On Sunday, Paige Bueckers and UConn dominated South Carolina to win the national championship. With the win, Bueckers put the bow on a decorated college career by finally earning the title that had eluded her for four years.
After leading the Huskies to the Final Four as a freshman and the national championship game as a sophomore, Bueckers suffered an ACL injury that forced her to miss the entire 2022-2023 season. After a year out, she returned to the court in 2023-2024 and took UConn to two more Final Fours before finally winning it all this year.
While USC fans were obviously disappointed not to see the Trojans make the Final Four, most of them were likely happy for Bueckers and the Huskies. In addition, the UConn star's path serves as a potential blueprint for USC star Juju Watkins, who suffered a similar ACL injury in this year's NCAA Tournament.
Obviously, there is no guarantee that Watkins will lead the Trojans to a national championship upon her return to the court. Bueckers' path shows it can be done, and that it is possible to come back better than ever after an ACL injury.
Watkins' status for next season remains very much up in the air. However, USC fans are already looking forward to the day that she is clear to return and suits up in Cardinal and Gold once again.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Paige Bueckers' championship at UConn gives Juju Watkins hope
