UConn’s Geno Auriemma reacts to a call during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: Azzi Fudd #35 of the UConn Huskies takes a three point shot in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2025 Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center on December 20, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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Iowa’s Addison Deal (7) passes away from UConn’s Allie Ziebell (11) and Azzi Fudd (35) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: Blanca Quiñonez #4 of the UConn Huskies heads for the net as Taylor Stremlow #1 of the Iowa Hawkeyes defends during the 2025 Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center on December 20, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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UConn’s Serah Williams (22) fights for control of the ball with Iowa’s Kylie Feuerbach (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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UConn’s KK Arnold (2) looks to pass during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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UConn’s Azzi Fudd (35) gestures to teammates after making a three-point shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Iowa Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: The UConn Huskies bench celebrates late in the fourth quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2025 Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center on December 20, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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UConn’s Azzi Fudd, right, talks with teammates KK Arnold, center, and Sarah Strong, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: Azzi Fudd #35 of the UConn Huskies takes a three point shot in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2025 Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center on December 20, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Elsa/Getty Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: The UConn Huskies bench celebrates late in the fourth quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2025 Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center on December 20, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Elsa/Getty Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: Blanca Quiñonez #4 of the UConn Huskies heads for the net as Taylor Stremlow #1 of the Iowa Hawkeyes defends during the 2025 Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center on December 20, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Elsa/Getty Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies celebrates the win during the 2025 Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center on December 20, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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Iowa’s Addison Deal (7) passes away from UConn’s Allie Ziebell (11) and Azzi Fudd (35) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
UConn’s Serah Williams (22) fights for control of the ball with Iowa’s Kylie Feuerbach (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
UConn’s KK Arnold (2) looks to pass during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
NEW YORK — In the first two years of the Women’s Champions Classic, three of the four participating teams earned at least one win over a top-25 ranked opponent in an arena that’s home to WNBA and NBA teams.
UConn women’s basketball earned two, including Saturday’s defeat of No. 11 Iowa.
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The first two editions of the Women’s Champions Classic have been a large success thanks to the draw of the teams competing and the loud, prideful environment created at Barclays Center in Brooklyn each year.
Over 9,100 fans attended the inaugural event in December 2024. This year, about 1,000 more entered through the door as the arena had to open up the upper bowl for extra seating.
While UConn is the closest team in proximity to Brooklyn out of the four teams participating, there were still large crowds of fans for Iowa, Tennessee and Louisville. One fan wore a puffer vest that was split down the middle with UConn and Iowa colors.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies celebrates the win during the 2025 Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center on December 20, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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Former Husky Olivia Nelson-Ododa attended Saturday’s game along with New York Liberty and former Tennessee star Isabelle Harrison. Fellow WNBA stars Sydney Colson and Theresa Plaisance were also in attendance.
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“Just the environment and having the opportunity just to play in front of everybody, wherever they’re coming from,” UConn KK Arnold said of her favorite part of playing at Barclays Center. “That’s the biggest thing, just taking it all in; who came out, who’s down at the game – just knowing that they came out to watch a great game between us and Iowa.”
The intention behind creating the Women’s Champions Classic was to bring four high-profile women’s college basketball teams to New York during Christmas season to showcase the sport’s best programs and players.
“I like the fact that it’s this time of the year. I like that you can bring in big-name programs that have had a lot of success and bring them to New York. You know, they can’t just get on the phone and say, ‘Hey, I want to play in New York City around Christmas time.’ There’s no takers,” said Geno Auriemma, one of the event’s creators. “So, you have to have an event to bring them here and let them experience what, I mean, my teams have experienced for a long, long time. Because it’s pretty special.”
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Barclays Center is home to the WNBA’s New York Liberty and the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. In 2024, the Liberty defeated Minnesota in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals in Brooklyn to win the franchise’s first championship. For collegiate players, getting the chance to play at the Liberty and Nets’ home is once-in-a-lifetime.
Auriemma said he also enjoys hosting the game at the end of December, even though it often competes with College Football Playoffs and NFL games.
UConn’s Azzi Fudd (35) and KK Arnold (2) cheer for teammates during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
“It’s always great to play in a pro arena,” Auriemma said. “And the people at Barclays are just unbelievable. I mean, they love having us here, and they do a fantastic job. It puts a little bit of a spotlight on women’s basketball at a time when it’s not quite, in some ways, basketball season yet. You know, there’s big college football playoffs today, NFL games today. So, there’s a lot going on, you know.
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As one of the founding creators of the event, Auriemma and his Huskies are expected to be mainstay participants in the event for future years.
Next year, there will be three new teams to compete alongside UConn in the two-game, one-day event as Louisville, Tennessee and Iowa phase out of their two-year contracts. As of Saturday, Auriemma said next year’s three new teams have yet to be chosen.
“Hopefully, we can keep showcasing teams, you know, and it may not be a two-year deal next year, I don’t know,” Auriemma said. “It’s evolving. It’s something that we can tinker with to make it the best that it can be.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 20: The UConn Huskies bench celebrates late in the fourth quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2025 Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center on December 20, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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UConn will return to New York on March 1 to conclude the regular season against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m. UConn is 6-0 when playing at MSG
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“I’m grateful St. John’s was able to pull that off and play at the Garden,” Auriemma said. “(I’m) not crazy about (it being) Sunday night at 7 o’clock, you know. But having said that, I think there will be a lot of fans that maybe haven’t gotten to a game, and this will be their chance to get to a game.
“St John’s is having a great year so far. So, I think anytime we can play here and expose the other team to an event, I think that benefits us. It benefits St John’s and benefits the Big East. I think it helps everyone if we can create an event like that.”
On Saturday, Auriemma reflected on the Huskies’ first few trips to New York and how event coordinators at the time didn’t believe women’s college basketball was popular enough to have one-off games.
“The first game we ever played at the Garden years ago had to be a double header with the men, because, you know, nobody will come if you don’t have a double header with the men,” Auriemma said. “And I think we’re past that. We’re at the point where we can have an event here to showcase women’s basketball.”
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Praising UConn
Following Saturday’s loss to UConn, Iowa head coach Jan Jensen had this to say about Auriemma and the program: “Geno and Chris (Dailey) and their staff, they make the hard look really easy. I mean, you know, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, UConn is good, you know. Man, they’re so good.’ But they recruit and get the best year after year, and then they are the best year after year, right? So, there’s expectation there that you know, that’s certainly who I’m trying to emulate. …
“He added a full-court press this year. I mean, he didn’t press from the get-go right away to us every time, but he has a run and jump. He’s got full-court pressure. They trap the inbound. Sometimes they let you have it in. Sometimes they don’t let you have it in, and it just wreaks havoc. A lot of teams, when they full-court press, kind of drop their shoulders. You know, when you advance and get it over right at nine seconds. They (UConn) do not. It’s like they get you across that court, and then they just get a little bit more intense. That’s what impresses me.”
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