"You know the end is near": UConn superstar Paige Bueckers makes her feelings known on final March Madness run with Huskies

As her college career winds down, UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers is savoring every moment of her final March Madness tournament. She expressed her feelings on what is expected to be her final March Madness with the Huskies in an interview with PEOPLE on Monday.

"It's like you know the end is near, so you're trying to cherish it and drag it out as long as possible because you don't want it to end," Bueckers told PEOPLE.com.

Bueckers also expressed her gratitude for the Huskies’ fanbase, calling it the best in the country:

"They travel. They're at every game. Sometimes we feel like, at road games it feels like a home game just because of how much support we get."

"But just playing here and how much they've given to me, how much they've given to this team, this program, I just wanted it basically to be an ode to them and how amazing they are. To be able to have that opportunity to give them back some love I think is what we wanted to do."

Paige Bueckers’ run with UConn

Paige Bueckers joined UConn in 2020 and earned National Player of the Year honors as a freshman. However, she suffered injuries the following two seasons, limiting her to just 17 games in her sophomore year and sidelining her completely in 2022-23 due to a torn ACL.

She made a strong return over the last two seasons. This year, the 6-foot guard from Hopkins, Minnesota, has averaged 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She has also helped UConn (31-3) enter the NCAA Tournament on a 10-game winning streak.

Paige Bueckers secured her third Big East Player of the Year award this season.

The Huskies, a No. 2 seed, will open their NCAA Tournament with a high-powered game against Arkansas State (21-10) at Gampel Pavilion, Storrs (CT), on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be aired live on ABC Network. Fans can live-stream on Fubo.