Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductees announcement adds to banner UConn weekend

Less than 24 hours earlier, Regional 4 - Spokane No. 2 UConn (36-3) advanced to its 13th women's NCAA Tournament national championship game with a record-breaking 85-51 win over Regional 1- Spokane No. 1 UCLA (34-3).

Per ESPN, the 34-point margin of victory was the largest in Final Four history.

On Sunday, it plays Regional 2 - Birmingham No. 1 South Carolina (35-3) in the national title game.

With a win, star forward Paige Bueckers and the entire 2024-25 squad can etch their names UConn basketball lore, joining their 2025 Hall of Fame predecessors.

Bird played for UConn from 1998-2002, winning two national titles (2000, 2002) and being named 2001-02 Associated Press Player of the Year. During her senior season, the Huskies went a perfect 39-0, one of six teams in women's college basketball history to finish a season 39-0 or better.

Moore, who played at UConn from 2007-11, was on two other teams to accomplish the feat, going 78-0 and winning back-to-back national titles in 2009 and 2010. She was named AP Player of the Year twice (2009, 2011) and was a four-time first-team AP All-America selection.

Bueckers has several accolades to her name as well. She was named AP Player of the Year as a freshman in 2021 and is a three-time first-team All-America selection (2021, 2024-25). The only thing her resume is missing is a national championship.

Considering how this weekend has gone thus far for UConn, that might change on Sunday.