Paige Bueckers says she's not surprised to see Sarah Strong thriving at UConn this season

UConn star Paige Bueckers does not miss any opportunity to praise her teammate Sarah Strong, who is excelling in her freshman season with the Huskies. Bueckers and Strong, two top-scoring threats in UConn's lineup, have led the team to a perfect 16-0 record in Big East play so far.

Ahead of UConn's regular season title-deciding matchup against No. 22 Creighton (23-4, 15-1) on Thursday, Bueckers met with the media and spoke about how she has enjoyed watching Strong blossom into a key contributor for the Huskies.

"Not surprised. You can see it in preseason that she was going to have a tremendous season," Bueckers said. "just the way she plays, the aggressiveness, the selflessness, the IQ, just everything, honestly, that she does on the court.

"So when you watch her in practice during the preseason, you're not surprised by what she's doing this year."

Strong is only behind Paige Bueckers in scoring for UConn averaging 15.9 points per game, shooting 57.4% from the field and 76.5% from the free throw line.

After the Huskies conquered the defending national champion South Carolina on Feb. 16, where Strong contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds, Bueckers said that the 6-foot-2 forward could be on the Mount Rushmore of UConn's all-time great players.

"I'm very excited for the future of UConn after I leave with Sarah Strong taking over, as she's already doing an amazing job now," Bueckers said of passing the torch to her teammate.

Paige Bueckers sends message to Sarah Strong and other freshman for postseason challenges

Things can go haywire quickly in the NCAA Tournament and Big East Tournament since they are single-elimination formats.

Paige Bueckers acknowledged that the stakes will be significantly higher and cautioned her freshmen players, including Sarah Strong, to be prepared for the intensity they will face in the coming weeks.

"Just to continue to do what they've been doing," she said during pregame media availability on Wednesday (at 4:50). "Obviously, the pressure might be a little bit more, but to not let that change the way they've been playing, who they are, but rise another level.

"Have a sense of urgency and lean on the upperclassmen for advice and for help and know that they're not doing this alone and they got a whole team with them."

Bueckers is determined to win her first national championship for the Huskies before leaving as a potential top 2025 WNBA draft pick this summer.