 consecutive games, dating back to Feb. 9, 2025, and Strong has finished with fewer than 10 points just three times in her 74-game career.

Legette-Jack joked Syracuse’s best chance of upsetting UConn would’ve been to kidnap Strong and Auriemma. She said she asked her manager to complete the mission, but when she refused, all SU’s head coach could do was sigh.

“We understand what we’re facing,” Legette-Jack said. “Let’s not pretend that the big elephant isn’t in the room. (They’re) the best team in college basketball right now.”

Sarah Strong has spearheaded UConn to an undefeated season and is looking to guide them to a second straight NCAA Tournament championship. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor

Strong is currently no more than another piece to a remarkable puzzle Auriemma has constructed. He took the Huskies’ head coaching job in 1985, and has since won 12 national titles, 24 Big East Championships and made the Final Four 24 times.

Although UConn fell two points short of a 2024 national championship appearance, that result didn’t meet Auriemma’s expectations. That’s when Strong came in.

She was the class of 2024 No. 1 overall recruit, 2024 Naismith High School Player of the Year and won three North Carolina state titles, all while averaging 21.0 points, 16.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.8 steals per game at Grace Christian School (North Carolina).

She fit the mold Auriemma was looking for. Although Strong narrowed her options to Duke, North Carolina and the Huskies, her high school vision board read, “Go to UConn,” ESPN reported. It was destined to happen.

While no player on Syracuse’s roster has faced Strong in college, Olivia Schmitt remembers meeting UConn’s forward on the court in high school. Schmitt said Strong carried her entire team on her back.

“I have a lot of respect for her,” Schmitt said. “She deserves all (the attention) she’s getting.”

Strong has always been in the spotlight; that national recognition Schmitt pointed to doesn’t get to her head. Strong grew up in Spain, learning to embrace the pressure as her mother, Allison Feaster, played in the Spanish EuroLeague.

Strong’s father, Danny Strong, adds to the familial path, starring for NC State from 1995-97 before 15 professional seasons in France and Spain. Strong would join her parents in the gym, spending all morning practicing before attending their games at night, she told ESPN.

As the pressure mounts in the postseason more than a decade later, Strong uses those family ties as a boost. At the end of the day, though, she still trusts herself more than anyone else.

“They’re there for support. I talk to them about any game that I go into, how to get my mentality right and just what I’m looking for,” Strong said. “But it doesn’t really change anything. I’ve always done that.”

Last season, Auriemma was impressed with Strong but knew she was capable of more. He said she’d often defer passes to older players, especially Bueckers, and embraced a role that consisted of constant hesitation.

This season, Auriemma said that hesitation is quietly vanishing. He’s noticed an increase in her comfort on the court and more of an “I’ve got this” mentality. Why wouldn’t she think that way?

As Legette-Jack said, there’s no real way to stop Strong. And that’s the frightening part. Even as the awards and highlights pile up and opposing game plans are built entirely around her, Auriemma still believes Strong’s only scratching the surface.

If he’s right, Syracuse isn’t just up against one of the nation’s best players Monday night. It’s staring down the future of an eternal dynasty.

“Yeah, she’s quite different,” Auriemma said. “She’s quite different.”

Published on March 22, 2026 at 10:11 pm
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