Sue Bird, on the “A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe” podcast Wednesday, weighed in on Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies’ campaign. Bueckers and Co. remain undefeated but face a highly anticipated matchup against Louisville on Saturday. Bird said she would try to watch as the Huskies look to improve their record to 8-0.
The four-time WNBA champ had this to say when discussing about Bueckers and her team:
“You can’t talk about UConn without talking about Paige [Bueckers]. You can’t talk about Paige without talking about her efficiency right now. It’s insane. She’s shooting 62% from two, 46.0% from 3 and 83% from the free throw line… Her free throws are messing up her 50/40/90 [split].
(from 23:25 mark onwards)
Paige Bueckers' stats changed after UConn blew away Holy Cross 88-52 on Tuesday. She is averaging 20.4 points per game on 60.9% shooting, including 46.9% from deep. Bueckers has converted 80.0% of her free throw attempts this season. She also leads women’s college basketball in field goal and 3-point shooting efficiency.
Paige Bueckers has also excelled in defense
Paige Bueckers' scoring efficiency against opponents has gained national media attention. She seems to go wherever she wants to and score whenever necessary. UConn is 7-0 mainly because of her impressive showing.
Bueckers’ offense has been so dominating that her defense has often been overlooked. This season, she is averaging 2.6 steals per game, the best in her career. She has always been good at swiping at balls and suffocating passing lanes, but this year, she has been on a different level.
Against Holy Cross on Tuesday, she recorded three steals, the same number of swipes UConn’s opponents tallied as a team. The impact of Bueckers’ defensive play didn’t show on the box sheet, but she was a pest who disrupted the Crusaders’ offense by hounding shooters and keeping in step with rim attackers.
Sue Bird rightfully praised Bueckers' offense, but the UConn star has also impressed on the defensive end.