“A great battle”: UConn star Paige Bueckers drops pre-game build-up for Elite Eight showdown against Juju Watkins’ USC

Paige Bueckers UConn Huskies defeated Duke Blue Devils 53-45. leading her team to a Sweet 16 victory. Now, the Huskies have the tough task of taking on the USC Trojans in the Elite 8 showdown. Bueckers will face USC freshman star Juju Watkins, who is having an incredible March Madness run,

During a recent interview with ESPN ahead of the Elite 8 clash, Paige Bueckers came forward to heap praise on Watkins and her abilities on the court. She further went on to build hype around the upcoming UConn vs USC game stating that while she does not believe in one-on-one matchups on the court, the game itself will be a battle to remember.

"She (Juju Watkins) is a great player. Tremendous scorer, a freshman at that. So she's an awesome player. I never believed in the one on one matchups, obviously the media's got to hype it up. But UConn vs. USC, it'll be a great game, a great battle. So great team. So we'll be preparing for that", Bueckers said.

After missing out on last season's March Madness run because of a knee injury, Paige Bueckers has been a force to be reckoned with on the court this year. During their Sweet 16 showdown against Duke, the 22-year-old UConn guard was the top scorer of the game, putting up 24 points along with 5 rebounds and one assist on the court.

Meanwhile, Juju Watkins performed incredibly against Baylor in USC's Sweet 16 game. The freshman scored 30 points along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

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Paige Bueckers opens up about lack of depth and mental toughness ahead of USC showdown

The UConn Huskies are lacking depth in their roster this year and it has been evident as rotations have also been heavily relied on starters. The problem of having an injury-depleted roster is something that Paige Bueckers recognizes. The Huskies were plagued with injuries for the past 3 seasons, resulting in multiple key players being ruled out for the 2023-2024 season. However, Bueckers still has faith in her team and understands the importance of stepping up in such situations.

"A whole lot of mental toughness, just showing that it's been like this the entire season. Really just our lack of depth and consistency in the lineup. So everybody has to step up. It can be anybody's night on any given night, and we all have confidence in each other. It's next man up and it's just a lot of resilience," Bueckers said. (via on3)

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