Geno Auriemma on Paige Bueckers in National Championship: 'Just be Paige'

On Sunday, UConn guard Paige Bueckers will lead her team into battle against South Carolina in the National Championship. Ahead of the showdown, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma revealed what his team needs from Bueckers to secure a win.

“Just be Paige. I think whatever that is,” Auriemma told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “She didn’t exactly have a 40-point game down in Columbia, right? She just did the things that Paige does and make sure that we win. Whatever that means today, we’ll find out when we get out there but be ready for this is what we need and do it.”

This isn’t the first time UConn and South Carolina have met this season. On Feb. 16, UConn marched into South Carolina’s Colonial Life Arena and handily defeated the Gamecocks 87-58.

In the win, Bueckers recorded 12 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 3-12 from the field and 2-5 from beyond the arc. Although it was far from Bueckers’ best shooting performance, she didn’t hang her head and found other ways to contribute to her team.

Bueckers played a similar role in UConn’s dominant 85-51 win over UCLA in the Final Four on Friday. In the victory, Bueckers only scored the third-most points on the team with 16 but she orchestrated the Huskies’ offense perfectly, helping her teammates shine.

Now, Auriemma will need his star to find a way to win once more. It’s Bueckers’ second career appearance in the National Championship. She also played in the 2021 national title game when UConn fell 69-59 to Arizona.

Although she was only a freshman at the time, Bueckers played all 40 minutes of the game. She recorded 18 points, six rebounds and four assists.

With four years passed since then, Paige Bueckers has a chance to finish her historic UConn career on a high note. She’s excited for the opportunity.

“Everything in life has kind of taught me not to take things for granted,” Bueckers said. “Being in the national championship game, it’s extremely hard to get to and extremely rewarding to be a part of. And just how much we need to play 40 minutes and how connected we need to stay throughout the game. It’s going to be a game of runs. It’s extremely high stakes. There will be nerves at the beginning.

“But once you settle in, staying connected, staying composed and doing what got us there, not trying to get too outside of ourselves and try to win the game in one possession but play every possession by itself and take it possession by possession.”

UConn and South Carolina will square off at 3 p.m. ET in the National Championship. The game will air live on ESPN.