Story by
Paige Bueckers wins NCAA championship with UConn, looks ahead to WNBA draft
- Story by
- Paige Bueckers wins NCAA championship with UConn, looks ahead to WNBA draft
It's a wrap on the decorated career of UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers.
And for the first time, Bueckers is a national champion. The Huskies ' star guard ends her college career with an 82-59 win against South Carolina on Sunday in the 2025 women's national championship at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Advertisement
REQUIRED READING: UConn vs South Carolina live updates: Paige Bueckers, Huskies win NCAA championship
But don't expect the spotlight on Bueckers to fade anytime soon. The WNBA Draft is eight days away, and Bueckers is the projected No. 1 pick.
Paige Bueckers national championship postgame comments
After the buzzer, Bueckers spoke with ESPN's Holly Rowe on her gratefulness to UConn's full staff and what Huskies coach Geno Auriemma means to her.
"Unreal," Bueckers said when she was asked about how she felt. "Just so much gratitude for everything this program has meant to me, for how much my teammates have meant to me… I can't name all the people. Everybody here, it takes a village just to do what we do here. Every one is important to the team success."
Advertisement
On Auriemma, Bueckers was glowing, jokingly saying she told him she hated him in an emotional moment toward the end of the game.
"I love that man like more than words can describe, and there's a lot of stuff about him that i don't, but it's because he's challenging me and making us all better in ways we never even knew we could," she said. "And he always has our back. that's the thing, sometimes it feels like he's on you and he has nothing but bad things to say. But he always has belief. He always has your back and just the relationship that we have, I can't even put in the words."
Paige Bueckers' immediate reaction to UConn winning national title
As Bueckers was taken out of the game with the national title well in hand, she embraced Auriemma and continued to hug him with tears in her eyes even as play resumed behind them.
Advertisement
It was the perfect punctuation mark for one of the most special players in the history of one of the country's most special programs.
After the buzzer, Bueckers was all smiles hugging her teammates, having let out some of her emotions after UConn's first national championship since 2016. Auriemma, for his part, was characteristically humble after the game. He got emotional speaking about his players, saying they motivate him year in and year out. He added when he embraced Bueckers, he simply said "I love you. That's all I can say. I love you."
Paige Bueckers 2025 WNBA mock draft
Here are the latest WNBA draft projections for Bueckers from numerous experts:
Advertisement
-
For the Win, Meghan L. Hall: First round, No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings
-
ESPN, Michael Voepel: First round, No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings
-
The Athletic, Sabreena Merchant: First round, No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings
Paige Bueckers stats
Here are Bueckers' season-by-season per-game averages at UConn:
-
2020-21: 20.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.3 steals per game on 52.4% shooting
-
2021-22: 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals per game on 54.4% shooting
-
2023-24: 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.2 steals per game on 53% shooting
-
2024-25: 20.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.2 steals per game on 53.9% shooting
Paige Buecker's UConn career over: Social media reacts
Here's a look at social reactions to Bueckers' collegiate career ending.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Paige Bueckers celebrates NCAA championship, looks ahead to WNBA draft
