No. 5 Michigan beat the Huskies 77-66 in a primetime matchup, handing Geno Auriemma's team an early loss.
UConn's season is barely a week old and already showing cracks. No. 5 Michigan beat the No. 2 Huskies 77-66 in a primetime window on Fox, just the second game of Connecticut's year.
For Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico, it's being called the biggest win of her Michigan tenure, and possibly one of the biggest of her career. She has now beaten UConn before, during her final season at St. John's.
For Auriemma, the loss exposes a gap between where his team is and where it needs to be if it wants to chase a 13th national title. The silver lining is timing: this came early enough that there's a full season left to close that gap. The schedule won't make it easy. UConn plays three top-10 opponents before the month is out, a stretch that should answer whether this loss was a fluke or a preview of a long year.
For now, the Huskies have to regroup fast. The results over the next few weeks against ranked competition will tell Auriemma and everyone else whether this team still belongs in the national title conversation or needs real retooling.