It wasn’t just another game on December 21st last year. USC was on a revenge mission following their Elite Eight squander last season. The arena was filled to the brink, the NFL game forgotten, all that mattered was the college basketball’s two brightest stars battling it out in Storrs. “Matchups like these are why we play basketball,” declared Paige Bueckers back then. And it is matchups like these why fans tune in. But when a possibility of the scene playing out on a much larger stage was placed before the UConn standout, what prevailed?

With the bracket reveal this season, came a stinging realization. USC may have gotten their deserved no.1 seed but not high enough to cancel out their chances to play UConn in yet another Elite Eight. Once again, only one of them could proceed to the Final Four. Either because of that or the straight fact that the Trojans’ impressive season called for a better overall seed, head coach Lindsey Gottlieb wasn’t happy with the results. “For me, I never thought I’d be a one-seed and feel disrespected, but I feel the committee, I just thought there would be very little chance we would be the number four overall number one,” she said.

They did finish on a 28-3 record and with 2 massive victories against top-ranked UCLA, after all. It has been a thing of debate. So when UConn’s Big Three — Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, and Sarah Strong — appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Elle Duncan couldn’t help but pose the question for them. “Some people are speculating that’s because [Gottlieb’s reaction] she sees you standing in her way again… what do you make of that?”

For Bueckers, that is still a thing of the future. They have got to beat programs like Kentucky [USC] and Oklahoma [UConn] if it gets to that. So the focus is on the present for the 2021 NPOY. Steering away from getting into the details of the situation, Bueckers admitted they aren’t used to getting on social media right now and aren’t aware of all the things that happen. So all she could speak of was UConn’s preparation currently. 

“We’re just focused on what’s ahead of us,” Bueckers said. “Right now, that’s a game on Saturday against Arkansas State, so not looking too far into the future and just focusing on the present.”

USC will be facing UNC Greenboro first and then the winner of California and Mississippi State. For UConn, that’ll be Arkansas State and the winner between Oklahoma State and Dakota— none of whom they have faced before this season. So you know the highly anticipated matchup this could majorly boil down to. And the fan interest has been immense.

There were 15,684 in attendance. 2.2 million more averaged during prime time and peaked at 3.8 on Fox. That was the second-most watched women’s game on the network following Caitlin Clark’s where she set the NCAA scoring record. The December game was one to remember. Juju Watkins would even soar for 25 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks while Bueckers managed a 21-point performance. Where we watching the torch being passed down?

The Trojan sophomore is averaging 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, all ready to become the next face with her newly minted record — most points scored in the first two seasons of a college career in women’s basketball. Her 1,684 points during Big Ten title game surpassed Clark’s 1,662. Bueckers, on the other hand, the first freshman to win NPOY, will be finishing her collegiate run on 20.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. 

The two starts on the biggest stage against one another could have been one for the history books and quite a few agree.

Paige Bueckers, Juju Watkins weigh in on UConn – USC

The UConn – USC matchup was a success for obvious reasons and Paige knows that. There were basketball’s two next big stars, there was a storyline, and neither gave up until the buzzer sounded. Though the Trojans hardly-ever let go of their lead, yet UConn persisted to close the match 70-72. The response from the audience was a clear sign. “It’s very important for the game to continue to grow and have these types of matchups,” Bueckers had said, asking for authorities to not hesitate and set up more matchups like those.

While the UConn guard did not share the same sentiment today, Watkins did. Final Four or not, she is excited even if it were to come down to Elite Eight. “We love competition. We got to match earlier in the season, so it will be an even better matchup this time,” she says. That’s the thing, there’s fierceness, a will to prove, and with two two players like that on the floor [as Geno Auriemma puts it], the whole country is familiar with, it’s unmissable.

NCAA robbed fans of a Final Four showdown, but an Elite Eight matchup between these two stars would still be must-see TV. For Bueckers, it’s a shot at redemption. For Watkins, it’s about proving USC belongs among the elite. Either way, the women’s game wins.