Paige Bueckers Sends 5-Word Message on Pressure to Win NCAA Tournament With UConn

UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers got honest about the pressure she's feeling before the biggest basketball games of her life.

Apr 3, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) talks to media before the NCAA Woman’s Final Four at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

On April 6, the UConn Huskies women's basketball team is looking to capture its first NCAA national championship since 2016.

Of course, they have to get past the UCLA Bruins during the Final Four on April 4 before reaching that point, and there's no question that Paige Bueckers and company aren't looking ahead to their next game.

Bueckers is playing like the best player in the country right now, and is clearly more focused than ever when it comes to breaking UConn's title drought. And when speaking with the media on April 3, Bueckers got honest about any pressure she might be feeling amid this title pursuit.

"I think before you even get here, you know it know the pressures that exist by committing to UConn," Bueckers said, per an X post from SNY. "So by making that decision to want to come here and try to live up to that and be part of a legendary program, it's a decision you have to make before you even step onto campus.

"And then once you walk inside the practice facility, you see all the history, all the names, all the banners. It's just motivation. Anything less than a national championship is really a disappointment," Bueckers continued. "And as players, that's what you play for and what you want to live up to, and the expectations.

"The pressure, it's a privilege," she added. "And so we all look at it as such, and we're just extremely grateful to play here under the best coaching staff in the world in the best program in the world. And we just wear the jersey with pride, want to live up to everything that the alums have done and the coaching staff has done."

"Anything less than a national championship is really a disappointment...the pressure is a privilege"

Paige Bueckers with her thoughts on playing for UConn: pic.twitter.com/tzLMEHOfZV

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) April 3, 2025

Bueckers saying "The pressure, it's a privilege" speaks volumes about her mindset heading into the biggest basketball weekend of her career.