The Women’s Final Four will be held in Cleveland, featuring South Carolina vs. NC State and Iowa vs. UConn.
The Iowa vs. UConn game will attract attention as two of the sport’s biggest stars, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, will face off.
Clark has been a standout player this year, drawing in the largest TV audience for a women’s college game in history.
On the other hand, Bueckers has returned from injury and played a crucial role in leading UConn to the Final Four.
Bueckers hopes that women’s college basketball can have multiple stars rather than just focusing on one player, and she wants the media and players to spread the love among all the incredible players and teams.
She has previously used her platform to highlight the lack of coverage for Black players in women’s basketball.
Paige Bueckers was asked about potentially replacing Caitlin Clark as the star of women's college basketball next season.
"I honestly hope next year I'm not the focal point and the only person that gets attention. I hope as media, as players, we can spread the love a little bit… pic.twitter.com/vWGfPIf8pZ
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) April 4, 2024
Both Clark and Bueckers have expressed respect for each other’s skills and leadership.
While Clark will leave for the WNBA, Bueckers plans to return for another season, and other stars like JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo will also fill the void left by Clark.
Clark is set to join the WNBA after the season, while Bueckers has decided to stay in school for another year.
Bueckers expressed her hope that the focus would shift from her to the many other talented women’s basketball players in college.
"The coolest thing about Paige is how resilient she is. Since I've known her since she was in middle school, she's always had that fire, she's always been a great leader…I couldn't be happier for her and the year that she's had."
Caitlin Clark on Paige Bueckers: pic.twitter.com/PFnYQMEFIC
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) April 4, 2024
Both players shared insights about their respective futures, emphasizing the importance of media coverage in growing the game.
Bueckers acknowledged that she had been the center of attention during her freshman year but emphasized the need to spread the spotlight to other stars like Clark, Watkins, and Reese.
She expressed her desire for equal attention and recognition for all players.
Bueckers won the national player of the year award in her freshman year, but injuries hampered her performance in the following seasons, allowing Clark to capture attention with her outstanding play at Iowa.
Bueckers and Clark will face off in Friday’s game, attracting significant attention. Bueckers aims to contribute to coach Auriemma’s quest for his 12th title, while Clark seeks to end her college career on a high note.
Despite Bueckers’ desire for a more balanced focus, the expectations for UConn heading into the next season remain high, with talented injured players set to return.
Aaliyah Edwards will be leaving for the WNBA after this season, but Geno Auriemma is actively recruiting new players to fill this void.
UConn is amongst the final three schools being considered by No. 1 recruit Sarah Strong, alongside Duke and North Carolina.
If UConn secures Strong, it would greatly improve their frontcourt. However, if Strong chooses another school, Ice Brady is expected to step up as the starting center.
UConn also has promising recruits coming in next year, which will add depth to their team. With other competitors losing key players, UConn is poised to be a top contender for the national title.
Fans reacted as follows:
Respect her for this. She’s really been on that
— Dave Sae🧙🏽♂️ (@davesaeyes) April 4, 2024
She’s a better all around player then Caitlin so she doesn’t need to replace her.
— Ryan Glasgow, M.Ed. (@ADCoachG) April 4, 2024
Classy answer. But if Paige averages 28 and 12, and posts triple doubles, she makes the jump from star player, to superstar player. Like MJ, Kobe… there was Barkley, Malone, Ewing… but they were basically scrubs next to MJ and Kobe. Clark didn’t ask for media coverage. It came.
— Gee Unit (@Gee_Unit123) April 4, 2024
She won’t be the only one who gets attention. You’ll still have women like Juju and Hannah Hidalgo
— Matt B (@Horseshoe_Pod) April 4, 2024
She is very smart and unselfish. It would be invaluable for media to shine the light on as many women’s bball stars as possible to keep building this momentum that’s largely been because of Caitlin Clark and LSU.
— AsianSensation (@jacobholland22) April 4, 2024
She’s so annoying and half of what Caitlin is as a ball player
— jon (@jscol11) April 4, 2024
I really love her mindset/tone.
— Brian James (@beammeupbrian) April 4, 2024
A Kobe disciple, I expected nothing less from her 👏🏽👏🏽🙌🏽
— Vegano D. Seany 🇵🇸 (@seanlamarre) April 4, 2024
She has way more class than a lot of her fan base.
— Terri Davidson (@soccer4t) April 4, 2024
Love when she speaks! She lifts women up! RESPECT! Women should be supporting one another , not putting one down.
— Di (@DiSchuetzler) April 4, 2024
Someone show this to Molloy Q on first take after her trash-talking this morning…
— Dan DeMaio (@DanDeMaio1) April 4, 2024
— Pa (@Wankstablook) April 4, 2024
