Geno Auriemma reveals 3 words he said to Paige Bueckers in emotional hug at close of NCAA championship game

As the UConn bench played out the clock on Sunday, Paige Bueckers checked out early and hugged Geno Auriemma on the sidelines. The Huskies starters had cracked the code and handed the keys to the reserves in an 82-59 win over South Carolina in the 2025 NCAA championship game.

The player-coach combo shared a moment they had been pursuing for the last five years. So, when asked about the interaction, Auriemma shared that he said only three words.

"I love you," he said. "That's all I could say. I love her."

With the win, Auriemma clinched his 12th NCAA championship. The Huskies surpassed the UCLA Bruins' men's basketball program in all-time national titles. The achievement came in the same season Geno Auriemma became the winningest coach in college basketball history.

For Paige Bueckers, the March Madness trophy comes in her last year of college basketball, making her exit straight out of a storybook. It also changes the narrative on her legacy with the program, which was said to be stained by the lack of the national trophy.

Bueckers was aligned to enter the 2024 WNBA draft after the Huskies' Final Four loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa. However, the guard returned to make a push for the national title.

Paige Bueckers on UConn's approach towards the title game

In the postgame news conference, Paige Bueckers talked about the team's approach to the title game.

"We talked about it as a team that leading up to this weekend, we hadn't played our best team basketball yet," she said.

"But we thought we were saving our best performances for last. And it's been just a great summary of what we have been this entire season of being a team, staying connected. On any given night, it can be anybody's night."

Paige Bueckers will now enter the 2025 WNBA draft on April 14, where she is assumed to be the top pick.