UConn’s Paige Bueckers has turned the switch in the NCAA Tournament, scoring a program-record 40 points in the Sweet 16 against No. 3 Oklahoma and 31 in the Elite Eight against No. 1 USC.
The superstar and projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft has received high praise from many—the latest of which occurred on ESPN’s “First Take” with Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, and WNBA great Chiney Ogwumike. What did the analysts say?
WNBA Great Chiney Ogwumike Praises UConn Superstar Paige Bueckers
Two-time WNBA All-Star and 2014 John R. Wooden Award winner Chiney Ogwumike had high praise for Bueckers on Tuesday’s episode of “First Take,” calling her the best player in the tournament right now.
“There’s no team playing better than UConn right now, and there’s no player playing better than Paige Bueckers right now.” 🤯 @chiney and @ShannonSharpe on why the Huskies have the best chance to win it all 🏆 pic.twitter.com/LSKrqQPSkd
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 1, 2025
“There’s no team playing better than UConn right now, and there’s no player playing better than Paige Bueckers right now,” Ogwumike said. “Back to back to back 30 point games, 105 points over the last three games, the most by any UConn player in history, but what I love is how she flipped the switch.”
She continued, “Now during the Sweet 16, [UConn head coach] Geno [Auriemma] during the halftime report in between quarters was like, ‘I need her to shoot the ball,’ and guess what? She did it in great fashion.”
“I’m gonna do something different here,” Ogwumike told the panel. “I know this is your show, Stephen A., but I wanna illustrate this point because I know so many people think Paige Bueckers, ‘Oh, she’s great,’ I wanna show you guys exactly how she got it done, let’s roll the tape!”
“Because she dropped 29 points in that matchup in the second half, watch this right here. She calls for the ball once crossing half court, her defender is there, and she’s locked in on the ring,” she explained.
“Again, 29 of her 40 in the second half. Now, watch this again. This is a big mistake by any hooper, right? 27 feet away, look at the hand, the hand is down, you’ve got to send the help. She lit it up. So, if you think about Paige Bueckers, she completely went into turbo-mode, and she has help. Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd, to me they are the team to beat.”
Sharpe agreed, adding that a championship could put Bueckers among the greats at UConn.
“Not one lie spoken. Once JuJu got hurt, and that collision course wasn’t gonna take place, you know, but I always felt that whoever came out of that was gonna be the national champ,” Sharpe said. “And you look at the way… you mentioned the way Paige ‘Buckets’ is playing, and Fudd hasn’t had an outstanding game the last couple of games.”
“But you got the freshman who gave you 17 rebounds last night, you got Paige that’s playing out of her mind because she knows—Chiney, Stephen A—we talked about this yesterday, in order, because it started with Rebecca Lobo,” he continued.
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“You look at all the great UConn players, the All-Americans, the players of the year, what do they all have in common? All of them have cut down the net at one point in time.”
“I’m not saying, she’s not gonna get three, she’s not gonna get two, but if she just gets one, now, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Stewie [Breanna Stewart], all you greats: slide on over for your girl, because your girl will be called with y’all.”
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