The UConn Huskies got encouraging news on Tuesday after standout guard Paige Bueckers did not come back after an unusual clash in Sunday’s match against Villanova.
As reported by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Bueckers is dealing with a knee sprain that could sideline her for just one week.
The sprain affected Bueckers’s left knee, which is the same knee where she had a torn ACL in 2022. Luckily, head coach Geno Auriemma informed reporters on Tuesday that nothing was torn.
The injury happened late in the third quarter of Sunday’s match, with the Huskies ahead, 63-37.
The diagnosis must be a breath of fresh air for the program. Bueckers missed the whole 2022-23 season due to an ACL tear after spending most of the 2021-22 season recovering from a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear. All of those injuries were located in her left knee.
For the Huskies to reach their 16th Final Four in the past 17 seasons, the well-being of the 2021 National Player of the Year, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, is crucial.
Bueckers is the top scorer for the team, averaging 19.9 points per game. She averages 4.3 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.1 SPG and maintains an efficient shooting percentage of 55.9% from the field. With 1,982 career points in 100 games, Bueckers requires just 18 more points to become the quickest player in UConn history to reach 2,000 points, breaking Maya Moore’s record of 108 games.
With no ranked team on UConn’s calendar until facing No. 16 Tennessee on Feb. 6, the Huskies (13-2, 4-0 Big East) possess ample talent to secure victories in their forthcoming matches against Xavier (5-9, 0-3 Big East) on Wednesday and Georgetown (8-6, 1-2 Big East) on Saturday.
With freshman forward Sarah Strong (17.5 PPG) being the sole player on the team averaging double-digit points, UConn needs its star player on the court to be a true contender for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament again.
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