FORT WORTH, TX–The last time UConn finished a season undefeated, Blanca Quiñonez and Sarah Strong were still in elementary school.
Now they're helping the Huskies chase another "perfect" title. At 38-0, the defending national champions are on a 54-game winning streak.
Through four NCAA Tournament games, UConn has outscored opponents by more than 25 points per game. That dominance has drawn inevitable comparisons to the program's 2016 team that finished 38-0 and captured a fourth-straight national championship.
Texas head coach Vic Schaefer remembers that team well.
"You can go back to the Sweet 16 in 2016," Schaefer said. "We got beat by 60 up in Connecticut by Connecticut, by the best team in the history of the game."
That team featured Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck — a veteran core that had already won three national championships together.
This year's Huskies team has arrived at the same place, but in a different style.
"It's so much different,"UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said."That 2016 team was a very, very mature team. Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck – they were all seniors."
More:UConn's reluctant superstar Sarah Strong may let her 'Diana side' out this March Madness
UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21) named Big East Player Of The Year as they celebrate their Big East Championship win over the Villanova Wildcats at Mohegan Sun Arena on Mar 9, 2026." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sarah Strong, UConn look for perfection and another championship
UConn Huskies forwardSarah Strong(21) named Big East Player Of The Year as they celebrate their Big East Championship win over the Villanova Wildcats at Mohegan Sun Arena on Mar 9, 2026.
The current roster is considerably younger.
"We took away Paige, we took away Kaitlyn Chen, two fifth-year seniors, and we replaced them with freshmen pretty much," Auriemma said.
Instead of relying on experience, UConn has leaned on emerging stars.
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Strong, the USBWA National Player of the Year, leads the Huskies in points, rebounds, steals and blocks, while potentialWNBA No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fuddhas provided the offensive spark.
Quiñonez, a freshman who averaged 10.6 points per game in the regular season,has also come on of late. Off the bench, she's scoring over 17 points a game throughout the tournament.
Together they have powered one of the most dominant tournament runs in the last 10 years.
UConn opened March Madness with a 90-52 win over UTSA before delivering a 98-45 rout of Syracuse, the worst NCAA Tournament loss in Orange history. Even the Huskies' lowest offensive output of the season still resulted in a 21-point win over North Carolina.
Auriemma said the biggest difference between this team and past undefeated groups is personality.
"Those teams walked around like, 'What, you think we're going to lose?'" Auriemma said. "This group doesn't have that kind of swagger. They're just a bunch of really nice kids that play hard for each other."
Handling the pressure of an undefeated season, though, has been its own challenge.
"Getting all the way to this point undefeated is a lot of baggage to carry," Auriemma said. "Every day somebody's coming after you to break your streak."
Two wins remain between this team and history. Auriemma isn't comparing them to any of his title teams as they pack their bags for the Final Four in Phoenix.
"They find their own way to get the same things done," Auriemma said.
Andy Mathis is a student in the University of Georgia's Carmical Sports Media Institute.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Huskies eye history with two wins remaining for 13th national title