Top 5 transfer portal targets for Geno Auriemma as UConn looks to replace Paige Bueckers

NCAA Womens Basketball: NCAA Tournament Second Round-South Dakota State vs UConn - Source: Imagn

Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies are on an NCAA Tournament run that they hope ends in a national championship. They defeated their first two opponents in the tournament in dominating fashion, most recently beating South Dakota State 91–57 in the second round.

In the Sweet 16, the No. 2 Huskies are scheduled to play No. 3 Oklahoma on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. They are one of the tournament favorites, partially because they have arguably the best player in the country, Paige Bueckers.

However, Bueckers is entering the WNBA after this season and will not be around to help the team next year. As a result, coach Geno Auriemma will need to find a replacement. These are five options he can look to add through the transfer portal.

Top 5 potential UConn portal additions

#5 Ta'Mia Scott

UConn will need to find a guard to replace Paige Bueckers and one of the best options in the transfer portal is Middle Tennessee junior Ta'Mia Scott. After not starting her freshman season, she has started all 70 games over the past two years. Scott averaged 16.7 points per game this past season and looks like one of the best players in the transfer portal thus far.

#4 Gabby Elliott

Gabby Elliott is a good option if UConn wants experience and scoring. The Penn State senior is a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility. She is an efficient scorer, averaging 13.6 ppg with a 47.4% field goal percentage and 42.3% mark from beyond the 3-point line.

#3 Kiyomi McMiller

If the Huskies prefer a more youthful option, Rutgers freshman Kiyomi McMiller is an option. She had a tremendous freshman year, dropping 20 points or more in 10 out of 19 games. She looks ready to play for a more prestigious program and the Huskies would be a great fit.

#2 Taliah Scott

Unfortunately, Taliah Scott suffered a season-ending wrist injury in November. Now she is looking for a fresh start in the transfer portal. In her freshman season, she averaged 22.1 ppg and looked like one of the biggest young stars in the game. She would fit in well with Geno Auriemma and UConn.

#1 Ta'Niya Latson

Florida State junior guard Tan'Niya Latson is arguably the best player in the transfer portal. After two strong seasons, she took another step forward into superstardom this year, averaging 25.2 ppg. She is capable of replacing Bueckers' production.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Abhimanyu Gupta