An incredible weekend of college basketball is almost upon us as both the men's and women's Final Fours will be taking place. The UConn women's basketball team is one of four teams left standing in Tampa, Florida, and Paige Bueckers is hoping to capture her first national championship. The Huskies are just two wins away from taking home the ultimate prize, and one-seed UCLA is up next as the two teams will square off on Friday night.
The UConn women's basketball program is the most legendary in women's college hoops. The Huskies have captured 11 national championships, but they haven't won one since 2016. Paige Bueckers understands that winning it all is the expectation.
“I think before you even get here, you kind of know the pressures that exist by committing to UConn,” Beuckers said, according to a video from UConn on SNY. “So by making that decision to want to come here and try to live up to that and be a part of the legendary program, is a decision you have to make before you even step on campus, and then once you walk inside the practice facility, you see all the history, all the names, all the banners. It's just motivation. And obviously, there's expectations here, and anything less than a national championship is really a disappointment.”




Bueckers and the rest of the UConn team understand what it means to play for such a historic program, and the pressure of it all is something that they welcome.
“As players, that's what you play for and what you want to live up to, and the expectations and the pressure, it's a privilege, and so we all look at it as such,” the three-time All-American added. “We're just extremely grateful to play here under the best coaching staff in the world and in the best program in the world, and we just wear the jersey with pride and try to live up to everything that the alums have done and that the coaching staff has done.”
Paige Bueckers and the UConn women's basketball team will look to punch their ticket to the national title game on Friday night against UCLA. Texas and South Carolina will play first, and the Huskies and Bruins should get underway at around 9:30 ET. Both games will be played at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, and both games will be airing on ESPN. UConn is currently favored by 7.5 points over UCLA.