Top 5 takeaways from UConn vs. South Carolina as Paige Bueckers gets storybook ending to college career

After a competitive college basketball season, the national championship game was something of an anticlimax, although Paige Bueckers and UConn probably won't complain. The Huskies won an 82-59 decision that wasn't even as close as the score.

But what does it all mean? Here are five takeaways from the title game.

Top 5 takeaways from UConn's title win over South Carolina

Sarah Strong and Geno Auriemma could both be around the Final Four for the next three years. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

5. No questions about this result

If there's any question that lingers after the title game, it's not whether UConn earned it or was worthy. It might be how the Huskies somehow missed a No. 1 seed in the first place. Women's hoops seemed to have more parity this season than most years; was the best team UCLA, USC, South Carolina, Texas, or UConn? But in the end, there was no question at all.

4. Bueckers' final chapter was worth the wait

UConn stars usually can count on titles, but for a star like Bueckers, between a rare ebb in the program and her constant injury issues, this one was more uncertain. But the connection between Bueckers and her coach was a great story. Bueckers had to spend five seasons to reach her ultimate goal, but the story was brilliant and completed.

3. South Carolina's lack of an elite scorer finally hurt the Gamecocks

The book on the Gamecocks all season long was the lack of a top scorer. Joyce Edwards and MiLaysia Fulwiley, the top two scorers, both came off the bench. While Chloe Kitts is a fine player, she wasn't an elite scorer either. For long stretches in the title game, SC couldn't rely on an elite player to create offense. It might have buried the Gamecocks.

2. The transfer portal doesn't seem as massive for women's basketball as for men's

While the impact of the transfer portal on men's hoops has been massive, it has been a bit more hit-and-miss in the women's game. UConn benefitted from Kaitlyn Chen and South Carolina relied on Te-Hina Paopao. The Gamecocks had two other transfers, but neither got big minutes.

Maybe it's because the top players in the women's game aren't heading to the WNBA. Sarah Strong might be the female equivalent of Cooper Flagg, but barring something unusual, she's ticketed for three more years in Storrs while Flagg will be in the NBA next fall.

Or maybe it's because the top programs are literally getting the players they want in the first go-around. Or maybe it's that more transfer-heavy teams didn't quite make a deep run. But for the moment, UConn and SC make a good case that the portal is more of a possibility than a fact of life.

1. The fire obviously still burns for Auriemma

Geno Auriemma is 71 years old and hasn't won an NCAA title since 2016 (which would sound hilarious to anybody else). The man who won his 1,250th college basketball game is still very much a player. After last season, it was fair to wonder whether NIL and portal impacts might be driving Auriemma from the sport.

In the words of the great Lee Corso: "Not so fast." If Sunday was any indication, the greatest coach in the history of women's basketball (and arguably, you can drop the "women's" from that statement) is still raring to go with more to prove.