UConn’s Paige Bueckers established herself as the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft well before she put together a second straight outstanding season and was named Big East player of the year for a third time.
The only question is whether she wants to turn pro now or hold off for one more year.
Bueckers, a fifth-year senior guard, still has one more year of eligibility remaining if she wants to remain at UConn. Azzi Fudd, her UConn teammate and another potential first-round pick, will face a similar decision at the end of UConn’s NCAA Tournament run.
Bueckers arrived at UConn in 2020 amid huge expectations and responded by emerging as the consensus national player of the year pick her freshman season. She played just 17 games the following season and missed the entire 2022-23 campaign with a torn anterior cruciate ligament but has since responded with two straight banner seasons.
Now she has a chance to win the national title that has eluded her thus far. The 6-foot guard from Hopkins, Minnesota, has averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2 steals this season while helping UConn (31-3) win 10 straight games. UConn (31-3) is a No. 2 seed and hosts Arkansas State (21-10) Saturday.
“There’s a lot of pressure on her, there’s a lot of demands on her from a lot of different sources,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma told reporters after Bueckers won her third Big East Tournament most outstanding player award. “It’s a heavy weight to carry around everywhere you go. It can be demoralizing at times. No matter what you do, more is expected from you. For her to be able to constantly come up with these kinds of performances time and time again, she just has that thing that those kinds of players have.”
Here’s a look at some other players in this year’s NCAA Tournament who figure to get taken early in next month’s WNBA draft:
Kiki Iriafen, F, Southern California
First-round game: Saturday vs. UNC Greensboro.
Notes: After averaging a double-double (19.4 points, 11 rebounds) for Stanford last season, Iriafen transferred to USC (28-3) and had similar production with 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 forward is shooting 49.9% this season after making over 53% of her shots each of her three years at Stanford, but she’s continued to show why she’s one of the top draft-eligible frontcourt players.
Olivia Miles, G, Notre Dame
First-round game: Friday vs. Stephen F. Austin.
Notes: Miles missed the entire 2023-24 season with a knee injury but returned as a more complete player. The 5-10 guard had made just 24.6% of her career 3-point attempts before the injury. She’s making 40.9% of her attempts from beyond the arc this season. Miles already had made quite an impression on scouts with her playmaking ability. Her improved shooting makes here even more appealing. Miles isn’t the only player from Notre Dame (26-5) who figures to get selected early in the draft. Sonia Citron also is a likely first-round pick.
Aneesah Morrow, F, LSU
First-round game: Friday vs. San Diego State.
Notes: After putting up big numbers at DePaul her first two seasons, Morrow has maintained similar production while playing with more talent around her at LSU (28-5) the last couple seasons. The 6-1 forward has 13.6 rebounds per game to lead all Division I players and also has 18.5 points per game. She was a first-team all-Southeastern Conference selection who also made the league’s al-defense team. Morrow has averaged at least 2.5 steals each season.
Te-Hina Paopao, G, South Carolina
First-round game: Friday vs. Tennessee Tech.
Notes: Paopao is in her second season at South Carolina (30-3) after playing three seasons at Oregon. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has referred to the 5-9 Paopao as an “elevator” because she elevates the entire team. Paopao is averaging a career-low 9.8 points this season, but she has 1,692 career points and has showcased her shooting ability by making 40% of her career 3-point attempts.
Saniya Rivers, G, N.C. State
First-round game: Saturday vs. Vermont.
Notes: Rivers certainly impressed WNBA scouts last month when she collected 14 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as N.C. State (26-6) pulled out a 104-95 double-overtime victory over a then-No. 1 Notre Dame team featuring the star-studded backcourt of Miles and Hannah Hidalgo. Rivers has averaged 11.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists this season to earn first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors alongside teammate Aziaha James, a WNBA prospect in her own right. The 6-1 Rivers is four inches taller than James, which could enable her to get drafted earlier.
Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
First-round game: Saturday vs. Norfolk State.
Notes: Sellers has been a first-team all-Big Ten selection from the league’s media each of the last three seasons and has earned that honor from the league’s coaches for two straight seasons. The 6-2 senior is the first player in Maryland history to have 1,500 career points along with 500 rebounds and 500 assists. She has 14.1 points per game for the Terrapins (23-7) this season after averaging 15.6 last season and 13.9 in 2022-23. She also is shooting a career-best 44.4% from 3-point range.
