- NCAA. Paige Bueckers' strong words about Geno Auriemma point to UConn mentality entering March Madness
- NCAA. Paige Bueckers will have to earn the WNBA's respect just as Caitlin Clark did amid schedule reveal
One down, five to go. That is the motto the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team is embracing this month, as Paige Bueckers and company pursue the program's first national championship since 2016 -- a mission that got off to an ideal start in Storrs, Conn. on Saturday.
UConn, the second seed in the Spokane regional, defeated 15th-seeded Arkansas State by an eye-popping 69-point margin to kick off its title bid, and the journey continues Monday when the Huskies host the 10th-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits. It will mark a momentous occasion for Bueckers, win or lose, as the 2025 WNBA Draft looms next month.
Bueckers' final game at Gampel Pavilion
Monday will mark Bueckers' last-ever home game at the Huskies' Gampel Pavilion, but the star guard is approaching Monday night's game in her usual, professional manner.
"We never look at it as what number, who versus who, what's their record prior. Everybody's trying to go undefeated in the six-game tournament," Bueckers told the media. "Anything you did previously doesn't matter. On any given night it can be a team's night, and you've just got to be hot at the right time."
Geno Auriemma, an 11-time NCAA champion as the Huskies' head coach, isn't overlooking South Dakota State in favor of saluting Bueckers at her final home game.
"Teams like that are dangerous in the NCAA Tournament," Auriemma said about an AP-ranked South Dakota State. "They can shoot. They're smart. They're disciplined. They're the kind of teams that everybody picks in their sleeper/upset specials. I'm not exactly pumped up about this, as you can tell."
But Bueckers did take a moment to pause and reflect on her four years playing at Gampel -- which have solidified her as one of the most exciting (and decorated) players in the country.
"It's been an amazing time here at Gampel," Bueckers said Friday. "I think it's the best environment in the world. Obviously, the makes Gampel what it is. Everybody who comes in 60 minutes before the games start, and they're just there ing us. And obviously, their intensity during the games, their during the games, it means everything to us as players."