How Paige Bueckers’ growing on-ball role is elevating UConn women’s basketball as postseason nears

The UConn womens basketball team was trailing Creighton 6-0 in the first quarter before superstar Paige Bueckers ever touched the ball in Thursdays battle for the Big East regular-season title.But once she did, the Huskies deficit didnt last long.Bueckers couldnt get her shot to fall in the first half, starting 1-for-6 from the field, but the redshirt senior found her rhythm as she established herself on-ball alongside point guards Kaitlyn Chen and KK Arnold.

She dished her first assist in the final minute of the first quarter to Arnold for a 3-pointer that gave the Huskies their first lead of the game, and she finished with a team-high seven assists plus seven rebounds.

Six of Bueckerss assists came in the second and third quarters, where UConn was at its most effective offensively scoring a combined 52 of its points in the 72-53 victory.I think it kind of happened organically in games and in practice, like I would start to get the outlet more, and Kaitlyn and KK are very accommodating, Bueckers said.

It doesnt matter (which) one of the three of us are going to be able to bring the ball up, make plays, distribute.

I think lately its been more of me doing that ...

but we always have conversations of how I can play-make more, how I can get the ball in my hands more and be more aggressive in that way.Bueckers is averaging 4.8 assists on the season, but she has logged 6.8 per game in eight matchups since the beginning of February.

The increase has directly coincided with a rise in Bueckerss on-ball touches, invoking memories of the more traditional point guard role that she played during her national player of the year season in 2020-21.

Auriemma spent the early part of this year constantly pushing Bueckers to take a more aggressive approach and hunt her own shot rather than looking to facilitate first, but he said the coaching staff is making a concerted effort to put the ball in her hands more often as the rest of the roster begins to click offensively.UConn womens basketball clinches Big East regular-season championship in 72-53 victory over CreightonActually, she kind of forced us to do it because she refused to run up the floor when she didnt get the outlet pass, Auriemma joked.

If we didnt put the ball in her hands, she wasnt going to run up there anyway, so were like, whats the point? She wants the ball in her hands and shes pouting over there, so lets give her the ball and let her do what she wants with it.

Because she has it in her hands a lot more now, she has the ability to kind of dictate where the ball is going to go ...

Paige is playing the way she wants to play, and its actually better for us to play that way, so thats what those numbers reflect.Ashlynn Shade, Aubrey Griffin and Paige Bueckers are experienced at winning regular season titles, but the achievement is not something UConn takes for granted, even after clinching its 31st conference crown with a win over Creighton Thursday night.

(AP Photo/Jessica Hill)Auriemma and Bueckers have cultivated what both describe as a love-hate relationship over the redshirt seniors five years in Storrs, built on a mutual understanding that the push and pull between them is all in service of an ultimate goal: Bringing a national championship back to UConn for the first time in nearly a decade.

As often as the 70-year-old coach throws sarcastic jabs at his superstar, its apparent that he also listens when the 23-year-old Bueckers challenges him.I love it when I hate her, and she loves when she hates me, because then that means were both on the right track, Auriemma said.

Our relationship on the court is, Im constantly bitching about something that I want her to do and shes wanting to do things that she wants to do, and so were always going back and forth.

It works because she wants to stretch the boundaries as far as she possibly can, and I want to make sure that shes growing as a player, and shes learning and shes preparing for whats coming next ...

Shes not a little kid anymore, so I can coach her like an adult, which she is.UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) accepts a basketball from UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma commemorating her 2,000 career points scored in their game against Seton Hall on Jan.

19, before an NCAA college basketball game against Villanova at Gampel Pavilion, Wednesday, Jan.

22, 2025, in Storrs, Conn.

Photo by Cloe Poisson/Special to the CourantAs Bueckers finds a more natural balance between her on- and off-ball options, she is also helping to unlock the rest of UConns shooters.

Chen, who had five 10-plus point performances over her first 26 appearances, has scored in double digits for four consecutive games averaging 60% from the field, and sophomore Ashlynn Shade is finding similar consistency averaging 10.8 points shooting 53% on 3-pointers over the same period.

The Huskies have had at least four players score in double figures in six of their eight games in February, including their statement win at No.

6 South Carolina on Feb.

16.(Paige) could go out there and try to get 25 shots every night if she wanted to be that way, but she doesnt, Auriemma said last week.

I just want to make sure that she takes advantage of all the opportunities that she has.

But every time she does force the action, every time she is coming down the floor, shes one of the few players out there that you see (with) her head always up, and she sees everything thats going on.

The more aggressive she is, I think the better our team is and that doesnt always represent how many points you scored or how many shots you took.Dom Amore: For UConn women, another trophy for the collection, a first milepost on the longer journey.

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