UConn's Paige Bueckers bolsters Wooden Award case with dominant showing vs. Villanova

Bueckers finished with 23 points, six assists, one rebound and one block. The Huskies also cruised to an 82-54 victory. UConn will face Seton Hall or Creighton in the Big East Tournament final on Monday at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. 

The dominant performance came after Bueckers was one of 15 players named to the ballot for the John R. Wooden Award as the best player in college basketball. 

Bueckers won the award as a freshman during the 2020-21 season. She has failed to repeat because of ACL and ankle injuries and the meteoric rise of former Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark. Clark (now with the Indiana Fever) won the Wooden Award twice in four seasons with Iowa.  

This season, Bueckers could be in a tight race with USC guard JuJu Watkins, who earned a 2024 first-team All-American nod as a freshman. 

Through her first 30 games this season, Watkins averaged 24.5 points per game, seven rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game on 43.2% shooting. Bueckers, meanwhile, logged 18.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 4.9 APG on 53.5% shooting in her first 30 games. 

The Wooden Award winner will be announced on April 1 on ESPN. Voting starts Monday and will last until March 24. Bueckers likely strengthened her case with the superb outing vs. Villanova.