Paige Bueckers threatens to dethrone Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark closer to a move to the WNBA
Bueckers and the Huskies lost to Watkins and the Trojans this weekend
Although the college basketball season is still young, this weekend we witnessed a game that could very well be a preview of late March or early April in UConn (10-2) vs. USC (11-1). I say this because the game was a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight contest, which the Huskies won, and it featured two of the best players in women’s college basketball – All-Americans Paige Bueckers and Juju Watkins.
This time, however, Watkins and the Trojans came out on top, winning 72-70. It was a tale of two halves: USC dominated the first half, leading 42-29, while the Huskies rallied in the second half, outscoring the Trojans 41-30.
Paige Bueckers’ Future in the WNBA
Bueckers’ loss to Watkins, who along with Hannah Hidalgo has emerged as one of college basketball’s future stars, is unlikely to affect her projected position as the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, where she is expected to join the Dallas Wings. At 23, Bueckers is older than current WNBA young starsCaitlin Clark (22) and Angel Reese (22), which means she will enter the professional ranks more mature.
However, injuries have plagued her otherwise stellar and promising career, delaying her jump to the WNBA. Still, there are those who believe she is the future of women’s basketball, even ahead of Clark, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Napheesa Collier or Angel Reese.
