UConn vs. South Carolina. Geno Auriemma vs. Dawn Staley. Sarah Strong vs. Joyce Edwards. This top-10 Sunday showdown has all the makings of a classic. Both teams are coming in hot after bouncing back from tough losses. But before this heavyweight clash tips off, Staley had nothing but love for UConn star Paige Bueckers. And that’s a little ironic, considering her own coach hasn’t exactly been singing her praises lately.

“She is just super savvy, just can score the basketball, super unselfish. Like she can do it all,” the Gamecocks raved. “And Paige defends, Paige just gives it up, like for winning, for the sake of winning.” That’s some serious admiration coming from one of the best coaches in the game. 

Also, she revealed how SC actually tried to recruit Paige back in the day. The HC said she was calling her weekly, even had a trip planned to go see her in Minneapolis. But before she could hop on that flight, Bueckers shut it down, telling Staley there was no need—she had already made her choice.

Now, most young players would still let the coach come through. You never know, things could change. But not Paige. Staley actually respected that a lot, saying it showed character and maturity. And even though she never landed her, she and the Huskies guard have always had a good relationship whenever they’ve crossed paths. 

And obviously, Staley had to throw in a little joke. “I did tell her that if she came to South Carolina, I’m almost certain we could have put 10, 15 pounds on her with all this Southern cooking down here and the sweet tea,” she said. But clearly, that wasn’t enough to sway her.

Instead, the now fifth year senior picked UConn over nine other schools, including South Carolina, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Texas. Why? Simple. UConn was her dream school. With 11 national championships under Geno, it was hard to resist. 

And while Staley thinks Paige is “probably the elitist basketball player to ever grace our game,” the respect goes both ways. Paige has nothing but admiration for South Carolina, saying they’re “a great team, a great program, very well-coached.”

But you know, this whole conversation about Staley almost landing Bueckers comes at a funny time, especially with how Auriemma has been talking about his star lately. After UConn’s loss to Tennessee, Geno didn’t hold back.  “We have some guys on our team that are supposed to be our best players, and they have to play better,” the HC said. He even said Paige wanted the ball in her hands but then didn’t want it when she got trapped. 

That’s a big contrast to how Staley sees her. Makes you wonder how different things would be if Bueckers had chosen the Gamecocks instead. But “Paige Buckets” isn’t the only one who left South Carolina hanging.

Along with Paige Bueckers, another Huskies star ditched SC for UConn

Freshman phenom Sarah Strong also chose UConn over the Gamecocks, and Staley isn’t over it just yet. Speaking to the media on Friday, she straight-up questioned how they didn’t land Strong, especially considering her ties to the player’s family. Strong’s mom, Allison Feaster, was Staley’s teammate for five seasons in the WNBA. 

“As far as Allison, I don’t know how we don’t get Sarah Strong, right?” the coach joked. She even admitted she hasn’t talked to Feaster since (okay, she was kidding, but still). However, she acknowledged that UConn did a great job recruiting Strong and that she felt comfortable there. But you can tell this one stung. 

And while she may have missed out on Strong, Staley is all in on her own star freshman—Joyce Edwards. In fact, she’s already making sure the world knows that the National Freshman of the Year race isn’t a one-woman show. “It’s not a one-woman race for National Freshman of the Year. So I’ve got to put a narrative out there that Joyce is doing some incredible things,” she said. 

Without mentioning Strong by name, Staley attacked the Huskies freshman. “We have a tendency to just focus on one [player], right? What [Joyce] has been able to do, with the type of schedule that we had, it’s not easy,” she asserted. 

With all this buildup, plus Paige Bueckers looking to silence any doubts about her game, this game is shaping up to be a must-watch battle. So, let’s see who walks away with the bragging rights when the final buzzer sounds!