Paige Bueckers just put on a historical display in Saturday’s Sweet 16 matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners, with fans clamoring for her to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA draft.
Paige Bueckers Delivers a Historic Sweet 16 Performance
Bueckers confirmed Friday with Rebecca Lobo what was presumed: This will be her last season in college, and she will enter the WNBA draft this year.
She is projected to be the number-one pick in the draft, and games like tonight are the reason why.
The superstar has the women’s college basketball world shook, by going for a 40-piece against the Sooners in the Sweet 16, which a UConn women’s player has never done.
Miss Buckets came into Saturday evening’s game with a chance to advance to her fourth career Elite 8, and she didn’t leave anything to chance. She got going early in this game, scoring 11 of UConn’s 17 points in the first quarter.
Though the superstar’s first quarter went smoothly, the second quarter did not treat her well. Bueckers did not score in the second quarter. Coach Geno Auriemma benched her for a couple of minutes because of her lackadaisical defense of Oklahoma Sooners guard Payton Verhulst, who scored 13 points in the second quarter.
UConn went into the half down 36-32. UConn had been 0-2 in games this year, and they trailed at the half, while Oklahoma was 22-0 in games they were leading at the half, but that all changed tonight.
The Huskies blitzed the Sooners in the third quarter, and Paige Bueckers led the way with 10 points. UConn went on a 23-4 run to start the quarter and won the third quarter 27-10.
The Huskies had gained control of the game, but the three-time First Team All-American wanted to put on a show.
Coach Auriemma spoke with ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe during the third-quarter break. When Rowe asked Auriemma about Paige’s play through three quarters, he said, “There are times when she has the ball, and the defense knows she is not going to shoot it. I’m thinking, shoot it! You’re open. Hopefully, in the fourth quarter, she will just… I don’t know. Maybe you should talk to her.”
Though Holly Rowe did not talk to Paige, she got the message.
Bueckers scored the Huskies’ first 19 points in the fourth quarter. She outscored the Sooners 19-13 in the fourth quarter. The First Team All-American totaled 29 points in the second half, while the Sooners only managed 23.
Bueckers was 12-16 in the second half and ended the game with a career-high 40 points, more than any UConn Husky in the last 25 years.
This is the same program that produced players like Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and many more all-time greats.
Even with this massive accomplishment, Bueckers showed postgame why she is one of the great leaders in women’s college basketball.
When Holly Rowe asked about her postgame performance, the superstar guard focused only on her teammates, saying, “Really, it’s not about me. Jana, Ice, Sarah. The way they protected the paint. This game is on them.”
This leadership will translate well in the WNBA. The Dallas Wings hold the number-one pick in this year’s WNBA draft, and all signs point to Paige Bueckers being their pick.
Wings star guard Arike Ogunbowale wants that to be the case. When the draft lottery was chosen, the Wings got the No. 1 pick, Ogunbowale posted on X, “I just fell to my knees. THANK YOU LORD!”
The March Madness tournament can thank the Lord that Paige Bueckers is still playing for potentially three more basketball games.
She and the Huskies punched their ticket to the Elite 8 by routing the Oklahoma Sooners 82-59. Bueckers is averaging 37 points on 62.5% shooting from the floor and 69.2% from three over her last two games.
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If she can keep up this pace throughout the rest of the tournament, there is a good chance she will capture the one thing missing from her resume: a national championship.
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