UConn HC on Paige Bueckers: 'We have the best player in America'

Many claim Iowa's Caitlin Clark is the best player in women's college basketball, but UConn head coach Geno Auriemma would disagree.

After UConn's Paige Bueckers dropped 32 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 72-64 victory over No. 6 seed Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Auriemma praised the junior guard.

"We have the best player in America," he said, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou. "The stats will tell you one thing ... But it's when they happen and how they impact the game that's so remarkable. I just think this team will go as far as she's able to carry the load."

According to Philippou, Bueckers is the first Division I player in the last 25 years to score at least 60 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in the tournament's first two games. 

Coming out of high school, Bueckers was the top recruit in the Class of 2020. As a freshman, she won Naismith Player of the Year, awarded to the best player in college basketball. However, she suffered a season-ending ACL tear on Aug. 1, 2022, causing her to drop off the national radar. 

Meanwhile, Clark's stardom skyrocketed. In four seasons at Iowa, she has won Naismith Player of the Year (2023) and become NCAA Division I's all-time leading scorer (3,880 points). 

This season, Clark has averaged a career-high 37 points per game, while Bueckers has averaged  21.8 points per game. The UConn star is more efficient, though, as she has shot 54 percent from the field on 14.6 attempts per game; Clark has shot 45.6 percent from the field on 26.2 attempts per game.