“Is that whole bag just candy”: Fans in love with Huskies stars Paige Bueckers, Jana El Alfy, and more in comfy airport fashion ahead of UNC clash
Paige Bueckers and the No. 2 UConn Huskies will play the No. 14 North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday. The team flew from Storrs on Thursday and shared pictures from the boarding on Instagram.
"First road trip of the season! ✈️," the caption read.
The Huskies, including Paige Bueckers, Jana El Alfy, Caroline Ducharme, KK Arnold and Sarah Strong, were all in comfy sweatpants and hoodies, but fans noticed that all players were carrying Ziploc bags of snacks.
"Is that whole bag just candy," one fan asked.
"If yall can hear us, please give us a snack bag haul," another requested.
"Paige got ALL the snacks," a comment read.
"THE stitch plushie OMG," a fan wrote.
After a Final Four run last season, the Huskies have set the NCAA championship as their goal for this year's campaign. UConn last won its championship in 2016, which also marked the end of the iconic Breanna Stewart era, which saw the team win four straight titles.
Paige Bueckers sets the Huskies on a winning start
In the first two games against Boston University and South Florida, Paige Bueckers was in her element, leading the Huskies to huge margin victories. In the 86-32 win over the Terriers, she finished with 13 points, seven assists and five steals. She shot 55% from the field.
In the 86-49 win over the Bulls, Paige Bueckers had 22 points on a 9-of-10 shooting. With her incredible performances, the senior guard has set the tone for an incredible final season with the Huskies. She spoke about her goal of winning the NCAA championship during the Big East Media Day.
"I don't even think I could put into words what it would mean, but it would mean everything, obviously everything that I've been through," Bueckers said.
"Me coming back, a lot of my teammates coming back from injury — all the adversity, all the hardships would definitely mean everything to cap it off."
With this comes immense pressure, carrying the expectations of leading the No. 2 ranked UConn. She commented on this during an interview with NBC Sports.
"It's a blessing, and I never want to take that for granted, 'cause I've seen it firsthand how quick it can be taken away from you," she said. "How quick you'll miss it and how quick you'll miss the bad day.
"I've just become so grateful for where I am every single day and just interpreting and framing things from bad to 'How can I turn the situation for good, and it's not I have to do this, its I get to do this.'"
The UConn vs. North Carolina tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. EST and will be streamed on ESPN2.
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