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Iowa Star Lucy Olsen Sends 3-Word Verdict on Guarding UConn's Paige Bueckers

Iowa Hawkeyes star guard Lucy Olsen got honest about her past experiences guarding UConn Huskies icon Paige Bueckers.

Grant Young

Jan 19, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) returns the ball against the Seton Hall Pirates in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Jan 19, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) returns the ball against the Seton Hall Pirates in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

While the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team being a No. 6 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament is a far cry from the seedings they've had over the past several incredible seasons, they certainly would not have earned that seed without Lucy Olsen.

Olsen transferred to Iowa last year after spending the first three seasons of her NCAA career with Villanova in the Big East Conference. She quickly asserted herself as Iowa's top offense weapon and averaged 18 points per game for them heading into the 2025 NCAA Tournament. This comes one year after her 23.3 points per game with Villanova in 2023-24 was third in the country in scoring, only behind USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins and former Iowa Hawkeyes icon Caitlin Clark.

Having been in the Big East, Olsen is familiar with the UConn Huskies. And during a March 19 interview with USA Today Sports, Olsen discussed what it was like guarding UConn star Paige Bueckers.

"She's definitely really good," Olsen said of Bueckers. "She was injured my first few years there, I feel like I only really played against her last year.

"She's really tough," Olsen added. "I mean, they're a tough team in general and yeah, she's hard to guard."

Bueckers and Olsen faced off twice in the 2023-24 season. In their first matchup on January 31, 2024, Bueckers finished with 21 points while Olsen scored 15 in an 81-60 win for UConn. They played again on February 28, which UConn won 67-46. Bueckers scored a game-high 31 points while Olsen only scored 6 in that one, which was the least she scored in a single game that entire season.

Olsen will be hoping for a better outcome if her Hawkeyes squad faces Bueckers' Huskies in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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