Jim Fuller / Associated Press

“It’s been a dream to play here, a dream to wear this uniform, a dream to play in this environment. As much more times you want this to continue to happen, you just take every single chance you have and never take it for granted,” Bueckers said.

Bueckers had 19 points, seven assists and three steals against Marquette. UConn is 31-1 at Gampel Pavilion when Bueckers is on the court. She has averaged 18.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.6 steals in her 32 games at Gampel.

Dealing with the absence of star freshman Liam McNeeley for much of January and some inconsistent play, the two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies looked like a title contender in their first game in February with a win at Marquette.

UConn stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd were the top-ranked recruits in back-to-back classes, but injuries have limited the number of games the two guards have played together.

Alex Karaban had seven of his 20 points in overtime to lead No. 11 UConn to a 94-89 victory over Xavier on Wednesday night in the Big East opener for both teams.

Paige Bueckers scored 19 of her 22 points in the first half as No. 2 UConn rolled to an 86-49 win over former conference rival South Florida on Sunday.

UConn hasn't won a title since 2016, though it was the national runner-up in 2022. That's a long time for a program with 11 championships.