UConn is the national champion! And Paige Bueckers finally has her crown. With 1:32 left on the clock in the title game vs Dawn Staley’s South Carolina, Bueckers checked out with tears in her eyes. She gave Coach Geno Auriemma a long thank you hug, knowing that she won’t be suiting up in UConn’s white and blue ever again. But proud that she is stepping off the court with the crowd on their feet and a national title in her hands.

With this, Auriemma bagged his 12th title, the most by any coach in NCAA history—men’s or women’s. It was undoubtedly THE historic win. But fans kind of saw this one coming. This whole postseason it looked like the team wasn’t about to let their favourite senior walk away without the title. They warned everyone—don’t get in our way. First, they steamrolled UCLA 85-51 in the Final Four. Then came the defending champs, expected to go neck-and-neck with the Huskies.

But UConn said no and pulled a jaw-dropping 23-point blowout. But, you know what? Coach Staley saw it coming. She said the one thing she thought of as a ‘disadvantage’ was the Paige Bueckers narrative. You remember last year, right? Iowa and Caitlin Clark faced South Carolina in the final game. Although Staley’s crew came undefeated and didn’t let CC clinch that title, something stayed with her. And that same buzzy energy followed this year.

The Gamecocks coach straight-up said, “Sometimes we create these narratives about great players… Caitlin was one of them. Paige is one of them right now.” She added,  “Everything was about Caitlin Clark and her legacy and her ability to win a national championship. Yet we were coming into this thing undefeated, doing something that’s unprecedented at the time , because it’s hard. It’s hard. We find ourselves back here in a similar situation.” 

She warned that hyping up stars puts her team at a “disadvantage.” But also she called Paige a “great freakin’ player,” said she’d be a WNBA No. 1 pick, an Olympian, and someone anyone would start a franchise with. But for her squad that disadvantage thing indeed came true this time. 

Paige Bueckets led UConn to stomp South Carolina 82-59. Staley tried to shift the spotlight. Paige grabbed it anyway and finally Huskies cut down the nets this time. You could see it written all over Auriemma’s face—relief, joy, and that deep, proud glow only a natty win can bring. And maybe… a little flashback too. Because just two years ago, this exact matchup ended in heartbreak. Back in 2022, Gamecocks handed UConn its first-ever loss in a national championship game. It stung. 

Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Breanna Stewart even showed up at the team hotel afterward to console the squad—especially Paige Bueckers, then just a sophomore. “[The titles] never come without some really trying times,” Bird told her.  Now, fast forward to 2025, and the Huskies made sure to flip the script. This time, they didn’t just win, they dominated. Paige Buckets  finally got her long-awaited title, dropping 17 points in her final game. 

But the night also belonged to Azzi Fudd and freshman Sarah Strong, who combined for 48 points on 19-of-32 shooting. They came out firing, and never looked back. South Carolina just couldn’t keep up. Joyce Edwards led them in scoring but shot just 33.3% from the field, and MiLaysia Fulwiley was limited to six points off the bench. After a hot start from both sides, UConn took control and never let go. They led by five after the first quarter, ten at the half, and twenty by the end of the third. 

Total takeover. Revenge in the sweetest form.

As for MOP guesses? You know it already.

Azzi Fudd named MOP in win over Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks

The big 3 showed up big again. And if there was any doubt left about Azzi Fudd’s big-game gene—she just shut it all down. The UConn star walked away with the Most Outstanding Player honors after a lights-out performance in the natty. She dropped 24 points, grabbed five rebounds, and snagged three steals in a game that UConn basically controlled from the tip. The Gamecocks tried to make it a contest early, but Azzi came out firing. 

She had 13 points by halftime, pushing the Huskies to a 36-26 lead. Then came the dagger. A third-quarter corner three from Fudd that ballooned the lead to 53-39 and completely deflated South Carolina’s last run. After that, it was UConn’s coronation parade.

But picking the MOP this year was no easy call. Sarah Strong looked like a seasoned pro out there—24 points, 15 boards, five dimes, three blocks, and two steals. What freshman does that on the biggest stage?! And obviously, the projected no. 1 pick in the WNBA draft pick went out with 17 points, six rebounds, with all the heart you’d expect. 

Still, the voters gave it to Fudd and rightfully so. She set the tone, made the big plays early, and followed up Friday’s UCLA demolition (where she had 19 in the first half alone) with another statement game. 

It’s worth noting that now she is the Final Four’s MOP three seasons. She clearly wanted this bad. Looks like the 2022 heartbreak, where she only scored 3 points, stung bad.  And she’s not done yet. Azzi’s already announced she’s coming back next year. That means she’s returning with a natty ring, a MOP trophy, and every reason to believe that the next year is going to be a true takeover.