College hoops fans traveled 20 hours to watch Paige Bueckers play vs Creighton

Fans will do everything to support their favorite players, like Paige Bueckers, even if they take them a combined 20 hours to get to a nearby gymnasium.

Paige Bueckers has been a phenomenon since she debuted in UConn in 2021, and fans have trooped to various sports facilities nationwide to catch a glimpse of the 2021 College Player of the Year.

Incidentally, this season marks her final year of eligibility from college and by the end of the season, the six-foot hoops darling will announce her eligibility in the 2025 WNBA draft where she is the possible No. 1 overall pick.

The 2024-25 season marks her farewell tour in women's college basketball, and she's giving back to the fans who cheered for her over the past four seasons.

Saturday night at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, was no different. College basketball enthusiasts — 11,441 to be exact — showed up to watch the "Paige Buckets" show.

And there was a group of fans who traveled for a combined 20 hours to see Paige Bueckers in the flesh. This automatically generated buzz around the gymnasium, showing what diehard fans can do to show their love and admiration for their idols.

UConn fans who traveled very far to watch the game live were happy to see the Huskies register a 72-61 decision over Creighton and improve to 10-0 in the Big East standings and 19-2 overall.

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UConn star Paige Bueckers expresses satisfaction with fan turnout in Omaha

The Saturday fan turnout in Omaha on Saturday impressed UConn guard Paige Bueckers. It was more than twice the size of the previous highest turnout of fans for a Creighton women's game (4,439).

Bueckers was amazed by the number of fans who showed up to see her and the UConn team visit Omaha and play Creighton.

"We come out to the Midwest quite a bit through the conference, but just to have that support travel, and sometimes it feels like a home game in some arenas at some locations. I thought it was a good mix of both tonight, but just to see that support travel, it's awesome," said the guard, who finished with 22 points — 19 in the second half.

Paige Bueckers and the Huskies will travel to Chicago for another road game against DePaul on Wednesday. The Blue Demons (10-11, 5-3) are coming off a 57-50 win over Xavier on Jan. 22.

Expect another capacity crowd to come inside the Wintrust Arena to watch the senior guard play for the last time there.