Darianna Littlepage-Buggs has been a key to Baylor’s success this season. She has averaged 10.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in her 27.7 minutes of play per game for the Bears, helping them finish with a 24-7 record, good for fourth in the Big 12.
Baylor lost to the Iowa State Cyclones in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, 67-62, but performed well enough across the season to earn a No. 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Their tourney run begins Friday, Mar. 22 against No. 12-seed Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. ET (ESPNU).
With Littlepage-Buggs looking to continue to take a sophomore leap and help carry Baylor back to national title glory, I interviewed her to discuss how, compared to last year, she is more prepared for the March Madness moment, as well as how she ended up partnering with Raid for her first-ever NIL deal.
“Confidence is my biggest thing that I needed to work on from last year,” Littlepage-Buggs said. She clarified:
I know I was kind of starstruck and like, “Oh my gosh, I’m actually in March Madness.” I don’t think I really was focused in as much as I should have been, but I think that this year, because I do have experience now, playing a year and then getting used to the system at my school, I think that I just have to go here with confidence and…
