Tag: Paige Bueckers

Iowa women’s basketball slated to take part in Phil Knight Legacy tournament in November

Iowa appears like it’s on an early collision course with Paige Bueckers and Connecticut in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament in November.

We might have a game of the year contender in the first week of the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season.

Iowa women’s basketball announced on Monday that they would be participating in the Phil Knight Legacy College Basketball Tournament on Nov. 25. The Hawkeyes will open up their 2022-23 campaign against Pac-12 foe Oregon State. Oregon State finished with a respectable 17-14 record last season.

Not to completely gloss over Oregon State and the opening contest, but the bracket posted for the tournament should widen the eyes of any fan of college women’s hoops. On the other side of the bracket Connecticut faces Duke. The idea of a potential Connecticut-Iowa matchup should have every hoops fan salivating.

Both Uconn and Iowa will surely enter the upcoming season in the top 10. While Iowa unfortunately fell in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament, they certainly have the talent to go way further. Uconn did exactly what they always do, making the Final Four for the 13th consecutive year in a row. Both teams feature arguably the best hooper in the nation.

Paige Bueckers was probably Connecticut’s most hyped-up recruit since superstar Breanna Stewart. She proved that hype was warranted right away, becoming a leader early in her freshman year. Her offensive output declined a bit last year due to an injury, but she’s still clearly one of the nation’s elite.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was the nation’s leader in points per game and assists per game. It goes further than just the stat line, though. Clark’s long range shooting has made her one of the biggest stars in all of women’s basketball.

This right here is the matchup every fan, every person involved with women’s basketball should be hoping for. Clark and Bueckers are leading the way for the next generation of women’s basketball stars alongside South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston. They are leading a movement that is getting more and more people interested in women’s hoops.

The last time these two matched up against each other was in the Sweet 16 of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Uconn got the better of Iowa, winning 92-72, but both looked like potential superstars. Now after both have reached that elite status, a super matchup between two of the biggest stars in the sport would be monumental.

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Paige Bueckers went off for UConn in the second half and the internet loved it

Bueckers was unstoppable in the second half and overtime.

In potentially the college basketball game of the month, the UConn women’s team earned a spot in their 14th straight Final Four with a dramatic double overtime win over 1-seed NC State. The Huskies — which had essentially a home game in Bridgeport, CT — pulled away in the second extra period for the four-point victory, but it was a back-and-forth affair throughout.

Although several UConn players stood out in the win, it was sophomore guard Paige Bueckers that made the difference. Twenty-three of Buecker’s 27 points came in the second half as she shot a nearly-perfect 8-for-9 from the field after halftime.

The internet was overwhelmed with praise for the Minnesota native’s performance as she led her team to the Final Four in Minneapolis next weekend.

UConn clears Paige Bueckers to return just in time for March

The Huskies went 15-4 without the reigning national player of the year.

The reigning national player of the year, Paige Bueckers, has been cleared to return from injury for Friday’s game against St. John’s, UConn announced on Thursday.

Bueckers has missed 19 games since suffering an anterior tibial fracture and lateral meniscus tear on December 5 and undergoing surgery a week later.

She was averaging 21.2 points on 56% shooting, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists through six games before the injury. UConn went 5-1 in those games, with the only loss coming to No. 1 South Carolina.

Bueckers’ return is much welcomed for a Huskies team that went 15-4 without her. Their five losses this season match their total number of losses over the last two seasons combined. A perennial national championship contender, UConn hasn’t won a title since a four-year streak from 2013-2016.

The Huskies have +750 odds to win it all this year, fourth-shortest behind South Carolina, Stanford and NC State.

After Friday’s game, UConn closes the regular season Sunday against Providence. Then comes the Big East Tournament. Already locked into the conference’s No. 1 seed, UConn will get a first-round bye and begin play on March 5.

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UConn’s Paige Bueckers avoids season-ending injury, but will miss extended time

Paige Bueckers seriously injured her left knee in UConn’s most recent win, but the damage won’t keep her out for the whole season.

Non-contact, lower extremity injuries are never fun. They come at random times, are unavoidable and leave athletes in somewhat of a confused and helpless state. Some of the most famous athletes have had their careers altered by such occasions; think Kobe’s Achilles, DeMarcus Cousins’ Achilles and Shaun Livingston’s knee. So we all collectively held our breath when No. 3 UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers went down, untouched, late in UConn’s 73-54 win over Notre Dame and writhed in pain.

Fortunately, we can breathe again. On Tuesday, UConn described Bueckers’ injury as a tibial plateau fracture that would require six to eight weeks of recovery time.

Considering the range of outcomes, two months isn’t the worst thing in the world. Bueckers avoids surgery and still has a chance to return this year in time for the postseason — barring any setbacks. Thinking optimistically, Bueckers underwent ankle surgery in May and it didn’t seem to have any negative impact on her performance this season (21.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds per game). So, don’t expect to see a diminished version of the superstar once she fully recovers.

What’s likely out of the picture now, however, is an opportunity to collect the Naismith, AP Player of the Year or Wooden Awards; honors given to college basketball’s most outstanding individual players. Bueckers won all three awards last season and became the first freshman to ever take home any of the honors en route to the Final Four.

The Huskies could slip a bit in the polls as they move on without Bueckers for the time being. Additionally, their championship odds are listed at +200 but could fall at your preferred books as the season progresses. Such a drop might make for the perfect opportunity to buy the dip on UConn if you believe Bueckers will be back and in form for the madness that ensues in March and April.

Given the circumstances, it’s a solid news day for fans of the sport as well as Bueckers and her supporters.

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Paige Bueckers’ very rare knee injury, explained

This is such a weird injury but it shouldn’t derail Paige Bueckers’ career

The college basketball world breathed a collective sigh of relief on Tuesday after UConn finally revealed the extend of Paige Bueckers’ knee injury.

For those of you out of the loop, Bueckers went down with a non-contact knee injury on Sunday against Notre Dame. She went to make a move and her knee just buckled underneath her.

Folks feared the worst after seeing it happen live, naturally. Again, this was a non-contact knee injury. Those things are literally never good. You can only hope for minimal damage at that point.

That’s why when UConn announced the injury was a tibial plateau fracture, people were a bit relieved.

They tweeted the news out on Tuesday.

Obviously, this still stinks. But compared to the alternatives of a potential ligament injury? This seems fine. It doesn’t throw too much of a wrench into her already stellar college career.

But this injury is still weird, though. A tibial plateau fracture? That’s a rare one. Folks had lots of questions about what it actually is and how it works.

Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Here’s more information about what this is and how it can be dealt with.

Paige Bueckers, Chet Holmgren pulled up to watch Jalen Suggs in Las Vegas

Bueckers and Holmgren were among those in attendance to watch Suggs and the Magic face the Celtics.

When Jalen Suggs and the Orlando Magic took the court on Thursday, the fifth overall pick had quite an audience on hand to watch him in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Naismith Player of the Year Paige Bueckers and Gatorade National Player of the Year Chet Holmgren were among those in attendance at the Cox Pavilion to watch Suggs and the Magic face the Boston Celtics.

Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith and Gonzaga guard Julian Strawther were also there with Bueckers and Holmgren.

Bueckers grew up with Suggs in Minnesota; the two have known each other since elementary school. They have become very close friends over the years and she even surprised Suggs with a congratulations video on the night of the NBA draft.

Holmgren, who is a potential No. 1 pick next year, announced in April he would play next season at Gonzaga. He became the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Gonzaga and said Suggs played a large role in joining the Bulldogs.

Unfortunately, Suggs’ friends weren’t treated to the best game. The Celtics defeated the Magic, 108-71. Suggs finished with six points after only playing in the first half as the game got out of hand with the Celtics leading by as many as 44 points.

However, Suggs has had a strong run with the Magic in summer league and has looked every bit of a top-five draft pick. He has dazzled with his scoring, leadership and confidence, something the Magic have long needed. Certainly, the future looks bright for Suggs in Orlando.

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UConn looked great without Paige Bueckers’ best and that’s a scary sight for the rest of college basketball

They’re too good.

UConn going up against Iowa will easily go down as one of the most highly anticipated games of the college basketball season from both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments.

There aren’t bigger stars out there than UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. These are the two best college basketball players in the country. Both freshman. Going at it.

This was supposed to be a matchup for the ages. And, while it did live up to the hype, it didn’t exactly happen the way we expected it to.

The Huskies dominated the Hawkeyes in their 92-72 win to get to the Elite 8. The wildest part is they didn’t really need Paige Bueckers to go off to do it.

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UConn’s Christyn Williams put on a show in the first half of women’s NCAA Sweet 16 game vs. Iowa

UConn’s UConn’s Christyn Williams scored a career-high 18 points in the first half and managed to contain Iowa guard Caitlin Clark.

The NCAA women’s basketball tournament kicked off the Sweet 16 round with an anticipated match-up featuring two of the most exciting players in college sports in UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.

But it was another player that stole the show in the first half of Saturday’s first Sweet 16 game.

UConn guard Christyn Williams had an impressive first half for the Huskies, where she scored a career-high 18 points in the first half. She shot 8-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-6 from behind the three-point line. That helped give the No. 1 Huskies a 49-35 lead over No. 4 Iowa at halftime.

But Williams’ feat is even more impressive given she had the difficult task of defending one of the best players in college basketball in Clark, who was held to just seven points in the first half.

The winner of this Sweet 16 game will advance to the Elite 8, where they’ll face the winner of No. 2 Baylor and No. 6 Michigan.

Paige Bueckers is already the best player in college basketball according to Diana Taurasi

This is some really high praise.

Paige Bueckers has been getting high praise from every direction all season long at UConn and it’s well deserved.

But none of it quite holds as much weight as the latest she just got from an all-time great. Diana Taurasi has already stamped Bueckers as the best player in college basketball in a new video from TOGETHXR.

That might sound like hyperbole, but she’s not wrong. She’s one of the best basketball players we’ve seen grace a floor.

She’s averaging 19.9 points per game on 54% shooting from the field and 47% shooting from 3-point range. She also averages 6 assists per game and somehow sticks out on a stacked UConn team.

Taurasi explained it herself.

“The first game I watched her play, I watched the first quarter and I told Penny [Taylor] and I text coach [Geno] Auriemma and I said ‘she’s the best player in basketball already.’For the simpel fact is she can pass. She makes really hard passes look really easy and she makes really easy passes look easy. And that alone sets her apart,”

She also compared Paige to herself in college and she thinks Bueckers already has more confidence.

“Oh, Freshman Paige has way more confidence than I did. I was in the doghouse. I was like the water girl. I was doing chores for the seniors. We were in way different boats…But, Paige, the level she’s playing at right now as a freshman. It’s incredible. You don’t play that efficiently and with that much confidence as a rookie as a freshman at Connecticut. 

Well said. Straight from the GOAT herself. And the best part is we’ll get to see Paige’s skill again on Saturday during her Sweet 16 matchup against Caitlin Clark and Iowa.

This is going to be a great one.

 

Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers Sweet 16 matchup is going to be so good

This is going to be one for the history books.

We have a legitimate shot at watching some all-time great basketball this weekend in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The UConn Huskies are taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday with both teams looking to advance ahead into the Elite 8. And that means that we’ll finally see two of the most electrifying players in college basketball go head to head.

UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark have been incredible all season long. They’ve put up big performance after big performance as the best players on their respective teams and they’re both just freshman.

This is going to be one of the biggest matchups in basketball on any level that we’ll see all year long. This game is going to be so good.