Paige's last dance: Bueckers ups game in bid for elusive national title

Paige Bueckers is playing with a greater sense of urgency.

The UConn star has already declared for this year's WNBA draft, where she's virtually guaranteed to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick.

But Bueckers' focus remains on the present and capturing the one thing that's eluded her over the last five years in Storrs: a national championship.

"Little by little, it's dawned on her that there is no next year. There is no, 'I can get this anytime I want,'" Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma told reporters following the team's Sweet 16 victory. "You're going to have to get it now or it won't be available anymore."

It seemed like a matter of when - not if - UConn will hang banner No. 12.

Bueckers was one of the most heralded women's basketball prospects in recent memory. The Minnesota native was the consensus top-ranked recruit in the 2020 class, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, and a McDonald's All-American. She starred for Team USA at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, winning tournament MVP honors on a stacked American squad which included eventual No. 1 overall WNBA draft picks Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Rhyne Howard as well as Cameron Brink.

Bueckers' first season with the Huskies was almost like a Hollywood script. She was the first freshman in women's college basketball history to sweep all four major national player of the year awards, but the school fell two wins short of the ultimate prize.

Injuries then started to take a toll on Bueckers. The 6-foot guard made just 17 appearances as a sophomore due to a tibial plateau fracture and a meniscus tear. She subsequently missed the entire 2022-23 campaign after sustaining an ACL tear during a pickup game in the summer.

Bueckers returned to All-American form in the 2023-24 season. She led an injury-depleted roster back to the Final Four, only to suffer a heartbreaking 71-69 defeat to Clark's Iowa squad.

The Huskies are on the doorstep of a national title once again. They boast arguably their strongest supporting cast around Bueckers and a healthy lineup ahead of Friday's national semifinal showdown with No. 1 overall seed UCLA.

"Last year, a huge part of my journey was wanting to inspire people who have gone through terrible injuries, devastating blows that you can come back better and stronger," Bueckers said prior to UConn's Elite Eight matchup versus USC.

"Nobody can write you off. Nobody can put you in a box to injury-riddled narratives. ... You can break all those narratives, and you can come back better than ever mentally, physically, emotionally."

Bueckers is playing at a higher level than she did during her Wooden Award-winning campaign. The 23-year-old is consistently using her length and instincts to make plays on the defensive end. She's developed a post-up game and can withstand more contact on drives, thanks to her improved physique.

Through the Round of 32, Bueckers was on track to become the first player in NBA, WNBA, or NCAA history to record 50/40/90 shooting splits while leading in assist-to-turnover ratio. She's since dropped to 88.8% at the free-throw line and second in assist-to-turnover ratio but continues to lead the nation in player efficiency rating (41.4), win shares (11.8), and box plus-minus (23.6).

The three-time Big East Player of the Year has also saved her best basketball for the Big Dance. She's averaging 29 points on 58.7% shooting, including a 58.3% clip from deep, to go along with 3.8 assists, 3.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks per contest. She went off for a career-high 40 points in the Sweet 16 against Oklahoma, setting a new program single-game scoring record with her second-half takeover.

Bueckers' 31-point showing in the next round against the Trojans made her the only player in NCAA Tournament history to have four 25-point games in the Elite Eight, according to ESPN Stats & Info. She also became the lone Husky to crack 30 points in three consecutive contests. Bueckers' 105 points over that span are the most in any three-game stretch in school history. Not even Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, or Breanna Stewart produced such numbers during their standout collegiate careers.

Whatever transpires this weekend in Tampa won't tarnish Bueckers' legacy. She's unquestionably one of the best to ever put on a UConn jersey. But there's no question a national championship is on Bueckers' mind. It's the one shining moment she craves the most.

"She wants it an awful lot. Wants it for herself. Wants it for her teammates," Auriemma told SNY's Chelsea Sherrod after the Huskies secured their 24th Final Four berth.

"It's like a storybook that's being written, and it's like a four-year, five-year story of all the things that she's been through. And maybe this is a fitting way for her career to end by having an opportunity to compete for a national championship."