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Paige Bueckers Gives UConn Strong Locker Room Speech About South Carolina Rematch

UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers gave her team a passionate speech in the locker room after their Final Four victory against UCLA.
Grant Young|
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) plays against the UCLA Bruins during second quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) plays against the UCLA Bruins during second quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

With their 85-51 win over the UCLA Bruins on Friday, the UConn Huskies women's basketball team has advanced to the NCAA national championship game, where they will face the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday, April 6.

This will not be the first time UConn and South Carolina faced off this season, as the two teams played on South Carolina's home court back on February 16. And the Huskies routed the Gamecocks in that contest by a score of 87-58.

However, the Huskies are smart enough to know that Sunday's game will not be a repeat of that blowout, as South Carolina is just too solid and well-coached a team to let that embarrassing defeat happen again.

And this was the message that UConn star guard Paige Bueckers (who finished with 16 points and one viral touch pass against UCLA) delivered to her team in the locker room after Friday's win.

"Together this whole tournament, but I think we still got another level to tap into," Bueckers said to her team, per the NCAA March Madness X account. "And that's what we say before. And we don't need any extra incentive. The game earlier in the season means nothing. Like, it's zero-zero, the record is zero-zero, and we're both trying to go 1-0.

"So get some sleep tonight, get some rest, because the game is early on Sunday. So we'll need to be rested and recovered. And we have 40 minutes to give our entire souls and bodies," Bueckers continued.

That postgame speech must have Bueckers' teammates ready to run through a brick wall (metaphorically speaking) ahead of Sunday's national championship game.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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