Sabrina Ionescu's Unexpected UConn NCAA Tournament Stance Turns Heads
During her time playing college ball at the University of Oregon, the farthest that Sabrina Ionescu made it in the NCAA Tournament was the Final Four in 2019, where her Ducks squad lost to the eventual National Champion Baylor Bears.
That said, Ionescu knows what being a champion requires, which is proven by her being a core piece of the New York Liberty winning their franchise's first WNBA championship during the 2024 campaign.
Before her Liberty team (who recently acquired guard Natasha Cloud) before their quest to repeat as champions, Ionescu is like the rest of the women's basketball world in getting excited for the upcoming 2025 NCAA Tournament. And during a March 17 appearance on CBS Sports, Ionescu took a powerful stance on who she's backing to win the women's tournament.
"On the women's side I have UConn," Ionescu said. "I just really want UConn to win. I think it would be a great story for Paige [Bueckers], and coach Geno there in Connecticut."
When Ionescu was asked how much being a WNBA teammate of UConn alum Breanna Stewart influenced her decision, she said, "She'd be really happy knowing that I picked them. She's always pushing UConn, so she would definitely be very ecstatic knowing that I'm rooting for them to win."
Sabrina picks UConn to win the natty on the women’s side 😤
— Domo 🗽 🏆 (@ddubxdo) March 17, 2025
Stewie’s influence 😂>>> pic.twitter.com/tfwIB52zkE
While one would imagine that Ionescu is primarily rooting for her Oregon Ducks (who are a No. 10 seed in the tournament), it seems she's more inclined to see the UConn Huskies win their first national title since 2016.
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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.