“Walking into that arena, everybody hates you, everybody hates your guts:” Paige Bueckers previews UConn’s next game vs Tennessee

No. 5 UConn star Paige Bueckers sat down for an interview with Women Hooping on Monday and previewed the Huskies' next game — a ranked contest against rival No. 19 Tennessee.

"You go into it with a lot of pride knowing how much it means to both programs and both teams," Bueckers said.

NCAA Womens Basketball: Seton Hall at Connecticut - Source: Imagn

The rivalry between the Uconn Huskies and the Tennessee Volunteers dates back to 1995 and includes four National Championship matchups, all of which have gone UConn's way. UConn has 11 total National Championship titles, the most in NCAA women's basketball. Tennessee has the second most with eight.

The Huskies have won the last four contests, with the most recent game on Jan. 26, 2023, resulting in an 84-67 UConn win in Knoxville. Bueckers missed this game and the entirety of the 2022-23 season after tearing her left ACL in Aug. 2022. She also wasn't present for the Huskies' Feb. 6, 2022, win over Tennessee, having missed most of the season with knee issues.

The last time Bueckers faced the Vols was on Jan. 21, 2021, when UConn defeated Tennessee 67-61 in Knoxville. Her three-pointer with less than 30 seconds on the clock hasn't been forgotten by Vols fans.

"Walking into that arena, everybody hates you," Bueckers said. "Everybody hates your guts."

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Previewing the ranked matchup

Paige Bueckers has stayed healthy this year and is thriving in her senior season, averaging 19 points per game with a career-high tying 54.4% field-goal percentage. She's helped UConn to a 21-2 record this season, with losses only to No. 7 USC and No. 3 Notre Dame. The Huskies haven't lost since their defeat by the Trojans on Dec. 21 but also haven't had a ranked matchup since then.

UConn's star point guard led the team in its most recent game, a 101-59 win over Butler. Bueckers recorded 18 points against the Bulldogs and contributed defensively as well with two blocks and three steals.

Tennessee has dropped five games this season, including three straight losses to No. 24 Vanderbilt, No. 4 Texas and No. 2 South Carolina. The Vols bounced back on Sunday to defeat conference foes the Missouri Tigers 76-71. Tennessee has come up short in its last five ranked matchups, but Thursday's game will still be an intense rivalry matchup.

"They don't like the orange and the orange doesn't like the blue," Bueckers said.