NCAA_Huskies_Trophy_2016

2016 - Undefeated Season and 16th Championship Lady Huskies

In 2015 UConn landed another top recruit in #1 High School prospect Katie Lou Samuelson; she quickly earned a spot in the starting five alongside sophomore Kia Nurse and seniors Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson, and Morgan Tuck. The team was unstoppable all season long, beating every opponent by an average of 39.7 points, and easily winning conference regular season and tournament. While other #1 seeds Notre Dame, South Carolina, and Baylor suffered early upsets in the NCAA Tournament, UConn easily advanced to the Final Four where they defeated Oregon State 80–51 and then old Big East rival Syracuse 82–51 in the Championship Game. UConn completed their sixth undefeated season winning the 11th overall Championship (all-time record for both men’s and women’s college basketball) and 4th in a row (also a record for women’s college basketball). Geno Auriemma is now the only coach in college basketball to have won 11 titles, passing UCLA legend John Wooden (who has 10) and reaching former NBA coach Phil Jackson.

Senior Breanna Stewart was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player for a record 4th straight time; she also performed a back-to-back sweep of all individual honors, winning her 2nd straight Wade Trophy, a record 3rd Associated Press Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year award, a record 3rd USBWA Women’s National Player of the Year award, a record 3rd Naismith College Player of the Year award and her 2nd straight John R. Wooden Award. Stewart finished with 2,676 points (2nd Husky ever), 1,179 rebounds (4th Husky ever), 426 assists, and 414 blocked shots (1st Husky ever), and was a #1 pick in the 2016 WNBA draft. Moriah Jefferson finished with a program-record 659 assists and a back-to-back Nancy Lieberman Award as the best point guard in the nation. The trio of Stewart-Jefferson-Tuck ended its college career with a 151–5 record, the most victories for college basketball players; they are the only 4-time winners in college basketball history (freshmen were not eligible to play during UCLA men’s streak). With their eleventh championship win in 2016, the UConn Huskies have tied the UCLA Bruins men’s team for most college basketball championships and became the first Division I women’s basketball team to win four straight national championships.