Paige Bueckers admits she's still haunted by Caitlin Clark: ‘I just felt so sick after that game’

Even after cementing her legacy with a national championship and being selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Paige Bueckers admits there’s one moment from her college career she still can’t shake. In a recent interview with Time's Sean Gregory, Bueckers opened up about the lingering pain from UConn’s heartbreaking loss to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023–24 NCAA Final Four. “I’m still sick about that game,” Bueckers said. “The weeks after it, I just felt so disappointed, frustrated with how it ended. But then, like always, the motivation piece kicks in, where you don’t ever want to feel that feeling again.” That matchup, which took place in April 2024, was one of the most talked-about games of the women’s college basketball season. UConn had led by as many as 12 points but ultimately fell short, 71–69. It was also a signature moment in Caitlin Clark’s college career, Clark, held scoreless in the first half, came roaring back with 21 points in the second to carry Iowa to victory. For Bueckers, it was a game that slipped away. And despite all she accomplished afterward, including being named AP Player of the Year, earning her third unanimous All-American honor, and finally bringing UConn its first title since 2016, the sting of that loss remains. Now 22, Bueckers was drafted first overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft, held at The Shed in New York City. As her professional journey begins, she won’t have to wait long for a rematch—at least in spirit. Her Dallas Wings will host Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever on June 27 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, a matchup already gaining anticipation as the two collegiate icons prepare to renew their rivalry on the pro stage. Though they never got a second meeting in college, the rivalry that once defined March Madness is now poised to become a major storyline in the WNBA’s future.