UConn star Paige Bueckers, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, left the team's 83-52 win over Villanova on Sunday with a left knee injury after a scary collision. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma was "optimistic" that Bueckers escaped a worst-case scenario, but she will need to undergo imaging before a full diagnosis can be made.
"She's pretty good. I mean, it was unfortunate, the kid dove for the ball and I'm sure people saw. Paige turned her back and it was a weird situation," Auriemma said. "It's funny because we had someone at the scorer's table ready to check in. But she'll be fine. She looks good. I'm optimistic, let's put it that way."
Late in the third quarter, Bueckers dribbled the ball off her own leg and chased after it near mid-court. As she bent down to pick up the ball, Villanova's Jasmine Bascoe dove for it and rolled up Buecker's leg, which bent awkwardly. Bueckers grimaced as she rolled around in pain and clutched at her knee. She eventually limped off the floor under her own power and went to the locker room. Though she later returned to the bench, she did not return to the game.
Paige Bueckers limps towards the locker room after a collision: pic.twitter.com/nbdDgibTJj
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) January 5, 2025
Bueckers, who finished with 15 points, three rebounds, nine assists and three steals in the No. 7-ranked Huskies' third win in a row, has dealt with extensive injury problems throughout her career. Among them are multiple major issues with the same knee she injured on Sunday, including a tibial plateau fracture during her sophomore season and a torn ACL which cost her the entire 2022-23 campaign.
It's still too early to say how long Bueckers may be out, if at all, but the initial reaction from Auriemma suggests that it won't be a long-term absence.
"It's not the worst that we can imagine," Auriemma said. "So, that's great news considering how awkward it was."
Bueckers, a leading contender for Naismith Player of the Year, is averaging 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals per game on 56/41/81 shooting splits. She leads the Huskies in scoring, is tied for second in assists and is their best outside shooter. Including Sunday's win, she has scored or assisted on 178 of the team's 477 field goals this season (37%).
Should Bueckers miss any time, that would be a serious blow to a UConn team that lacks depth. The only other player on the team averaging double figures in scoring is freshman Sarah Strong. One silver lining for the Huskies is they have a pretty soft schedule over the next few weeks and don't play another ranked team until Feb. 6 when they'll host Tennessee.
