Former National Player of the Year award winner Paige Bueckers got UConn off to a winning start at the Big East Tournament, scoring 29 points against Providence with March Madness just around the corner.
While still massively popular, UConn guard Paige Bueckers has not seen quite the same national spotlight this week as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark or even LSU’s Angel Reese. Part of the contrast may come down to the array of injuries that have sidetracked the Huskies and kept them from competing with the same dominance as usual.
However, comments made by Providence head coach Erin Batth underlined how Bueckers can stack up with just about anyone in the country when she’s playing well. And she’s been closer to the top of her game after shaking off the rust of a 584-day, injury-related absence.
“That woman is amazing,” Batth said of Bueckers this weekend at the Big East Tournament via CT Insider. “You can’t stop her. You just try to slow her down, make her work a little bit harder. There’s not a lot of weaknesses with Miss. Bueckers at all. … She’s a magnificent player.”
UConn defeated Providence 86-53 in the Big East Tournament quarter-final, with Bueckers scoring 29 points to help overcome an injury sustained by co-star Aaliyah Edwards. Head coach Geno Auriemma said he isn’t sure about Edwards’ status moving forward and hopes she can return soon, knowing Bueckers needs help at the NCAA Tournament after already losing many of her top teammates.
“Once Aaliyah went down, we kind of called a huddle and we were talking about just how locked in we were going to have to be, how extra focused we were going to have to be,” Bueckers told reporters.
Added Auriemma: “We showed a lot of maturity during that stretch and a lot of toughness and a lot of character because you’re out there playing and you know, you’re not coming out. That’s a tough way to to play basketball.”
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UConn improved to 27-5 with the victory over Providence. The Huskies remain unbeaten in Big East action. However, they’ve still endured a bumpier season than usual, taking five double-digit losses.
As South Carolina has continued its march toward perfection, Clark has shattered records at Iowa, and Reese has competed with her trademark fire after winning a title last year, Bueckers has not garnered the attention she did in her National Player of the Year campaign.
The Huskies spent much of the season outside the top 10 but entered this week at No. 9. They are a near-lock to host first- and second-round March Madness games despite all Bueckers and Co. have been through.
“These last four years have been incredibly difficult. Rewarding as well, in a certain sense, but incredibly difficult,” Auriemma said recently when reflecting on his squad’s injuries. “The toll that it takes on your players and your coaching staff, everyone.
“You can’t measure it because it’s just piling on. It’s just one thing after another. And all those years, you have to go through some changes, and you have to reinvent yourself based on who you don’t have anymore.”
