UNCASVILLE, CT - MARCH 09: UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives to the basketduring the ... [+]
Paige Bueckers put on a show on Sunday. In a Big East semi-final match up with Marquette, Bueckers subbed out with 3:06 left in the fourth quarter having lit up the Mohegan Sun Arena with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Ice Brady added 10 points.
The Connecticut Huskies (28-5) thrashed the Marquette Golden Eagles (23-8) 58-29, and will face Georgetown. Marquette did not score a point in the fourth quarter, as the Huskies secured their fourth consecutive win in the postseason tournament over their Big East counterpart.
What a game.
In a season filled with an unnerving number of injuries, UConn still finds itself in a position to win the tournament and receive the automatic bid to the NCAA tourney. As recently as Saturday, the Huskies lost superstar Aaliyah Edwards with a facial injury, going deeper into a bench that has seen more than its fair share of action. Edwards was also named one of five finalists for the 2024 Katrina McClain Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced earlier this week. She is not expected to play Monday night.
UConn has lost 5 players to injury this season, and as of Sunday, only had seven players on the bench.
“It's crazy. I’m just so proud of this team. We’ve been dealt so many blows. Everybody stepped up”, said Bueckers after the game. “I had confidence in myself”.
Bueckers announced in February that she was going to return to play one more season in Storrs. It amplified Gampel Pavilion when she took the mic and announced her plans on senior recognition night.The news lifted her teammates and fans to produce a dominant performance throughout the conference tournament.
In the 2000s, the road to NCAA tournament success was typically a smooth one for the perennially strong Huskies. They have not been as dominant in the NCAA tournament in the last three years.
Since joining the Big East in 2021 they have been:
- 2023 BIG EAST Tournament Champions and advanced to the Sweet 16
- 2022 BIG EAST Tournament Champions and NCAA Tournament Runner-Up
- 2021 BIG EAST Tournament Champions and advanced to the NCAA Final Four
UConn’s success in the conference tournament championship game, however, stretches back to 2005 when they last fell to Boston College in the 2004 semifinals.
Connecticut (28-5) will face sixth seeded Georgetown (22-10), who upset second seeded Creighton University (25-5) 55-46 in the other semi-final. Creighton came into the game the number one ranked free throw shooting team in the country.
UNCASVILLE, CT - MARCH 09: Georgetown Hoyas guard Kelsey Ransom (1) defended by St. John's Red Storm ... [+]
The game was physical with Georgetown’s Brianna Scott leaving the game in the last minute with a leg injury. The win completes a remarkable turnaround for the Hoyas, as they were picked to finish 10th in the Big East and lost their head coach Tasha Butts to cancer earlier in the season.
Senior Kelsey Ransom was unstoppable at times, with 14 points and 6 assists in the win. It's the first time in seven years that the Big East final does not feature a number 1 vs number 2 match up. Ransom said in the post game interview, “We love you Coach Tasha. We wish you were here to see this.”
