South Carolina HC Dawn Staley likens hype for Paige Bueckers to Caitlin Clark's 2023-24 season

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley knows the threat that UConn possesses with Paige Bueckers ahead of their national title matchup. Staley also drew comparisons between Bueckers and former Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark during her final collegiate season.

On Saturday, Staley spoke to the media about her top-seeded South Carolina's upcoming championship game against No. 2 seed UConn. The Gamecocks coach addressed the hype around Bueckers, but insisted that her players also deserve the credit for making it to the NCAA Tournament final.

"That I can't not address it, because it's happening," Staley said about facing a superstar player like Bueckers in the national championship. "Like, it happened to us last year. You know, everything was about Caitlin Clark and her legacy and her ability to win a national championship.

"Yet, we were coming to this thing undefeated, doing something that's unprecedented at the time. Because it's hard. I mean, it's hard. Then we find ourselves back here in a similar situation. So, you know, I want some of the sentiments to be about our players and what our players have been able to do equally."

She then added:

"Because there's room to do both. We can raise Paige up because she deserves that. We raise our players up, because they deserve that."

The Gamecocks are the reigning national champions. They beat Caitlin Clark's Iowa in the final last season. At the time, Clark was projected to have a fairytale ending to her collegiate career, but Staley's South Carolina had other ideas.

Now, with Bueckers set to play the final college game of her career on Sunday, the Gamecocks will aim to throw a wet blanket on her farewell and defend their crown.

UConn star Paige Bueckers is projected as the top pick of the 2025 WNBA draft

UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers - Source: Imagn

Paige Bueckers is projected as the top pick in this year's WNBA draft, regardless of whether UConn wins the national title on Sunday. However, the Huskies star will be aiming to leave college basketball with a national championship under her belt.

Bueckers began her collegiate journey at UConn in 2020. She has won the Big East Player of the Year three times in her five years at the program.

Bueckers led the Huskies to the national title game in 2022, but her team lost to Staley's South Carolina. This time around, she will be hoping to end up on the winning side of the finale.