Down 12 with five minutes left in the final frame, standing opposite a budding Gamecocks dynasty, the UConn Huskies found themselves in an unfamiliar position. For the first time in program history, the Huskies were going to lose a National Championship.
At the time, Paige Bueckers was widely considered one of the top players in college basketball, and a loss in the 2022 National Championship in Minneapolis — only a 12-minute drive from her hometown of Edina, Minn. — was sure to feed a need for revenge.
Bueckers exited that loss with a chip on her shoulder, one she hasn’t yet had the chance to take off as the Huskies’ last couple years have been spoiled powers outside of her control.
Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Bueckers suffered a torn ACL forcing her to sit the year out and watch on as the Huskies got bounced in the Sweet Sixteen — their worst finish since 2005.
Then last season, after backcourt partner Azzi Fudd tore her ACL only two games into the year, the Huskies’ solid tournament run ended in the national semifinal against Caitlin Clark and Iowa in a game steeped in controversy.
It’s safe to say that Bueckers has never been as hungry as she is now after three gutting ends to her previous collegiate campaigns. Furthering that notion is the fact that this is likely her final year in college, as she’s projected to go first overall in the WNBA Draft. She could return to Storrs another year, but basketball fans will be tuning into this March Madness expecting it to be her last.
After winning the Big East and earning a solid No. 2 seed at the dance, Bueckers and the Huskies will get their feet wet as they take on the No. 15 Arkansas State Red Wolves in the first round. Looming on the horizon is a duel against the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners and a rematch with the No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes.
And if they want to reach the top, they’ll have another huge rematch against No. 1 University of Southern Carolina and JuJu Watkins.
Pushing along UConn’s case, however, is that Bueckers’ supporting cast is in top form — Big East Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong has put together a stellar campaign and backcourt-mate Fudd has bounced back in a big way from her own ACL tear.
The Huskies are hungry, and Bueckers will want nothing more than to go out on top, adding her name to UConn’s storied legacy. It’s a tough road ahead, but if the last few years serve as a lesson, Bueckers knows something or two about toughness.
Gamecocks enter with a chip on their shoulder
After earning the No. 1 overall seed for three-straight seasons and winning two of the last three national titles, South Carolina lost the top overall spot to the powerhouse UCLA Bruins. As if the dynastic Gamecocks needed any extra motivation.
They still earned a No. 1 seed, taking the top spot in the Birmingham 2 side of the bracket, but the smiles were nowhere to be found when their spot was announced on ESPN’s Selection Show.
Without a doubt, the Bruins had a great season and closed it by toppling another No. 1 seed in USC in the Big Ten tourney final, but the Gamecocks see themselves as the class of college basketball. Past just a win over No. 1 Texas in the SEC final, South Carolina has 16 Quad 1 wins this year, the most of any team, and had arguably the toughest schedule in the sport playing in the stacked SEC.
“I’m a little bit surprised,” head coach Dawn Staley told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “We manufactured our schedule, put ourselves in the position to be the No. 1 overall seed, and I do think if you do the blind test, and you put our resume against any other team in the field, I think you’ll pick us, that’s just plain and simple.”
Normally, if you’ve won two National Championships in the last three years, you’re not allowed to enter the tourney with a chip on your shoulder. But Staley’s squad may have just that, and potential opponents No. 2 Duke, No. 3 UNC and No. 5 Maryland may be the unlucky teams in the way.
“I hope we put ourselves in the position to prove the committee wrong by getting back to Tampa,” Staley said.
JuJu Watkins pushes best-player bid
When it comes to star power, the women’s bracket has been buoyed by the biggest names in basketball in recent years, as fans were treated to the game-breaking emergence of the one-and-only Caitlin Clark.
If you’re looking for an heir-apparent, look no further than JuJu Watkins over at USC, who has donned the crown with ease, following up a stellar freshman season by looking like a lock for the Wooden Award as a sophomore.
The superstar guard showed out in her first Tourney appearance, averaging 27.5 before being bounced by UConn in the Elite Eight.
She’ll now get a chance at revenge, as the Trojans and Huskies got slotted as the 1-2 seeds in the Birmingham 3 side of the bracket, setting up a battle between two of the best and brightest guards in the nation.
Watkins and the Trojans don’t have a tough half of the bracket, as a first-round matchup pits them against UNC Greensboro, while No. 4 Kentucky, who have lost three of their last four, appears to be their biggest source of competition on the road to a potential rematch against UConn.
Notre Dame continues fall
For a team that, at times, looked like the best in the country, entering March Madness as a No. 3 seed has to feel disappointing for Notre Dame.
But the Fighting Irish made their own bed with the way they ended their season.
Consecutive losses to N.C. State and Florida State at the end of the regular season, followed by a loss to Duke in the semifinals of the ACC tourney dropped one of the most well-renowned teams in the nation outside the top eight.
Contributing to those losses were notable slumps from the star-studded backcourt duo of Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles. Both guards struggled immensely with efficiency in the three losses, as Hidalgo shot 21 for 66 (31.8 per cent) while Miles shot 15 for 39 (38.4 per cent).
Canadian guard Cassandre Prosper has also struggled in her junior season, averaging only 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists over 22.6 minutes per game.
A harder path to the top now awaits the Irish, as duels against No. 6 Michigan and Big 12 champ, No. 2 TCU could be on the docket in the Spokane 4 region. But if Hidalgo and Miles can recapture their rhythm, their quarter of the bracket could be in for a rude awakening.
The future of Canadian basketball will be on full display in the women’s March Madness bracket.
Leading the charge are Duke’s Toby Fournier and Michigan’s Syla Swords, who led their respective teams to solid seeds ahead of the high-profile tourney.
Fournier has been the talk of the town in Durham, as the former Crestwood Prep product showed out in her freshman season by averaging 13.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 53.0 per cent from the field.
Her stellar production — all of which came off the bench for the Blue Devils — earned her the ACC freshman of the year award and All-ACC honours. And though her scoring tailed off in the ACC semis and championship, her impact on the program was felt, as she helped Duke to their highest seed (No. 2) since 2017.
She could square off against another Canadian in Sarah Te-Biasu should the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins get past No. 1 South Carolina and advance to the Elite Eight.
Meanwhile, in the Spokane 4 region, Sudbury, Ont., native Swords will hope to lead her Michigan Wolverines past some stiff competition in No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 2 TCU.
Fresh off representing Canada at the Paris Olympics, Swords has put together a wicked freshamn season, averaging 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists. She dropped an impressive 26 points in a loss to USC and its suffocating defence in the semifinals of the Big Ten tourney.
The Wolverines open the tournament against the winner of Iowa State and Princeton, lining up a possible matchup against Cyclones standout Audi Crooks.
Unfortunately, fellow Team Canada member Yvonne Ejim was unable to lead her Gonzaga Bulldogs to the tournament after the team fell to the Oregon State Beavers in the semifinals of the WCC tournament.
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