Paige Bueckers. Though she hasn’t won any national championships since she came to UConn in 2020, her role as an all-time great talent in Husky history is getting tough to question. On Sunday, she furthered that narrative with an absolutely incredible effort against No. 5 seed Marquette in the Big East tournament semifinals.
It wasn’t the prettiest contest ever, much less when compared to the gorgeous offense Husky fans have become accustomed to over the years. An air ball here, an errant pass there and it became increasingly clear that this one was not going to be easy on the eyes. Fortunately for the Huskies, Marquette had much more trouble putting the ball in the hoop than they did.
When extracting points scored by players named Paige Bueckers, Connecticut would have come out ahead 31-29. But Bueckers did play. And she was far and away the best player on the floor, scoring 27 points, while also tallying 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals. It took her just 16 shots to achieve her total.
The increased burden came after co-star Aaliyah Edwards found herself out for the Big East tournament less than three quarters into it, after she sustained a shot to the nose. Edwards did much of the rebounding for the already depleted Husky frontcourt, so once she was gone, there were many big-man duties that needed to be attended to.
Who stepped up? That would be Bueckers. The point guard turned center took the opening tip-off, won it and scored the first basket of the game. UConn also benefited from bigger contributions from redshirt freshman Ice Brady, who has spent much of the season on the bench behind Edwards.
This time, she was forced into a full 40 minute outing, headlined by her defense. Brady, among her teammates, did well to completely neutralize Marquette, and her scoring was solid too. Though she had a few poor misses here and there, Brady was the team’s second leading scorer with 10 points, also managing 5 boards. For as long as Edwards is out, Brady will be a feature piece for the Huskies, largely by necessity.
As much as one might want to pin the Golden Eagles’ offensive struggles on UConn’s defense, perhaps there were equal contributions from both sides. Marquette would have struggled to hit water if they were shooting in the ocean, and that’s putting it generously. They shot an atrocious 22% from the field and 15% from downtown, making it no shock that they managed 29 points. Sometimes the Huskies suffocated their opponents, but there were some very makeable shots that were missed.
As Bueckers’ theatrics in the opening seconds made the headlines, Marquette’s radio silence in the first six minutes of action allowed the Huskies to jump out to an early 9-0 lead. They kept the deficit to just seven points at the end of the quarter, but their five points were not going to cut it.
The Golden Eagles did a better job of getting their offense going in the next period, but it seemed like they couldn’t get a bucket without UConn answering with one of their own. Bueckers had a quiet finish to the half, left without a point in the final 8:18, as the Huskies held onto a 11 point lead.
Mackenzie Hare drilled a three early in the second half to cut it to eight, but to nobody’s surprise, Bueckers had a slew of answers. Just over halfway into the third frame, Jordan King hit a jumper, but it ended up being Marquette’s last of the game. No typo. The Golden Eagles went scoreless for the final 14:49, completely flatlining.
Bueckers splashed a triple from nearly 30 feet out at the third quarter buzzer, giving Connecticut some much needed breathing room. An 11-0 fourth didn’t hurt the cause, as the Huskies waltzed into the tournament finals with a 29 point triumph.
Given the circumstances, it’s hard to find much to nitpick at. UConn played against a team that will likely be in the NCAA tournament while missing seven players. Not only did they win, the Huskies only allowed baskets during a 20 minute stretch of action from the 7th minute to the 26th. Sure they leaned on their former national player of the year for nearly half their points. But they got the job done.
Their next challenge comes Monday night, when they face off against No. 6 seed Georgetown, who pulled off an upset against No. 2 seed Creighton. The victory was in honor of their late head coach Tasha Butts, who would have turned 42 on Sunday. The contest will tip off at 7 p.m. and can be viewed on FS1.