Paige Bueckers showcases incredible floor awareness in record-setting Final Four rout of UCLA

Superstar Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies battled the No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins in the NCAA Final Four.

Paige Bueckers showcases incredible floor awareness in record-setting Final Four rout of UCLA

Paige Bueckers helped UConn dominate UCLA in Final Four

The NCAA women’s basketball tournament is in the final stages and earlier today UConn and UCLA battled each other to reach the Championship game. Paige Bueckers has been on a tear lately, but their opponents are a well-rounded team.

The UCLA Bruins had a stellar 30-2 record in the regular season with some solid wins against other big programs. Their inside outside punch of Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice was too much for other teams to handle, and they defeated LSU soundly in the Elite Eight to advance.

On the other hand, UConn’s 31-3 record also gave the idea that they were no slouches. However, heading into March Madness, some wondered if the smaller Huskies could contain Betts’ inside play. But as soon as the Final Four game started, it was evident that the Huskies had a plan in place.

Their terrific collapsing interior defense ensured Lauren Betts could not dominate like she wanted. Their perimeter defense also kept the plethora of shooters UCLA has at bay. This method saw them take the lead in the first quarter and keep it that way.

Paige Bueckers was not shooting lights out like she was in their Elite Eight matchup. But her defense and floor awareness proved too much for the younger UCLA Bruins. In one play late in the second quarter, Azzi Fudd threw a pass up ahead to Bueckers.

The soon to be a WNBA star tapped the ball away with both hands. It fell into guard Kaitlyn Chen‘s hands, and she converted fan easy layup. This play left commentators gushing over Bueckers’ awareness as she knew Kiki Rice was closing her down. She changed the play at the last moment so that her team could score.

Paige Bueckers and UConn create Final Four history

That play set the tone for the UConn Huskies. They were so far ahead in the third quarter that they did not need another superlative performance from Paige Bueckers. Everyone on the floor was contributing to both offense as well as defense.

Towards the end of the game, Bueckers and the starters took to the bench, knowing they have surpassed last year’s run. Even when their bench played, they outscored UCLA in the fourth quarter. At the final buzzer the scoreboard read 85-51. According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, this score marks the largest win margin in Final Four history.

This record speaks to the complete team effort the UConn Huskies displayed. Their collective gameplan decimated a team that was touted as the biggest threat to their NCAA Championship hopes. The Huskies continued to prove that in the tournament, they are the hottest team in women’s college basketball.

UConn will have a task on their hands against South Carolina

UConn’s win against UCLA meant they booked their spot in the NCAA Championship game to be held on Sunday, April 6th. In the other Final Four game today, South Carolina battled against Texas and won comfortably.

This means both teams entering the NCAA Championship game have beaten No. 1 ranked teams soundly. It is a testament of their ability to take their game up a notch, especially in the postseason. Now both teams will be co-favorites to win it all on Sunday.

For Dawn Staley and her team, even reaching the championship game was a fitting reply to all those naysayers who felt the team lost its edge after Kamilla Cardoso left for the WNBA. On the other hand, this will be the perfect chance for revenge for UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

He held a 10-0 record of winning the championship game until Staley’s team beat the Huskies in the 2022 Finals. Staley won last year too, and now she is the one that holds the finals unbeaten record. Auriemma would like to give one back to Staley and help Paige Bueckers leave for college with a championship.