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Paige Bueckers has accomplished a unique brand of success early in her college career.
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Even Breanna Stewart — arguably UConn’s most accomplished player — is wowed by Bueckers’ play.
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“It’s just crazy because she’s only a sophomore,” the four-time national champion told Insider.
MINNEAPOLIS — Everybody is dazzled by what Paige Bueckers has accomplished in just two years at UConn.
And that even includes the most accomplished of the Huskies’ star-studded group of alumni.
UConn superstar-turned-WNBA champion Breanna Stewart said it’s “crazy” to watch the young point guard take over games and lead Geno Auriemma’s squad to the program’s 14th consecutive Final Four as “only a sophomore.”
And if anyone knows a thing or two about exceptional play in Storrs, Connecticut, it’s Breanna Stewart.
The 6-foot-4 do-it-all player won four national championships — yes, one each year she was in college — as well as four NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player honors and three consensus National Player of the Year awards during her unprecedented reign over the college basketball universe.
But Stewart sees something a little bit different in Bueckers. Whereas the 2018 WNBA MVP makes the game look easy — effortless, even — while performing at the highest level, the up-and-coming star boasts a bit more flair.
“I see someone who’s a fearless competitor,” Stewart said. “She’s someone who is obviously clutch.”
“You could see in the last game,” she added. “First at the end of the game and then into overtime, you were like, ‘Oh, this is Paige.'”
The Paige she’s describing is the one who went 10-for-15 from the floor to carry the Huskies to victory in their double-overtime thriller against NC State in the Elite Eight. That Paige netted 23 of her game-high 27 points after halftime, with a whopping 15 coming over the two five-minute overtime periods.
But Bueckers and her UConn teammates will face an even tougher task Friday as they take on the reigning champion Stanford Cardinal, who have not lost since a December meeting with the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks. Though Stewart admitted she feels “great anxiety” ahead of the blockbuster Final Four matchup, she also said she’s “completely confident” in the Huskies’ ability to grind it out with the best teams in the country.
“They’ve been in these situations before,” Stewart said. “They know what to do, they’ve learned from these situations, and now the only thing left to do is win.”
UConn tips off against Stanford at 9:30 p.m. ET at Minneapolis’ Target Center. Fans can watch all the action unfold on ESPN.
Read the original article on Insider