In 2016, Paige Bueckers was still a few years away from becoming a national basketball phenom. That year, as a freshman high school talent, she watched Breanna Stewart hoisting her fourth NCAA trophy with UConn and dreamed of emulating her. When Bueckers donned the Husky blue and white for the first time, carrying on that legacy was on her mind. But in 2022, she became part of UConn’s first loss in a national title game after 11 previous wins. Over the years, she battled injuries, expectations, and the weight of UConn’s storied legacy in her quest for that elusive title. While personal accolades piled up, the championship always eluded her until now.

On Sunday, in her final college basketball season, Bueckers ended both her own wait and UConn’s title drought, and in the process, etched her name into the very legacy she once idolized. She had reached the Final Fours three times before the final his year but couldn’t reach the summit. But a dominant March Madness run that saw UConn take down USC, UCLA, and finally crush South Carolina 82–59, saw Bueckers get her storybook ending and end a near-decade-long wait for national success for the Huskies. The question now is whether this win could mark the start of another UConn dynasty, and more importantly, how UConn will fare with Bueckers headed to the WNBA.

As she stood on the podium at Amalie Arena, reveling in the glory of a long-awaited first championship, Bueckers brushed aside concerns over UConn’s future. “This team is in great hands. I’m not worried about them at all. Obviously, the coaching staff speaks for itself, and these players, we got the blueprint now, we know how to do it, we know what it takes to get back here. They got a whole lot of heart, a whole lot of passion, a whole lot of faith. I’ve got nothing but trust in them,” she said. While Bueckers has faith that the Huskies will be fine without her, she will be tough to replace. 

Of course, it is no easy task to fill the absence of a three-time unanimous First Team All-American. Bueckers averaged 20 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists this season, and her departure will clearly be a loss for the program. A formidable voice in the locker room, her leadership will also be missed. But the Huskies have the foundation to carry on from here and reestablish their national dominance that once saw them win four titles in a row from 2013 to 2016.

In Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, they have two players who will make them a strong favorite to become the first program to win back-to-back titles since 2016. Fudd was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and freshman Strong became the first player ever with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a national championship game. However, there have been doubts over the future of head coach Geno Auriemma at the program, which may dampen the enthusiasm.

With the clock winding down in the championship game and UConn way ahead, Auriemma called for a sub. It was time. He pulled Paige Bueckers from the game, letting her soak in the love from the crowd. She walked off the court to a roar, and Geno was right there waiting for her. The two shared a long, emotional hug: a coach and a player who’ve been through it all. It felt like a goodbye. But then again, maybe not.

Because in that moment, watching Paige walk off, seeing the journey they had taken together, something shifted for Geno too. When asked about whether this was his last dance, he didn’t hesitate.

“You just never know if you’re going to be back in this situation again, and there was so many times when I think we all questioned, have we been here too long? Has it been time? And yet we kept hanging in there, and it’s because of these players, they make me want to hang in there every day,” Auriemma said, holding back tears. “This is – they’ve all been gratifying, don’t get me wrong – but this one here, because of the way it came about and what’s been involved, it’s been a long time since I’ve been that emotional when a player has walked off the court.” The 71-year-old Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer also spoke about his future on April 7 on TODAY.

“Who knows when that morning I wake up and I just say, ‘Listen, I can’t do it anymore.’ But I don’t see that being tomorrow morning, let’s put it that way,” Auriemma said. Well, after winning a record 12th title, it appears Auriemma isn’t done yet. 

As for Bueckers, while she was far from her dominant best in the final, she still put in a solid performance with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.

From dream to reality: Paige Bueckers gets her crown

From the moment she committed to UConn in 2019, Paige knew she was stepping into something bigger than herself. “As a kid, UConn was my dream school,” she said. “Seeing them win all those national titles and then visiting campus and seeing them up close, it was everything I’ve dreamed of and more.” She didn’t come to blend in. She came in on fire.

As a freshman, she won the Naismith Player of the Year and carried UConn to the Final Four. The next year, she helped the Huskies reach the national championship game, but South Carolina crushed their hopes. Then came the injury. A torn ACL before the 2022–23 season kept her sidelined for a full year. It was the kind of setback that can wreck careers. Not Paige. She came back swinging, averaging 21.9 points and leading UConn back to the Final Four. But the trophy kept slipping away.

But on Sunday, she was able to help UConn get back on top with a dominant 82-59 victory. She also shared that mountaintop moment with her best friend and longtime teammate, Azzi Fudd. The two arrived at UConn together in 2021, bonded by talent, expectation, and resilience. Through injuries, pressure, and heartbreak, they stayed side by side. Sunday night, they stood at the top together.

And now the next chapter begins. There was talk she might stay. Whispers about the WNBA Draft and whether she’d pull an Eli Manning-style move to avoid going to Dallas, the team holding the No. 1 pick. Others thought she might wait a year for the new CBA and a bigger payday. But Paige never said she was returning. She never needed to. This season—this championship—was the plan all along.

She leaves UConn as one of just 12 players in program history to score 2,000 career points. More importantly, she leaves as a national champion.