Women’s NCAA tournament 2022 – Can UConn Huskies win it all without Paige Bueckers at 100%?

The UConn Huskies led UCF by five in the second round of the 2022 women’s NCAA tournament, with less than 90 seconds to play, just six ticks remaining on the shot clock and the ball in Paige Bueckers’ hands. The reigning national player of the year received a screen from teammate Dorka Juhász at the top of the arc and drove left, but a UCF defender blocked her path. Bueckers picked up her dribble, faked a pass to shake the defender and launched a 3-pointer.

Air ball.

On the next UConn possession, the Huskies now ahead by just three, the ball found its way to Bueckers again, near the same spot on the left wing. UCF’s zone allowed her a decent look, so she hoisted another trey.

It rimmed out.

Christyn Williams and Azzi Fudd ultimately iced No. 2 seed UConn’s 52-47 win on Monday, going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 19 seconds to ensure the Huskies would play in a 28th straight Sweet 16. The finish reflected UConn’s more balanced team this year — the Huskies didn’t need Bueckers’ heroics to bail them out as they so often did last season when she produced arguably the greatest rookie campaign in the school’s history. If anything, that emerged as the fatal flaw of last season’s team, which lost to Arizona in the Final Four semifinals.

“Paige is another example that you’re only as good as your teammates,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said at the time. “You’re only as good as the team around you. You’re going to have to have players who are that good, who rise above it. Arizona proved that for sure.”

The Huskies are more multidimensional now, out of necessity once Bueckers went…