Why Bill Murray has been at UConn’s 2024 March Madness games rooting on the Huskies

There’s a good answer for this.

Bill Murray is everywhere, whether it’s on the silver screen or at sporting events or at pro-am golf tournaments.

As long as UConn is in the 2024 men’s NCAA tournament, you’ll probably see him. The actor has been in attendance for at least one of the Huskies’ 2024 March Madness games.

But why, you ask? Wasn’t it only a few years ago that Murray was a Xavier superfan? He sure was. And … the reason is the same!

Murray’s son Luke Murray was an assistant coach at Xavier and he’s been an assistant under Dan Hurley for a little while.

There’s your answer!

Dawn Staley dubbed Paige Bueckers the most elite women’s basketball player ever and here’s why

Dawn Staley dubbed Paige Bueckers women’s basketball royalty, and her reasoning makes it hard to disagree.

Paige Buckers is one of the best shooters in the country, and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley knows it. It’s why Staley thinks Bueckers is the most elite player women’s basketball has ever offered.

Dawn Staley is careful and intentional about her words. When she compliments a women’s basketball player, people listen. She has a deep appreciation for the sport and its athletes, so it’s not surprising that she dropped heavy praise for UConn superstar Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers has been a household name for years and has battled her way back from injuries to drop serious buckets this season, propelling UConn all the way to the Sweet 16. In a newly released clip, LSU’s Hailey Van Lith and Flau’jae Johnson, plus Staley, give Paige her flowers. But it’s Staley’s words that you need to hear.

Here’s what Dawn shared about Paige (See the clip below and the 8:09 mark of the YouTube video):

“Paige is great. I think Paige is probably the elitist basketball player to ever grace our game. You look at her efficiency — she doesn’t take bad shots.”

Was Geno Auriemma taking a shot at Caitlin Clark by calling Paige Bueckers ‘the best player in America’?

Hmm.

Now, look: Caitlin Clark is amazing. Paige Bueckers is also amazing. We could leave it at that.

But legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma might be playing some mind games, especially now that women’s March Madness is in full swing.

Bueckers led the Huskies to a win over Syracuse in the second round on Monday wit a 32-10-6 game. Afterwards, Auriemma declared she was “the best player in America,” basing it on the analytics and such.

Now: was that a shot at Clark? Especially if they meet later in the tourney? Or was it a way to pump up Bueckers?

I’d say the latter, probably. But you make the call:

Can the Duke defense slow down Paige Bueckers?

Duke women’s basketball needs to slow down one of the best players in the sport on Saturday, but the Blue Devils might be suited to the task.

Let’s just get it out of the way: UConn’s Paige Bueckers is one of the best college basketball players of the last decade.

Bueckers was named the Player of the Year as a freshman in 2021, averaging 20.0 points. 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in her first season of collegiate basketball. She led the Huskies to the Final Four that season and the national championship game the next.

This year, after missing a full season due to injury, she’s picked up right where she left off. She’s averaging a career-high in points (21.8), rebounds (5.1), and blocks (1.4), and she’s still dishing out 3.9 assists per game.

She’s racked up two double-doubles through two tournament games, dropping 28 points on Jacksonville State and 32 points against Syracuse. She’s pulled down 10.5 rebounds and dealt 6.5 assists per game in the postseason thus far, and she had seven steals between the two games.

In postseason basketball, the sport’s best players can be absolute buzzsaws. Scheme, depth, balance, it can all be thrown out the window if your team doesn’t have anyone to stop Bueckers.

The Blue Devils might not have that problem.

Duke allowed 58.0 points per game this season, the best mark in the ACC and the seventh-best average of any Power 6 school. The Blue Devils are allowing opponents to shoot 36.9% from the floor and 32.0% from beyond the arc.

Kara Lawson’s squad has a strong track record against dominant guards, too.

Syracuse’s Dyaisha Fair, an All-ACC First Team member who averaged 22.3 points per game (the third-most in the conference) got to play the Blue Devils at home in February. She finished 7/25 from the floor, one of just six conference games in which she finished below 30% for the game, and 1/7 from behind the 3-point line. The Orange only scored 45 points.

Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson, another 20-point-per-game scorer and another All-ACC First Team guard, scored 15 points on 17 shots against the Blue Devils back in January. Duke won that game by 42 points on the Seminoles’ home court.

Even in Duke’s second-round upset of Ohio State, the Buckeyes’ star guard Jacy Sheldon couldn’t get off the ground. Sheldon averaged 18 points per game entering the contest, the third-best mark in the Big Ten, but she could only manage 13 points against the Blue Devils. Sheldon made five of her 13 attempts and just one of her four 3-pointers, and Ohio State went 1/11 as a team from distance.

A player of Bueckers’ caliber presents her own challenges. The only player Duke has seen on her tier this season is Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, a freshman who leads the conference in both points (22.9) and steals (4.6) while finishing third in assists (5.6). Hidalgo helped the Fighting Irish past Duke with a 23-point game in Cameron last month, but Duke lost that game by eight after losing the third quarter by 12.

The path for a No. 7 seed to make the Elite Eight would always be tough, Bueckers or not. However, if any 7-seed might have a path to slowing down the Huskies dynamic star, it would be the Blue Devils.

How to buy Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets in Boston for 2024 NCAA Tournament East Regional

Want to watch March Madness and the Sweet 16/Elite 8 live in Boston this weekend? Tickets are still available for as little as $223.

Only 16 teams remain in the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament, and four of them will be playing in Boston, Massachusetts this weekend.

This year, March Madness returns to Boston as the TD Garden is set to host a weekend of Sweet 16 and Elite matchups that will eventually send one team onto Phoenix and the Final Four.

SHOP: Boston Regional Sweet 16 tickets

Tickets to Boston’s Sweet 16 action give access to both games and as of publication are still available for as little as $223.

No. 1 UConn kicks off East Regional on Thursday when they take on No. 5 San Diego State at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Illinois.

SHOP: UConn vs. San Diego St and Iowa St vs. Illinois tickets

If you want to catch all the action, weekend passes are still available for as little as $403.

The weekend passes include access to both of Thursday’s Sweet 16 games and Saturday’s Elite Eight showdown between the winners of Thursday night’s games.

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How to buy Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets in Boston for 2024 NCAA Tournament East Regional

Want to watch March Madness and the Sweet 16/Elite 8 live in Boston this weekend? Tickets are still available for as little as $223.

Only 16 teams remain in the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament, and four of them will be playing in Boston, Massachusetts this weekend.

This year, March Madness returns to Boston as the TD Garden is set to host a weekend of Sweet 16 and Elite matchups that will eventually send one team onto Phoenix and the Final Four.

SHOP: Boston Regional Sweet 16 tickets

Tickets to Boston’s Sweet 16 action give access to both games and as of publication are still available for as little as $223.

No. 1 UConn kicks off East Regional on Thursday when they take on No. 5 San Diego State at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Illinois.

SHOP: UConn vs. San Diego St and Iowa St vs. Illinois tickets

If you want to catch all the action, weekend passes are still available for as little as $403.

The weekend passes include access to both of Thursday’s Sweet 16 games and Saturday’s Elite Eight showdown between the winners of Thursday night’s games.

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Where to watch Duke’s Sweet 16 game against Connecticut

Check out where you can watch the Blue Devils fight Paige Bueckers and Connecticut for a spot in the Sweet 16.

The Blue Devils already played spoiler once in the NCAA Women’s Tournament, but the next round of March Madness brings with it another giant to slay.

Duke will play Connecticut on Saturday in the Sweet 16 as Reigan Richardson and the team try to upset Paige Bueckers and the Huskies.

Richardson has averaged 26.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game through two rounds, the first Blue Devil since Alana Beard to reach 25 points in consecutive tournament games.

Bueckers, in her first tournament action in two years, has scored 30 points per game with two double-doubles thus far.

Day: Saturday, March 30

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Channel: ESPN

The winner of Saturday’s game will play either Baylor or USC for a ticket to the Final Four.

Was Geno Auriemma taking a shot at Caitlin Clark by calling Paige Bueckers ‘the best player in America’?

Hmm.

Now, look: Caitlin Clark is amazing. Paige Bueckers is also amazing. We could leave it at that.

But legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma might be playing some mind games, especially now that women’s March Madness is in full swing.

Bueckers led the Huskies to a win over Syracuse in the second round on Monday wit a 32-10-6 game. Afterwards, Auriemma declared she was “the best player in America,” basing it on the analytics and such.

Now: was that a shot at Clark? Especially if they meet later in the tourney? Or was it a way to pump up Bueckers?

I’d say the latter, probably. But you make the call:

Duke will play Connecticut in Sweet 16 of Women’s March Madness

The Blue Devils got through Ohio State in the second round, but now, Duke gets the legendary Connecticut Huskies and star Paige Bueckers.

On the heels of a second-round upset over Ohio State, the Blue Devils have to play the most accomplished women’s basketball program in the country.

Duke will face the Connecticut Huskies in the Sweet 16 on Saturday, March 30.

The Huskies, led by star Paige Bueckers, defeated Syracuse in the second round, a 72-64 victory on Monday evening. Bueckers, the consensus 2021 player of the year as a freshman, scored 32 points on 14/25 shooting.

She added 10 rebounds for a double-double, her second in two tournament games, as well as six assists, four steals, and a block. Bueckers is averaging more than 21 points per game this season.

The two schools haven’t faced off since November 2022 when the Huskies defeated Duke 78-50 on a neutral court in Oregon. Bueckers did not play as she suffered an injury earlier in the season.

Duke has played UConn 13 times in school history, winning just twice. The Blue Devils will look to reverse that trend behind the stellar play of junior Reigan Richardson, who has averaged 26.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game through the tournament thus far.

How to buy UConn vs. San Diego State 2024 NCAA Tournament March Madness Sweet 16 tickets

Want to watch UCONN vs. San Diego State in person? Tickets are still available for this Sweet 16 matchup in Boston, MA.

Take a breath, Huskies and Aztecs fans, your teams are moving onto the Sweet 16!

No. 1 UConn routed No. 9 Northwestern 75-58, led by 20 points and 10 assists from senior Tristen Newton.

No. 5 San Diego State dispatched the penultimate double-digit seed, No. 13 Yale, 85-57 on Sunday night, capping the Round of 32.

Both teams advance to the Sweet 16 in the East Region, and will play in Boston on Thursday, March 28, in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Championship Game.

Tickets are still available to the UConn vs. San Diego State Sweet 16 matchup for as little as $294.

Tickets include access to both Sweet 16 games, the other game will feature the No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Illinois.

Weekend passes are also still available, and include both Sweet 16 games and the subsequent Elite 8 game in Boston.

At the time of publication Boston Regional weekend passes are still available for as little as $500.

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