In her first season at UConn, Bueckers was a unanimous first-team All-American and became the first freshman to earn a major national women's college player of the year award, winning all four for which she was eligible. She led UConn to the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament and set program records for assists by a freshman and single-game assists. Bueckers missed most of her sophomore season with a left knee injury but led her team to the national championship game and made the Associated Press (AP) All-American Honorable Mention.