"Hopefully she doesn’t declare for the draft”: College hoops fans react as Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale picture sparks Dallas dream

College basketball fans reacted to the photos posted by ESPNW featuring UConn guard Paige Bueckers and Dallas Stars player Arike Ogunbowale.

The caption reads:

"A peek into the future for Paige and Arike? 🔮 The Dallas Wings have the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and Paige Bueckers is projected to go first overall."

The 6-foot UConn guard is in her last season with the Huskies and is projected to be the top pick in the 2025 WNBA draft which is owned by the Dallas Wings after winning the draft lottery last month.

She has ran out of eligibility, making her an automatic draft prospect next season and Ogunbowale and the Wings are hoping that Bueckers would sign with Dallas and form a 1-2 punch that would lift the team to a possible playoff stint in the future.

One fan expressed hope that Bueckers would opt to forego her opportunity to be drafted by Dallas next year and apply herself for the 2026 WNBA draft to avoid playing with the Wings.

"Hopefully she doesnt declare for the draft," the college basketball fan posted.

Paige Bueckers reaction No. 1 (Image Source: @espnW/Instagram)

Other fans were excited about the possible pairing with users expressing their love for the UConn star.

"Ngl I will miss Paige at UConn. We have to let our girl go though 😭. She will be historic in Dallas! I feel it ☺️🔥," another fan commented.

"Will love this combo! UConn/ND combos are always good!," a college basketball enthusiast added.

"What a duo! 👏👏👏," another post read.

"much love 🙏🏼," a fan added.

Paige Bueckers reactions #2 (Image Source: @espnW/Instagram)

Other fans had mixed reactions with some hoping the combination to click while other college hoops fans expressed sadness.

"Let’s do this!!!," a fan posted.

"🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥," another fan posted.

"That duo is going to be fierce!," a fan added.

"Hope not happen," another social media user quipped.

Paige Bueckers' reactions No. 3 (Image Source: @espnW/Instagram)

Notre Dame standout Ogunbowale is Dallas' leading scorer this past season, averaging 22.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals per contest but her efforts weren't enough as the Wings finished with a 9-31 record.

Despite the bad record, Dallas' mood was optimistic going into next season as it has the inside chance of picking the projected No. 1 pick and possible franchise star Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers, who leads UConn's offense with averages of 20.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals this season, opted to stay with the Huskies to help the team win its 12th women's national crown and first since 2016.

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Paige Bueckers earns Big East Player of the Week despite UConn's decline in AP rankings

UConn guard Paige Bueckers was named Big East Player of the Week for the second time this season for leading the Huskies' offense in their two games against Notre Dame and Georgetown this past week.

Bueckers averaged 24.5 points and 61% shooting from the field for UConn, which had a 1-1 record during the week. The 6-foot guard dropped 25 points in the team's first loss of the season against Notre Dame and made 24 in 28 minutes in the team's bounce-back game against Georgetown on Sunday.

Paige Bueckers won the weekly honor despite the Huskies falling to No. 4 in the AP rankings behind Notre Dame, South Carolina and UCLA.

Bueckers and her teammates will have a busy schedule this week. They will first take on Audi Crooks and the Iowa State Cyclones in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase on Tuesday and will be back four days later to face JuJu Watkins, Kiki Iriafen and the No. 7-ranked Southern California.