“Look how excited she is to see me”: Paige Bueckers adores Sarah Strong for cute look towards UConn’s #5 on court

The UConn Huskies, led by Paige Bueckers, recorded their fifth straight victory in convincing fashion on Saturday, Feb. 22. Playing away, the No. 5-ranked team in the country defeated the unranked Butler Bulldogs by a remarkable 49 points, 86-47, gaining momentum towards their goal of reclaiming the national championship.

Bueckers led the way with a game-high 23 points on an efficient 10-for-16 shooting clip, to go along with two rebounds, 10 assists and three steals in 34 minutes of action. Meanwhile, freshman standout Sarah Strong supplemented her senior star with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, to go along with nine boards, five dimes, two swipes and two blocks in 31 minutes logged.

As the two leading scorers of the squad celebrated their conference win, Bueckers took to her Instagram story to share a carousel post by freelance photographer Bri Lewerke. Lewerke had compiled several candid photos from UConn's triumph, including a picture of Bueckers and Strong in slide seven of 20.

This captured the attention of the fourth-year sensation, who reposted it with the caption:

"Look how excited she is to see me," with a heart-eyes emoji.

Here is Bueckers' most recent Instagram story:

(image credits: @paigebueckers on Instagram)

The Geno Auriemma-coached squad are aiming for a return to the top of women's college basketball in March, nearly nine years after their last national title in 2016. Bueckers, likely in her final collegiate season, and the rising star Strong are determined to end the drought.

With team morale on a positive trajectory, UConn appears poised for a deep run in the 2024-2025 national tournament. They currently boast an undefeated Big East record of 16-0 and an impressive overall standing of 25-3.

Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong recently earned Big East weekly honors

Before the lop-sided victory over the Butler Bulldogs, both Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong received Big East conference honors for their stellar play in the past week. Bueckers was named Big East Player of the Week once again, while Strong earned another Freshman of the Week nod.

This season, Bueckers is leading the Huskies with averages of 18.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. Strong is tallying 15.9 points, 8.0 boards, 3.4 dimes, 2.2 swipes and 1.4 blocks a game, positioning herself as the next great UConn star.