UConn Huskies women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers entered the 2025 NCAA Tournament with extremely high expectations. And she has delivered in a very big way.
Bueckers scored a career-high 40 points in UConn’s Sweet Sixteen win against Oklahoma on March 29, just one game after she scored 34 in the second round. This success sets UConn up for an Elite Eight showdown against the USC Trojans, who, despite not having star sophomore JuJu Watkins after she suffered an ACL injury, are still going to be an extremely tough test.
USC Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb spoke with the media on March 30. And at one point, she got honest about what she has seen from Bueckers to this point in the tournament.
“I mean, Paige has been an incredible player for years now. She does it efficiently, it’s her ability to score, it’s her ability to pass and involve others, to move without the basketball,” Gottlieb said, per an X post from @aysiacchanell.
“And I think what we’re seeing a little differently now… it’s an urgency. Not that she’s not been urgent before, but you see it on her face. Like, there’s no more waiting, it can’t be okay next time. It’s right now,” Gottlieb added. “So I think you’re seeing the urgency of a senior trying to achieve her goals, and she’s really good.
“But also UConn’s offense is really good, so it’s hard to focus only on one player,” she concluded.
coach lindsay gottlieb praising paige pic.twitter.com/zmYiCjPmKh
— aysia (@aysiacchanell) March 30, 2025
Gottlieb citing “urgency” as what’s setting Bueckers apart right now speaks volumes and conveys just how badly Bueckers wants this NCAA national championship before her college career concludes.