Diana Taurasi. Sue Bird. Maya Moore. Tina Charles. Breanna Stewart. Napheesa Collier. UConn doesn’t just produce stars, it produces legends. Fortunately, that factory isn’t shutting down anytime soon. The next chapter in that storied legacy is Paige Bueckers. She is built differently, they say. And time and time again, she proves exactly why. While she is already one of the all-time greats in Storrs, she’s picking quite the time to play some of the best basketball of her career. 

This time, it was at Spokane. With just over three minutes left in Saturday’s Sweet 16 matchup vs. Oklahoma Sooners, Paige Buckets delivered a historic moment. She torched the Sooners, dropping a career-high 40 points. Just for context, that’s nearly half of UConn’s total points. She went 16-for-27 from the field, a wild 6-for-8 from three, and led UConn to an absolute rout, 82-59, straight into the Elite Eight.

Oh, and if you think that was a one-time thing, think again. Just before this, she dropped 34 points in the Round of 32 against South Dakota State. That officially makes her the first UConn player in at least 25 years to put up back-to-back 30-point games in the NCAA Tournament.

 And while we’re at it, she just passed Maya Moore for the most 25-point games in the NCAA Tournament by a UConn player (seven). Insane. Breanna Stewart clearly thought so, too. She kept it short and sweet, posting, “40 ball!!! @paigebueckers1 #BleedBlue.”

Truly, Bueckers isn’t just putting up numbers, she’s cementing her place in UConn history. But don’t get it twisted. This wasn’t some easy, let-her-do-what-she-wants performance. Oklahoma tried. They threw Reyna Scott, Sahara Williams, and Zya Vann at her, tried different defensive schemes, but none of it worked.

The All-American and projected No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft stayed unstoppable. Midrange pull-ups, high-ball screens, deep-range bombs, she had every answer. To top it off, she grabbed six boards, hustled for loose balls, and even swatted two shots on defense. She made the impossible look routine.

And now, next stop is Elite Eight. The Huskies have been to 15 of the last 16 Final Fours, and they’ve made the Elite Eight every single year since 2006—except in 2023, when Bueckers was sidelined with a knee injury. One more win, and they’re off to Tampa, chasing UConn’s 12th national title. The Hopkins native is declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft and has made it known this year’s goal is nothing short of a national title.

When she locks in and asserts herself like this … good luck to anyone trying to stop her. And she is doing exactly that lately. But while she’s locked in on that trophy, there’s another team already celebrating.

Paige Bueckers declares for draft, Wings’ finest trio in the making? 

Paige Bueckers made it official, and her soon-to-be Dallas Wings teammate DiJonai Carrington is absolutely loving it. ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo confirmed Bueckers has declared for the 2025 WNBA Draft, shutting down all the “will-she-won’t-she” speculation. Despite Huskies star admitting this will be her last year at UConn, there were rumours regarding her not turning pro.

Carrington’s reaction was pure Texas energy. She hopped on X and fired off a giddy, “yeeeeee hawwwww,” emojis and all. And honestly, who can blame her? With Dallas holding the No. 1 pick, this pairing is looking spicy. Bueckers has been a slam-dunk lock for that top spot. Meanwhile, Carrington, fresh off a Most Improved Player award with 12.7 points per game and All-Defensive honors in 2024, landed in Dallas via trade from the Sun. 

And she’s clearly thrilled about what’s coming next. 

“She’s a hooper through and through,” she said about Arike Ogunbowale at a recent presser. Now, she gets to add Bueckers to that mix. Wings executive Greg Bibb saw this coming. When journalist Howard Megdal speculated that Bueckers might pull an “Eli Manning” and refuse to play in Dallas, Bibb shut it down real quick. 

“We have not heard anything directly that any person eligible for this draft would not want to play in Dallas,” he said. “In fact, Arike (Ogunbowale) hears from most of the top possible draft picks in this class, and they’re all really, really excited about possibly pairing with Arike,” Miller added.

And Ogunbowale has been having fun with it too, cracking jokes online about Bueckers joining the squad. So, with the draft hitting April 14, this trio of Bueckers, Ogunbowale, and Carrington has Wings fans dreaming big and loud. Let’s see if it becomes a reality!