Paige Bueckers will need to find another gear as the Huskies head toward March. The POTY candidate has faced a bit of a rough patch in her recent games, although she shined in the blowout victory over Providence. However, Player of the Year honors may slip away from the top prospect, as Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo has been making a strong push lately.
On the Courtside Club, show host Rachel Annamarie DeMita sat down to host an exclusive interview with Hidalgo. It looks like she has pulled ahead of the Huskies guard, however, with DeMita calling the Fighting Irish guard the best player in the country. The reporter had nothing but praise for the point guard. “To see you have come so far, and in my eyes become the number one player in the country. I am just so impressed with your game and how you’ve been leading your team.”
Hidalgo has really picked up the pace this season. The Fighting Irish star is averaging around 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, while leading Notre Dame to a perfect conference record. According to DeMita, Hidalgo didn’t have a dream school and left it all up to God’s plan. It’s safe to say, it all worked out!
She has been making a very strong case for the POTY award, while Paige Bueckers has had some ups and downs. It will be interesting to see which one of the two ends up winning the prestigious honors, and whose team goes further in March. Both UConn and Notre Dame have decent odds of ending up in the Final Four, leading readers to wonder how they would match up.
Is the slump over for Paige Bueckers?
In UConn’s loss to the Tennessee Lady Vols, their star player Bueckers just did not show up. Her performance left a lot to be desired, and it wasn’t just one game either. Paige Bueckers was going through a definitive slump. She wasn’t shooting as many threes, and her play style looked a lot less confident.
However, things took a turn for the better against Providence on Saturday. Paige Bueckers put up 20pts on 50/40/100 splits, contributing majorly in their blow-out victory against the Friars.
Friar guard Grace Efosa goes one on one against Huskies defender Paige Bueckers in the first half.
Not only that, she put in immense defensive efforts as well. Bueckers fought through screens valiantly and was an effective on-ball defender. The POTY candidate recorded 4 steals in just 27 minutes, proving that she is an effective two-way player. This is a side of her that fans loved seeing; the effort she put in was a reminder of her greatness.
There are a lot of questions regarding Paige Bueckers, and she has answered quite a few. However, the true litmus test will happen in March for both Bueckers and Hidalgo. Their ability to guide their teams to victory, and to overcome uncertainty, will play a large role in how their careers play out.
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