She is averaging 20.1 points, 5.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game for Connecticut and is a ridiculously good shooter, connecting on 46 percent of her three-point attempts. Her performance against Baylor in the Elite Eight showcased all of her skills, as she scored 28 points, including 10 during a 19-0 run through the third and fourth quarters.
“Paige does a lot of things you can’t explain,” head coach Geno Auriemma said after the 69-67 win against Baylor. “And believe me, there’s a lot of things that Paige’s got to learn that she doesn’t handle so great right now. But what Paige can do is — Paige can sense the moment. Like all great players, she can sense the moment, when it’s time, what’s needed. … And she has the ability to fill that moment. Not everybody does.”
Bueckers isn’t the only player dazzling in this year’s tournament. Here are three other players to watch in the Final Four.
The Pac-12 player of the year and a co-defensive player of the year (her second straight season earning the honor) is one of the best two-way players in the country. Her 20.3 points and 2.7 steals per game are among the highest averages in the conference and she is having her best season shooting threes since her freshman year (33 percent). Plus, despite being a 5-foot-6 point guard, she grabs 5.4 rebounds per game.
McDonald also might be one of the fastest players on the court, making her dangerous in transition. She scores more than half the time on fast breaks (52 percent) and is one of the best at handling the ball during these moments, scoring 1.1 points per possession (84th percentile, per Synergy Sports).
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Boston, a finalist for every major national player of the year award, averages a double-double (13.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game) in addition to being one of the best shot blockers in the country (2.6 per contest). The two-time SEC defensive player of the year can also work the low post, turn offensive rebounds into second-chance points and cause trouble in transition by making a no-dribble jumper or driving hard to the rim.
Among players averaging at least 20 minutes per night, only Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith and Oklahoma State’s Natasha Mack earned more win shares — an estimate of the total number of wins a player produces for their team through their play on the offensive and defensive end of the court — than Boston did in 2020-21, per Her Hoop Stats.
Stanford’s 6-foot-1 guard might not wow you with her stats — she averages 12.7 points, 3.0 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game — but she could be one of the most versatile players on the floor. Jones is comfortable bringing the ball up the court, quarterbacking the pick-and-roll, taking a jumper off the dribble and posting up in the paint, which makes her a matchup nightmare. And just when you think you have her cornered, she will find Ashten Prechtel or Cameron Brink for the easier shot thanks to her excellent court vision.