Georgetown coach Darnell Haney made an eyebrow-raising comment after top-ranked UConn throttled his team by 40-plus points on Thursday night, 83-42.
“This is probably — from top to bottom, since I’ve been here — the best team they’ve had,” Haney told reporters after the game.
His comment caused a bit of a stir.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma has had some pretty magical teams filled with WNBA talent for decades, with 12 national titles to boot. Haney came to Georgetown ahead of the 2023-24 season as an associate head coach before being named head coach in March 2024 following former boss Tasha Butts’ death. He has coached against the Hoyas a number of times, including last year when UConn — led by eventual No. 1 WNBA Draft pick Paige Bueckers — won the national championship. UConn played Georgetown twice last season, beating the Hoyas by a combined score of 152-99. Georgetown has lost 41 consecutive games to UConn dating back to 1993, per the Associated Press.
Even so, Haney’s opinion remains. Plus, he wasn’t saying this is the best UConn team of all-time; that would call for a much larger debate. Haney was simply saying that it’s the best since he has been around.
WASHINGTON, DC: UConn’s Sarah Strong handles the ball against Georgetown’s Brianna Byars at CareFirst Arena on January 22, 2026. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
UConn is the only unbeaten team left in the country after No. 2 South Carolina crushed previously perfect No. 5 Vanderbilt on Sunday, 103-74. UConn is now 20-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 team went 36-0 before losing in the Final Four. The Huskies have won 36 consecutive games dating back to last season; their most recent loss came on the road vs. then-No. 19 Tennessee on Feb. 6, 2025. UConn and Tennessee play on Feb. 1, this time in Connecticut.
Against Georgetown last week, UConn forced seven turnovers in the first five minutes (that number reached 28 by the end of the game) and led 20-2 after seven. Huskies forward Sarah Strong led all scorers with 25 points, 21 of which came in the first half. She also had eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block. UConn guard Azzi Fudd, who’s from the Washington, D.C. area and was playing in front of her hometown crowd, scored 19 points and added six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.
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As a team, UConn had 19 steals and seven blocks. Not a single Hoyas player reached double digits.
That said, it’s understandable that Haney would feel some type of way after being overwhelmed like this, but a challenge is coming for the Huskies this weekend when the Volunteers pay them a visit. It will be UConn’s fifth matchup against a ranked team and likely its only game against a top-25 opponent until the NCAA tournament.
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