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During Peacock’s broadcast of No. 1 UConn’s 100-68 win over Ohio State on Sunday afternoon in Hartford, the analysts suggested head coach Geno Auriemma had referred to sophomore forward Sarah Strong as a combination of Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart and Stefanie Dolson.
Strong then showed why, turning in a performance that left her former teammate lacking for any comparisons, or words.
Already leading the Huskies in scoring, rebounds, assists and blocks entering the team’s fourth game of the season, Strong exceeded her season averages across the board, scoring a career-high 29 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, dishing a career-best seven assists and blocking three shots. She also added five steals to her ledger.
Strong now leads UConn in every major statistical category with 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.5 blocks per game, while shooting almost 72 percent on 2-pointers and nearly 92 percent from the free throw line. And, she’s averaging just one turnover.
As her statistics reflect, it’s surprising if Strong makes a misstep. There’s the composure with which she snags a defensive board, goes coast to coast and finishes with finesse at the basket. There’s the calm confidence with which she swishes an open 3. There’s the connective halfcourt passing that puts her teammates in positions to succeed.
After the game, Auriemma lauded Strong, saying, “When you watch what she does, how she does it, it just makes you kind of realize, that’s not normal … It’s not as easy as she makes it look, but it kind of is.”
Strong is already so good that’s it’s scary. And in turn, every other team in the nation should be scared of the Huskies, who appear a level (or two) above other 2026 title contenders.
On Sunday, super senior guard Azzi Fudd served as Strong’s leading co-star, swishing five 3s on her way to 19 points. She also distributed seven dimes.
Adding to the sense of overwhelming inevitably that surrounds UConn is emergence of another star: Blanca Quiñonez. Playing in only the second game of her college career, the 6-foot-2 freshman wing did not hesitate to put the ball on the floor and take it the hoop, displaying a combination of physicality and touch that should only improve over the course of the season. While Auriemma may gripe at her five turnovers, her better than 60 percent finishing, two 3-pointers, four boards and two should should compensate for bouts of overconfidence.
Strong, Fudd, Quiñonez and the Huskies weren’t the only ones who impressed over the weekend. Here’s two more players and teams that put up performances worth extra examination:
Marta Suarez has the sauce
If women’s college basketball fans were asked who would be the game-swinging star of the matchup between No. 10 NC State and No. 17 TCU, it’s unlikely Marta Suarez would have received many, if any, votes.
While it’s fun to fawn over emerging young stars (see above and below), experience is still an important edge, as the seasoned Suarez showed on Sunday in Raleigh. A native of Spain, her college career began in 2020 at Tennessee, where she played two seasons while also missing her sophomore year due to injury. She then spent her junior and senior seasons at Cal before now transferring to TCU for her final collegiate campaign.
Behind Suarez’s 26 points, which included a 4-for-8 performance from 3, TCU secured the top-10 win. It was the Horned Frogs’ first road win over a ranked opponent since 2011. Suarez, however, didn’t just provide stellar shooting, as she also effectively neutralized NC State junior forward Khamil Pierre on the other end of the floor.
Suarez provided all that two-way energy while playing 40 minutes.
Suarez’s performance was illustrative of TCU’s depth, demonstrating how, as the Horned Frogs attempt to improve upon last year’s program-best season, head coach Mark Campbell has access to a roster stacked with players ready and able to step up.
Aaliyah Chavez is more than alright
No. 6 Oklahoma had quite the challenging week.
It began with a game in Sacramento against No. 3 UCLA on Monday night. After their first loss, the Sooners had little time to regroup, with three more games on the schedule. They returned to Norman for a pair of games, besting Kansas City on Wednesday and North Alabama on Friday before hitting the road again, heading to the mountains of North Carolina for a matchup against Western Carolina, which became another win.
A cross-country quartet is an unfriendly entry into college basketball for a freshman. Yet, Aaliyah Chavez proved to be unbothered. In fact, the fast-and-furious trial by fire seemed to help the top-ranked recruit find the form that made her such a coveted prospect.
After beginning her career by shooting 27.8 and 25.0 percent from the field in her first two games, Chavez has since seen her shot fall, shooting 69.2, 42.9 and 53.8 in three-straight wins. Her 3-ball has been even better. While she made just two triples on 13 tries in the first two games, she’s since gone 13-for-25 from downtown, which included a 7-for-10 showing against Kansas City. She’s also converted all but one of her 16 free throws.
But it’s about more than the numbers for Chavez.
The freshman point guard runs the Sooners’ show with poise. She almost epitomizes “.5 basketball,” meaning she only briefly posses the ball before making a quick decision. She’ll fire off a hit-ahead pass in transition. She’ll take the shot when open. She’ll ping the ball to an open teammate in the halfcourt. And when she does possess the ball, she’s good about keeping her dribble, rarely picking up the ball and ending up in a desperate, dead-end situation.
Yes, sometimes Chavez is overeager, trying a too-ambitious pass, taking a wild shot or gambling for a steal. She’s still far from immune to freshman follies.
But her fast processing makes her a special talent. And as the Sooners continue to wind their way through their schedule, including trekking through the SEC, that talent is going to translate into wins for the city of Norman.
