South Carolina women’s basketball hosted UConn for a top-10, non-conference game on Feb. 16. UConn star Paige Bueckers is expected to lead the Huskies to a hopeful victory in the matchup.
However, the fifth-year player did not forget to acknowledge Dawn Staley’s team, which is regarded as one of the strongest contenders for the NCAA championship title this season.
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“I think South Carolina is a great team, a great program. Very well coached, have a lot of respect for them, for Dawn and the players. It’s always a great matchup when we play them. Like I said, a very great team, and they’re very disciplined. They have a way of playing that they’re very well coached, and they stick to it,” Bueckers said during a postgame conference post on YouTube by Storrs Central on Feb. 13.
“And they’re really a good team. They have really good players. So, I mean, that’s been the same every single we’ve matched up, and it’s just a great competition,” she added.
The last time both teams met was on Feb. 11, 2024, when Bueckers scored 20 points against the Gamecocks, but it was not enough to help the then No. 11 Huskies to a victory against their then top-ranked hosts.
Staley is regarded as one of the best players and coaches in women’s basketball. With the lineup in her current South Carolina women’s basketball team, it is easy to see that Staley has an eye for spotting an exceptional talent.
The 54-year-old did not mince her words when she was asked what she thought about Bueckers as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
“Paige is great,” Staley said in an interview during March Madness last year. “I think Paige is probably the elitist basketball player to ever grace our game. You look at her efficiency. She doesn’t take bad shots.”
Bueckers is UConn’s standout player, averaging 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on 53.6% shooting per game this season.
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In the Huskies’ dominant 78-40 win over St. John’s on Wednesday, the fifth-year guard posted 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists in 28 minutes of play.
Meanwhile, both South Carolina and UConn have suffered upsetting setbacks this season, with the Gamecocks most recent loss being against Texas while the Huskies suffered a historical loss to Tennessee, their third defeat this year.
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