More than eight thousand fans rushed to watch the Paige Bueckers show when the UConn Huskies visited De Paul on Wednesday night. However, Bueckers was far from her best.
DePaul junior Taylor Johnson-Matthews made sure to smother her with some physicality, sticking to her like crazy glue and making sure to disrupt every single thing she did on offense.
Bueckers finished with just eight points on 2-of-10 from the floor. The Huskies still prevailed thanks to a strong collective effort, which is why Azzi Fudd wanted to make something loud and clear: The Huskies are a team.
Azzi Fudd says Huskies aren’t a one-woman show
“It doesn’t matter what night it is, any person on our team can step up and have a great night, and it doesn’t have to be just one person,” Fudd said. “It can be multiple people doing their part with scoring, rebounding, assists, whatever it may be, steals. I think that’s just something that’s really special about our team, and I think it’s going to help us go as far as we want to go, because we know we have so many weapons, and not one thing can stop us.”
Paige Bueckers playing for UConn.
That’s the kind of mindset a team like the Huskies need to adopt. As great and talented a player as Bueckers is, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.
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Coach Geno Auriemma has also talked about his team’s need to step up regardless of who’s on the court. And while they still have a long road ahead, that mindset is what wins championships.
