Geno Auriemma: UConn basketball has 'best player in America' in Huskies' Paige Bueckers

Iowa basketball's Caitlin Clark is widely regarded as one of the best women's college players ever amid a season that has seen her set the NCAA's all-time career scoring record — both men's and women's — and the women's single-season scoring record.

However, according to longtime UConn coach Geno Auriemma, the nation's best player plays for the Huskies: guard Paige Bueckers, who scored 32 points with 10 rebounds, six assists with four steals in the Huskies' 72-64 win over Syracuse on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16.

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"We have the best player in America. Just saying that because the numbers, in this world of analytics, the numbers say that she is," Auriemma said. "And the stat sheet says that she is. And everybody that watched knows it. And we're fortunate."

While Auriemma knows a thing or two about coaching basketball — he has 11 national championships since taking the UConn job in 1985 — it's hard to discount Clark's accomplishments this season, even if he didn't mean it as a slight to the Iowa guard. Clark is the single-season leader in points scored, the all-time points leader and holds the new record for most 3-pointers made in a single season.

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Clark is also averaging a nation-leading 31.8 points and 8.8 assists per game this season, while also averaging 7.3 rebounds. Bueckers, on the other hand, is averaging 21.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game with 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks this season.

Should Iowa win the Albany 2 Region and UConn win the Portland 3 Region, both programs would meet in the Final Four. Regardless of Auriemma's opinion, it's clear both players are among the best in the sport.