Paige Bueckers leads UConn back to the Final Four

The Final Four will have to waituntil next year for JuJu Watkins.

Considering how good she isalready as a rookie, Watkins will have three more years to do sowith a bright future ahead of her.

But today, experience triumphsover raw talent as Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies overcameWatkins and the gritty USC Trojans to head back to the Final Fourafter crashing out in the Sweet Sixteen the year before.

The star-studded matchup did notdisappoint with each star showing out for their teams. Watkins, thesensational freshman who became the all-time freshman leadingscorer in NCAA WCBB history, scored 29 points with 10 rebounds, 2assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.

However, it was not enough todeny Bueckers and the Huskies from advancing to their record 23rdFinal Four appearance – the most all-time.

Bueckers recorded a spectacularperformance of her own with an all-around game of 28 points, 10rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks to lead a depletedUConn squad plagued by injuries.

UConn only had 7 active playersin the game after losing six different players during the season.Along with Bueckers, Nika Muhl and Aaliyah Edwards were big allgame long with all three players playing in all 40 minutes. Edwardsbacked up Bueckers in scoring with 24 points of her own while Muhl,the Huskies’ all-time leader in assists, dealt a game-high 8assists.

Bueckers, who also led UConn toFinal Four appearances in her freshman and sophomore seasons, hittwo big buckets late in the 4th to put the Huskies up forgood.

This was a redemption season forthe 5-foot-11 Bueckers, who notably won the National Player of theYear award as a freshman and made the title game that season butwas sidelined all last year after tearing the ACL in her leftknee.

“I want to give glory to Godbecause I was praying last year to get back to this stage,”Bueckers said after the game. “He [God] gave me so many trials andtribulations but I just kept on believing – it was to build mycharacter and test my faith. I’m just so proud, I can’t even takeit into words.”

Now, Bueckers and UConn willface a familiar foe in the Final Four at the Rocket MortgageFieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio next week in Caitlin Clark and Iowa.Clark and Bueckers have some history together as batchmates in theHS class of 2018, Team USA U19 gold medal teammates, and areregarded to be the best prospects of women’s basketball in thisgeneration, as well as being projected as the top overall picks inthe WNBA draft in 2024 and 2025, respectively.