The national title was a test the great Paige Bueckers didn’t need to pass

The UConn guard's achievements are too broad and impressive to merely be measured in trophies. But she went and got one anyway

The fact that Paige Bueckers wasn't already considered the undisputed gold standard of 21st-century women's college basketball says more about her competition than it does about her.

Bueckers' resume is extraordinary: a No 1 overall recruit who joined Connecticut in 2020, immediately averaged 20 points per game and became National Player of the Year as a true freshman, and went on to earn first-team All-American honors three times. She is a household name and will soon be the No 1 pick in the WNBA Draft. She has struck endorsement deals that are estimated to have earned her more than $1m this season alone.