Paige Bueckers' vision has always been the talk of the town, and she showed why against UCLA in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. The senior guard recorded 16 points, five rebounds and two assists to help the Huskies reach their 13th championship game.
However, it was her incredible assist in the second quarter that got everyone talking. With UConn up 39-22, the Bruins lost the ball on the offensive end, allowing Sarah Strong to quickly grab it and pass it to Azzi Fudd. She then launched the ball to Bueckers, who was rushing towards the basket.
Bueckers then showed tremendous awareness. As she tried to catch the ball, UCLA's Kiki Rice was closing in on her, so Bueckers flicked the ball ahead of herself and Rice, like a volleyball bump, right into the hands of Kaitlyn Chen, who finished the play with an easy layup.
Hoops fans loved Paige Bueckers' superb vision to set up the play and shared their reactions on the clip shared by @___lovelani on X (formerly Twitter):
"Kiki gonna be having nightmares about that play for years 😭😭," one fan wrote.
"Grandpa really enjoyed that., 🤣😂🤣" another added, referring to Geno Auriemma's reaction on the sideline.
"Watching them is like watching the men’s team last year," a fan commented.
"This b***h playing vollesketball," a user stated.
"This pass actually had me for a sec lmao," one tweet read.
"Who played a pickup game of volleyball?," another chimed in.
Paige Bueckers motivates UConn teammates to reach their full potential against South Carolina
Paige Bueckers is one game away from leading UConn to its first national title since 2016 and winning her first NCAA championship.
However, standing in her way is defending champion, South Carolina, led by Dawn Staley. While the Huskies beat the Gamecocks 87-58 earlier this season, Bueckers knows that her team will face a tougher challenge in the final.
"I still think we got another level to tap into, and I think that's what we save it for," Bueckers told the UConn locker room after the UCLA game. "We don't need any extra incentive.
"The game earlier this season [against South Carolina] means nothing. It's 0-0, the record's 0-0 and we're both trying to go 1-0 ... We have 40 minutes to give everything we have in our entire souls and bodies."
Paige Bueckers was a part of the UConn team that lost to South Carolina in the 2022 national championship game. She wants to win the championship in her final game before likely heading to the WNBA.
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