http://Paige Bueckers threatens to dethrone Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark close

lthough the college basketball season is still young, this weekend we witnessed a game that could very well be a preview of late March or early April in UConn (10-2) vs. USC (11-1). I say this because the game was a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight contest, which the Huskies won, and it featured two of the best players in women’s college basketball – All-Americans Paige Bueckers and Juju Watkins. This time, however, Watkins and the Trojans came out on top, winning 72-70. It was a tale of two halves: USC dominated the first half, leading 42-29, while the Huskies rallied in the second half, outscoring the Trojans 41-30.

Paige Bueckers’ Future in the WNBA

Bueckers’ loss to Watkins, who along with Hannah Hidalgo has emerged as one of college basketball’s future stars, is unlikely to affect her projected position as the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, where she is expected to join the Dallas Wings. At 23, Bueckers is older than current WNBA young starsCaitlin Clark (22) and Angel Reese (22), which means she will enter the professional ranks more mature. However, injuries have plagued her otherwise stellar and promising career, delaying her jump to the WNBA. Still, there are those who believe she is the future of women’s basketball, even ahead of Clark, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Napheesa Collier or Angel Reese.

This season, though still in its early stages, many players are outperforming Bueckers, including Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo and Ta’Niya Latson. No offense, but the stats speak louder than opinions. When it comes to the professional level, Caitlin Clark is without a doubt far ahead of her. The attendance, ratings and merchandise sales she has brought to the WNBA clearly reflect that, not to mention her TIME Magazine “Athlete of the Year” award. Personally, I’d take 3-time MVP A’ja Wilson over any other player as the face of the league. She’s young, in her prime, and currently better than Clark or anyone else, but I have no doubt that in a few years – before the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles – Clark could surpass Wilson.

If we compare Bueckers’ accomplishments to those of current WNBA sophomores during their college basketball careers, she still lags behind. While Bueckers led UConn to the Final Four and set assist records as a freshman, and took them to the national championship game as a sophomore, she doesn’t compare to Angel Reese, who was a national champion and NCAA Tournament MOP in 2023, or Caitlin Clark, who, despite not winning a national championship, was the 3-time NCAA season assists leader (2022-2024), the 3-time NCAA season scoring leader (2021, 2022, 2024), and the all-time NCAA Division I men’s and women’s scoring leader. Only a national championship could put Bueckers on her level.

She has a bright future ahead of her and has the potential to be as good or better than Clark or Reese, but first she must overcome her injuries and prove herself in her rookie WNBA season. Both Clark and Reese had historic rookie campaigns, breaking records and setting a high standard for future players. They also brought unprecedented attention to women’s basketball and inspired a new generation of young athletes who aspire to be the next Reese or Clark. Without a doubt, they are true game changers, and Bueckers could be one too, we just have to let her play her game and see how she can become a superstar in the basketball world.