Excellent summation and analysis as always. I'd like to address a few points specifically.
We're coming close to the end of an era. Watching Paige and UConn play over the course of 5 years has been an absolute joy and pleasure. While her style of play on the court is spectacular, what is truly memorable about Paige is the time & love off the court that is devoted to her fans, specifically to a young generation of "I wanna-be Paige" when they grow up.
Anticipating Paige moving onto the WNBA is similar to sending off your first child to college. Yes, it's inevitable, a facet of life, and you are genuinely happy for them, but there is a part inside, perhaps selfishly, wishes they would stay a little while longer. Enough for now, there are potentially 6 more games to enjoy her in a UConn uniform.
As you noted, in the Villanova game, Paige was scoring at will. In the second half, she took her foot off the pedal offensively, sensing she didn't need to score, allowing Sarah to take over that responsibility. Personally, I'm not concerned with UConn's seeding. With the number of quality teams and potential overall winners, the Elite Eight games will resemble Final Four match ups. In her previous Elite 8 games, Paige has scored 28, 27, and 28, leading her team to victory.
In past Final Fours, there was an "out" as to why UConn didn't pick up #12. In her freshman season, Paige and the team were immature, not prepared for the step up, thinking that Baylor was the toughest game they would face. The next year in the championship game against SC, UConn needed to be at 100% healthy to have a realistic shot at beating SC. As we know, Paige was playing at 70% healthy at best. Last season, UConn reaching the Final Four was likely the ceiling after the plethora of injuries. Paige was running on fumes, and they almost made it.
This season, Paige has paced herself. She's played less minutes, shot the ball less, but more importantly, she has more weapons at her disposal. In her last 7 games, Paige has become notably aggressive offensively, particularly in the first half. Reaching the Final Four and delivering in the finals is all that matters. She's demonstrated she can lead the team to a Final Four. This is the year she delivers a NC.
Sarah Strong has been more impressive than I imagined she would be. While she talent, her technical abilities and overall fundamentals set her above nearly everyone. There is not a glaring weakness to her game, or an area that calls out for immediate improvement. She is a sublime talent.
UConn has been blessed with iconic players, from Diana, Maya and Breanna. Like Paige, each could have score many more points if that was their primary focus. The beauty of the UConn offense is that it's not designed for one player, but for whoever has the best opportunity in each possession. Crisp passing, back cuts, screen and move are signatures of a UConn offense.
In a previous post, Nan discussed how pundits dismissed the competitiveness of the Big East. I believe it's a blessing in disguise. During the regular season, UConn had the luxury of playing bench players and resting the starters. This will pay dividends when the tourney begins. It's a long season, and mileage accumulated has a way of showing when the tension rises, deeper into the tournament. Unlike some other teams that were show stoppers early in the season, UConn took some licks early on, but like they historically do, they got progressively better.
This is the best team that Paige has played on. As the year has shown, any of the top 6 teams can beat one another. I would like to see UConn have another shot at ND and/or USC. I think the outcomes would be much different, particularly with a healthy and available Aubrey.
Wouldn't it make for great television to see a SC/UConn rematch for all the marbles? Paige stamped her mark on the national stage in the regular season win over SC in the pandemic. What a fairytale ending it would be if she could close the final chapter with another win over them.
