“All the adversity, all the hardships”: Paige Bueckers shares why winning the NCAA title with UConn would mean “everything”

Paige Bueckers has won almost every accolade in her college career, yet the one thing that has eluded her is an NCAA championship. The UConn star was on the precipice of winning it all last season, but the Huskies fell short in the Final Four.

Bueckers, the potential No. 1 pick for the 2025 WNBA draft, has the last chance to finally bring home a national title in the upcoming season, which is also likely her final year at college.

During Big East media day last week, Bueckers was asked what an NCAA championship trophy would mean to her.

"I don't even think I could put into words what it would mean but, it would mean everything, obviously everything that I've been through," Paige said. "Me coming back, a lot of my teammates coming back from injury — all the adversity all the hardships uh would definitely mean everything to cap it off."

The pressure and expectations are mounting for Paige Bueckers entering this season. Almost every Connecticut legend in the past has won at least one national title, from Sue Bird to Diana Taurasi to Maya Moore to Breanna Stewart.

"I obviously feel a sense of urgency. It's definitely the national championship or bust, that's always been the case here at UConn," Paige told SNY.

"But just not focusing on that, focusing on winning every single day we have in front of us ... It's one day closer to my career being over, so it's crazy when you put it that way."

Paige Bueckers says she put mental game first this offseason

UConn senior Paige Bueckers will be left with one more season after this one. But she has once said she plans to enter the WNBA next year.

Bueckers is coming off a fantastic year with UConn after missing an entire season due to a knee injury. While preparing for the upcoming campaign, she says she has put more effort on the mental side of the game.

"As much as I’ve grown physically this offseason and continue to work on my basketball skills, pushing my mental approach is something I’ve done as well," Paige said [via CT Insider]

"I think that’s where I’ve grown in my mental approach, to not stress about the future. It’s so easy to get caught up in wanting to win a national championship so bad that you’re not worried about winning today."

Paige Bueckers averaged 21.9 points and 5.2 rebounds last season for the Huskies. She scored 854 points that campaign, matching Maya Moore's record for the fastest 1,000 points scored in the program's history.