“The bottom line is we have some players on our team that are supposed to be our best players…Paige wants the ball in her hands all the time. When they trap her, she doesn’t want the ball in her hands.” Coach Geno Auriemma, a week ago, questioned her star’s players’ abilities. UConn women’s basketball’s final test of the regular season may just be its hardest yet. But it’s not just the victory or performance on the line for Paige Bueckers, but something even bigger.

“I don’t know, Lauren Betts seems to me like she’s dominating every game that she plays in, except maybe last night.” Gary Striewski stated on ESPN’s YouTube Channel. Elle Duncan, the host of the show, agreed about UCLA’s star being the favorite to win POY. She even called the Bruins star a “dominant” and “fantastic” player. Duncan also shared how Paige Bueckers was not in the top two for a long time, but she still can win.

“You know, for a while, it looked like it was a two-man race between her and Hannah Hidalgo. But now for these newest results, Juju Watkins is now right behind Lauren Betts as second favorite, then Hannah and then Paige Bueckers rounding out the top four.” So, the upcoming game against the #4 South Carolina is important for the UConn star.

“But again, like there’s so many big moments and games coming, like if Paige Bueckers goes off on Sunday and those odds come back out again like she’s going to go back up.” But as Duncan said, it’s a big game next for the Huskies star. It won’t be easy, as the Gamecocks have dominated the rivalry since 2021. They already have four straight wins in the last three years. So, the senior guard will have to produce better stats than what she has been doing so far.

Is Paige Bueckers really behind the other 3 in the POY race?

The point guard has been a consensus #1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft. So, since the limelight is the brightest on her, the performance hasn’t matched those levels yet. In the last five games, she has touched 20 points just once. That’s why her average this season has been 18.7 points with 53.6% FG. On the other hand, Lauren Betts shoots 63% from the field and 26.4 points per 40 minutes.

She even broke Brittney Griner’s record for most assists in a game by a player 6-foot-7 or taller, with 11 dimes. Even Hannah Hidalgo has been averaging 26 points per game and leads the nation in both scoring and steals. Another impressive stat is that Notre Dame star ranks in three of the top five statistical factors. In terms of usage, JuJu Watkins’ name stands tall, with her averaging 28.6 points per 40 minutes.

But let’s not discount Paige Bueckers after all; she reached 2,000 career points just last month. So, there is no doubt of her abilities, as she is positioned #1 WNBA pick for a reason. As Duncan expressed, a win and a great performance against the Gamecocks might increase her stocks for POY as well.