Get your popcorn ready for Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers part two
Following an exciting Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, the women's college basketball world will be treated to another big-name matchup when Clark and Bueckers face off in the Final Four between 1 seed Iowa (33-4) and 3 seed UConn (33-5) at 8:30 p.m. Friday in Cleveland.
REQUIRED READING:Leistikow: The relentless game plan Iowa used to wear down LSU in Elite 8 showdown
The two superstars faced off in the 2021 Sweet 16. Clark was emerging as a freshman for the Hawkeyes, while Bueckers had already laid claim to the best player in the country as a freshman. Clark finished with 21 points, three rebounds, five assists and five turnovers and Bueckers had 18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and two turnovers in a 92-72 UConn win.
Since then, Clark has turned into the best player in women's college basketball, breaking record after record. On the other hand, Bueckers has been very successful in her own right when she can stay on the court, having dealt with a rash of injuries during her sophom*ore season and then sitting out the 2022-23 season due to ACL surgery.
Bueckers has been dominant this postseason, averaging 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists, 3.3 steals and shooting 51.5% from the field. But compared to Clark and some of the other top players, she is still relatively flying under the radar. Here's what to know about Bueckers.
Paige Bueckers injuries
Bueckers went 720 days between NCAA Tournament games, playing 39 minutes in a 64-49 National Championship loss to South Carolina on April 3, 2022. Her next March Madness game came on March 23 of this year.
Following her breakout freshman season, Bueckers' career has been hampered with injuries. She underwent surgery on her right ankle to repair an osteochondral defect. That kept her from practicing for much of the offseason heading into her sophom*ore season. Bueckers then missed 19 games and nearly two months of the season after suffering a tibial plateau fracture. She underwent surgery on that on Dec. 13 to repair the fracture and a previously undisclosed meniscus tear. She did return for the end of the season.
Bueckers missed all of the 2022-23 season after UConn announced on Aug. 3 that she had torn her ACL in her left knee during a pick-up game on Aug. 1. Bueckers made her return to the court in UConn's season opener this year on Nov. 8, marking 584 days between games.
"You sort of feel forgotten, like your impact isn't as great because you're not doing things on the court," Bueckers said in an interview with ESPN in November. "People don't remember who you are as a player, who you are as a person, and you feel in the background."
Paige Bueckers stats
Here is a year-by-year look at Bueckers stats in her time with UConn. She missed the 2022-23 season due to ACL surgery and missed 19 games during the 2021-22 season due to leg injuries.
- 2020-21:20.0 points per game (52.4%), 4.9 rebounds per game, 5.7 assists per game, 2.3 steals per game (28 games)
- 2021-22:14.6 ppg (54.4%), 4.0 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.5 spg (17 games)
- 2022-23:did not play (ACL)
- 2023-24:22.0 ppg (53.4%), 5.2 rpg, 2.3 spg, 3.9 asp (38 games)
Paige Bueckers' height
Bueckers is listed at 6 feet tall on the UConn roster. She is listed as a guard for the Huskies, often giving her a major height advantage over smaller guards.
Paige Bueckers high school
Bueckers played five seasons of varsity basketball for Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota. She was a three-time Gatorade Minnesota Plater of the year, including the 2019-20 season, when she was also the 2020 McDonald’s, SLAM and Jordan Brand Classic All-American, 2020 Naismith Prep Player of the Year and 2020 Morgan Wootten Player of the Year.
She averaged averaged 21 points, 9.2 assists, 5.2 steals and 5.1 rebounds per game as a senior, leading Hopkins to a 30-0 record and the Class AAAA state championship game, which was canceled due to COVID-19.
Paige Bueckers recruit ranking
Bueckers was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class, per theESPNw 100 rankings.She topped an impressive class which also featured: No. 2 Angel Reese (Maryland); No. 3 Cameron Brink (Stanford); No. 4 Caitlin Clark (Iowa); No. 5 Kamilla Cardoso (Syracuse); No. 6 Diamond Johnson (Rutgers).
She signed with the Huskies over a number of diffent elite programs, including Notre Dame,Oregon State,Oregon,UCLA, Minnesota,South Carolina,Maryland,TexasandDuke. Others in UConn's impressive class included No. 23 player Aaliyah Edwards and No. 25 player Mir McLean.
Is Paige Bueckers is returning to UConn next season?
Despite being projected as a top-three pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Bueckers opted to return for her final season of eligibility with the Huskies on Feb. 16.
"I can't put into words what this program has meant to me, what you have meant to me," Bueckers said on her Senior Day addressing the crowd. "The best student section in the country, thank you guys. Obviously, these four years did not go how I planned or how I wanted to go, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I wouldn't be able to get through what I went through without everybody here.
"... I know everyone wants me to address the elephant in the room. Unfortunately, this will not be my final senior night here at UConn. I'm coming back!"
