Luigi "Geno" Auriemma arrived at UConn in 1985 and promptly transformed the relatively unknown women's basketball program into an absolute force. With the help of all-star players including Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart, Auriemma made the small community of Storrs, Connecticut, the epicenter of women's college basketball.
Auriemma has posted only one losing season in four decades at the helm of UConn, but it's his teams' dominance in March and April that has had a staggering impact on the record books. Here's a closer look at the success of the UConn women's basketball team in the NCAA tournament over the years:
NCAA tournament appearances (36)
1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
NCAA tournament No. 1 seeds (22)
1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021
NCAA tournament Sweet 16 appearances (32)
1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
NCAA tournament Elite Eight appearances (28)
1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024
NCAA tournament Final Four appearances (23)
1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024
NCAA tournament runners-up (1)
2022
NCAA tournament champions (11)
1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
1995 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 Maine, 105-75
Second round: W, No. 8 Virginia Tech, 91-45
Sweet 16: W, No. 4 Alabama, 87-56
Elite Eight: W, No. 3 Virginia, 67-63
Final Four: W, No. 2 Stanford, 87-60
National championship: W, No. 1 Tennessee, 70-64
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Rebecca Lobo (16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game)
UConn finished a perfect 35-0 en route to winning its first national title in program history.
2000 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 Hampton, 116-45
Second round: W, No. 9 Clemson, 83-45
Sweet 16: W, No. 5 Oklahoma, 102-80
Elite Eight: W, No. 3 LSU, 86-71
Final Four: W, No. 2 Penn State, 89-67
National championship: W, No. 1 Tennessee, 71-52
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Shea Ralph (14.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.2 steals)
The Huskies (36-1) lost only one game all season -- a 72-71 defeat to Tennessee at home. UConn avenged that loss in the title game and snapped the Lady Volunteers' 19-game winning streak. Kelly Schumacher recorded a record nine blocks in the win, and the Huskies forced Tennessee into committing a championship-game-record 26 turnovers.
2002 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 Saint Francis (PA), 86-37
Second round: W, No. 9 Iowa, 86-48
Sweet 16: W, No. 4 Penn State, 82-64
Elite Eight: W, No. 7 Old Dominion, 85-64
Final Four: W, No. 2 Tennessee, 79-56
National championship: W, No. 1 Oklahoma, 82-70
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Swin Cash (12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists, scored 20 points in the championship game)
UConn (39-0) had four seniors go No. 1 (Sue Bird), No. 2 (Swin Cash), No. 4 (Asjha Jones) and No. 6 (Tamika Williams) in the 2002 WNBA draft. The Huskies, who also had a sensational sophomore in Diana Taurasi, became the first Division I women's basketball team to record two undefeated seasons.
2003 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 Boston, 91-44
Second round: W, No. 9 TCU, 81-66
Sweet 16: W, No. 5 Boston College, 70-49
Elite Eight: W, No. 2 Purdue, 73-64
Final Four: W, No. 2 Texas, 71-69
National championship: W, No. 1 Tennessee, 73-68
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Diana Taurasi (26.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists)
UConn (37-1) won its second straight national title, losing only to Villanova 52-48 in the Big East Conference tournament championship game.
2004 national championship run
First round: W, No. 15 Pennsylvania, 91-55
Second round: W, No. 7 Auburn, 79-53
Sweet 16: W, No. 11 UC Santa Barbara, 63-55
Elite Eight: W, No. 1 Penn State, 66-49
Final Four: W, No. 7 Minnesota, 67-58
National championship: W, No. 1 Tennessee, 70-61
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Diana Taurasi (19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists)
UConn (31-4) became the second women's program to win three consecutive national titles, joining Tennessee, which won it all in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
2009 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 Vermont, 104-65
Second round: W, No. 8 Florida, 87-59
Sweet 16: W, No. 4 California, 77-53
Elite Eight: W, No. 6 Arizona State, 83-64
Final Four: W, No. 2 Stanford, 83-64
National championship: W, No. 3 Louisville, 76-54
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Tina Charles (18.3 points and 12.2 rebounds, recorded 25 points and 19 rebounds in the championship game)
The Huskies (39-0) completed their third perfect season and became the first team to win every game by double digits.
2010 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 Southern, 95-39
Second round: W, No. 8 Temple, 90-36
Sweet 16: W, No. 4 Iowa State, 74-36
Elite Eight: W, No. 3 Florida State, 90-50
Final Four: W, No. 4 Baylor, 70-50
National championship: W, No. 1 Stanford, 53-47
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Maya Moore (24.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists, recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game)
UConn (39-0) completed the first run of back-to-back undefeated seasons in women's college basketball history, extending its winning streak to 78 games (last loss came against Stanford in the 2008 Final Four).
2013 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 Idaho, 105-37
Second round: W, No. 8 Vanderbilt, 77-44
Sweet 16: W, No. 4 Maryland, 76-50
Elite Eight: W, No. 2 Kentucky, 83-53
Final Four: W, No. 1 Notre Dame, 83-65
National championship: W, No. 5 Louisville, 93-60
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Breanna Stewart (23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in the championship game)
Connecticut's 33-point win over Louisville in the national title game was the largest margin of victory in women's Final Four history. The Huskies (35-4) hit a Final Four-record 13 3-pointers against the Cardinals.
2014 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 Prairie View, 87-44
Second round: W, No. 9 Saint Joseph's, 91-52
Sweet 16: W, No. 12 BYU, 70-51
Elite Eight: W, No. 3 Texas A&M, 69-54
Final Four: W, No. 2 Stanford, 75-56
National championship: W, No. 1 Notre Dame, 79-58
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Breanna Stewart (18.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.7 blocks)
Connecticut (40-0) defeated Notre Dame (37-1) in the first-ever championship game featuring two undefeated teams. The Huskies joined the UConn men as national champions that season, marking just the second time in NCAA history that the same school won both the men's and women's tournaments. UConn also accomplished that feat in 2004.
2015 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 St. Francis Brooklyn, 89-33
Second round: W, No. 8 Rutgers, 91-55
Sweet 16: W, No. 5 Texas, 105-54
Elite Eight: W, No. 7 Dayton, 91-70
Final Four: W, No. 1 Maryland, 81-58
National championship: W, No. 1 Notre Dame, 63-53
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Breanna Stewart (18.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.2 blocks)
The Huskies (38-1) made 54 3-pointers over the course of the tournament, the most in history. Stanford eclipsed that mark in 2021 with 59 made 3-point field goals.
2016 national championship run
First round: W, No. 16 Robert Morris, 101-49
Second round: W, No. 9 Duquesne, 97-51
Sweet 16: W, No. 5 Mississippi State, 98-38
Elite Eight: W, No. 2 Texas, 86-65
Final Four: W, No. 2 Oregon State, 80-51
National championship: W, No. 4 Syracuse, 82-51
Tournament Most Outstanding Player: Breanna Stewart (20.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.7 blocks)
UConn (38-0) won its fourth straight national title in its ninth consecutive trip to the Final Four. The Huskies compiled 129 assists in the tournament, the most by a single team since assists were first recorded in 1985.
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