Sarah Strong was sensational. Azzi Fudd was the Most Outstanding Player.
But in so many ways, UConn's NCAA championship win over South Carolina on Sunday was about Paige Bueckers.
Win or lose, Bueckers was playing the final game of a storied and sometimes tumultuous UConn career. The former prep sensation burst on to the NCAA scene as a freshman in 2021 when she earned multiple player of the year awards.
Since then, a pair of devastating knee injuries stunted her progress and threatened her career. A tibia fracture and meniscus tear sidelined her for most of the 2021-22 season. Then, an ACL tear cost her the entire 2022-23 campaign.
Since then, Bueckers has returned healthy and strong to earn first-team All-America honors in consecutive seasons in a college career that's expected to culminate with her selection as the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
Bueckers, Auriemma have their moment
As of Saturday, there was only one significant thing missing from Bueckers' NCAA résumé — a national championship. On Sunday, that box got ticked. And when the win was secured, Bueckers shared an emotional moment on the UConn sideline with head coach Geno Auriemma.
With 1:32 remaining and UConn leading, 82-53, Auriemma pulled Bueckers from the game for a curtain call. Bueckers and Auriemma then shared a long, tearful embrace by the bench before Bueckers exchanged hugs with other members of the UConn staff and her teammates.
This moment between Geno and Paige 🥺 pic.twitter.com/qiDFeObdPW
— ESPN (@espn) April 6, 2025
What did Geno say?
After the game, Bueckers spoke with ESPN's Holly Rowe about that moment.
"It's been a long time since I've been that emotional when a player's walked off the court," Auriemma said.
Rowe then asked Auriemma what he said to Bueckers.
"'I love you,'" he told Rowe that he said to Bueckers. "That's all I could say. 'I love you.'"
