Women's Fastbreak On SI

Paige Bueckers' 4-Word Stance on UConn Star Sarah Strong Says Everything

Paige Bueckers is just like the rest of women's basketball when it comes to UConn Huskies star Sarah Strong.
Grant Young|
Oct 6, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers looks on during the second quarter between the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickie's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers looks on during the second quarter between the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickie's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

While Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd were undoubtedly the biggest names and invaluable pieces of the UConn Huskies women's basketball team winning the 2025 national championship, there's a case to be made that Sarah Strong (who was a freshman that season) was the most important aspect of UConn's on-court success.

This is because having an impact post player is vital in women's basketball, both in college and at the professional level. Look at every NCAA championship winner this decade, and they've all had dominant presences in the paint. And Strong was exactly that during the Huskies' 2024-25 season, which had people wondering whether she was not just UConn's MVP, but the best player in the country.

Fast forward to Strong's sophomore campaign, and she's already making a strong case to win the Naismith National Player of the Year Award. The No. 1-ranked Huskies just improved to 4-0 with their dominant 100-68 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 16, and Strong tied her college career-high in scoring with 29 points on an efficient 12 of 17 shooting from the field to go along with 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks, and 0 turnovers.

UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21) returns the ball on November 16, 2025
Nov 16, 2025; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21) returns the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half at Peoples Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers Conveys Sarah Strong Verdict With Four Words

While Bueckers is no longer playing for legendary UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, she's surely still tuned in to all of her alma mater's games. And she was awestruck by the performance that Strong put together on Sunday, which was shown by an X post she made.

"Sarah Strong… no words," Bueckers wrote shortly after halftime of the UConn vs. Ohio State, which already has over 133,000 views in an hour.

For reference, Strong entered the locker room already having tallied 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block.

Bueckers isn't very active on X. In fact, this four-word praise of her former teammate was her first X post since November 5 and just her third post on the platform since September.

And one fan (X user @sportsfan6718) hilariously took note of this by posting a photo of Bueckers hugging Strong and then gawking at her with the caption, "Sarah’s so good she’s got Paige coming back to Twitter to glaze 😭 my duo 🥹".

It will be fascinating to see how far Strong (and Azzi Fudd) can take UConn without Bueckers this season. So far, it seems that another run to the national championship game is in the team's future.

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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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