Kevin Durant Had Plenty of Praise for UConn After Dominant First Half vs. SC

Karl Rasmussen | Apr 6, 2025

UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers plays in the first half of the national championship game against South Carolina. / Erick W Rasco / Sports Illustrated

The UConn Huskies were absolutely dominant early during Sunday's national championship bout against South Carolina, jumping out to a big lead at halftime, 36–26.

Their strong showing in the first two quarters left basketball fans impressed, including Kevin Durant, who took to social media with some strong praise for various members of the Huskies squad.

In particular, the trio of standout performances from Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd caught Durant's eye, and he had some kind words for the three UConn stars on X.

"Azzi is just surgical..Paige is just an all around monster….Sarah strong, my goodness, how did u get so good so early??? Great bump on espn," wrote Durant.

Azzi is just surgical..Paige is just an all around monster….Sarah strong, my goodness, how did u get so good so early??? Great bump on espn

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) April 6, 2025

Fudd had 13 points in the first half before adding 11 more in the third quarter. Bueckers had eight first-half points while playing a solid all-around game, while Strong corralled 11 rebounds in the first half of play as the Huskies built a double-digit lead.

Durant, watching from home like the rest of us basketball die-hards, was clearly impressed with what he'd seen from the trio of UConn stars, who are helping the program in its pursuit of its first national championship since 2016.

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