UConn coach Geno Auriemma breaks NCAA all-time wins record as Azzi Fudd returns from injury

Geno Auriemma now stands alone at the top.

Auriemma picked up his 1,217. career win on Wednesday night, when no. 2 UConn beat Fairleigh Dickinson 85-41 at Gampel Pavilion. It officially broke the tie with longtime Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer and made Auriemma the winningest head coach in men’s and women’s Division I college basketball history.

Naturally, UConn pulled out all the stops for Auriemma on his historic night. Lots of former players and stars were in attendance and the university held a big ceremony for him after the game.

They even brought out a live goat for, well, THE GOAT

Auriemma first took over at UConn in 1985, and he quickly transformed the program into a women’s basketball powerhouse. He has reached the Final Four 23 times and won 11 national championships. They went on a run where they reached the Final Four an incredible 14 straight times and they won four straight national titles from 2013-16. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Auriemma officially secured his 1,200th career win last season, making him one of just three coaches in history to reach that milestone. VanDerveer retired as the winningest coach in the sport’s history after last season. Longtime Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski retired with 1,202 career victories, making him the winningest men’s Division I coach in history.

Only five other women’s basketball coaches have won more than 1,000 games in history. DePaul coach Doug Bruno is the closest active coach to Auriemma on the all-time list, but he has just 786 wins to his name. Arkansas coach John Calipari is the closest active coach on the men’s side to Auriemma’s record, though Calipari is more than 400 wins behind him.

The Huskies had no trouble with Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday night. They held the Knights to just eight points in both the second and third quarters en route to the 44-point victory. Sarah Strong led the way with 20 points and eight rebounds, and Paige Bueckers finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Azzi Fudd returns to UConn after knee injury

Wednesday also marked the return of star Azzi Fudd, who went down with a knee injury more than a year ago. Fudd tore her right ACL and meniscus in practice last November, knocking her out of all but two games last season. She has been on the mend ever since.

Fudd, a former no. 1 overall recruit from the 2021 class, has averaged 13.1 points and 2.4 rebounds during his time at UConn. She has dealt with numerous injuries throughout her career and made just 15 appearances during the 2022-23 campaign. Fudd has played in just 42 total games in college and is now a redshirt junior.

While it’s unclear what Fudd will do with one more season of eligibility remaining, she is expected to be a lottery pick should she declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft after this season with the Huskies. Bueckers, who could return for one final season himself, is generally expected to be the No. 1 in the draft this summer.

Fudd came off the bench in the win and finished with four points and one rebound while shooting 1-of-4 from the field.

The Huskies, now 4-0, will take on Oregon State next Monday. They must also meet no. 25 Louisville, no. 6 Notre Dame, no. 8 Iowa State and no. 3 USC in the next month prior to Big East play, which should provide a good stretch of basketball before the Huskies try to win a fifth straight regular season and conference tournament title.

If they can make it through that stretch relatively unscathed now that Bueckers and Fudd are back together on the field, Auriemma will be in a great position to add to his already legendary resume this spring.