STORRS — When Geno Auriemma said at the start of Big East play that he wanted to see how the UConn women’s basketball team could play without Paige Bueckers, he was imagining a scenario where he took the superstar off the floor by choice as a test for his inexperienced rotation.
But when Bueckers went down with an apparent left knee injury at the end of the third quarter against Villanova on Sunday, the No. 7 Huskies abruptly lost the option to fall back on their fifth-year leader. On Tuesday, Auriemma confirmed that Bueckers suffered a left knee sprain and will be out for at least the next week including Wednesday’s game against Xavier at the XL Center.
The redshirt senior had not missed a game previously since her ACL tear in 2022-23, and she is UConn’s leading scoring averaging 19.9 points on 55.9% shooting plus 4.3 rebounds, four assists and 2.1 steals. Of UConn’s 10 active players entering the Big East matchup, only redshirt junior Azzi Fudd has more than one complete season of experience with the team.
“I meant like if I didn’t play her for a quarter or something, what it would look like,” Auriemma said with a laugh. “It’s interesting, because that was one of the comments she made yesterday like ‘Hey, it’s not the end of the world.’ Some other guys are going to have to get an opportunity to step up and do some things … Most of these kids, they want to be in that situation, but it’s also nerve-wracking for them, too, because this is UConn, and now you’re going to have to play at a level that means you’re not a freshman.”
UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers ruled out vs. Xavier with left knee sprain
Fudd, who missed the beginning of the season recovering from an ACL tear, also suffered a minor right knee sprain in early December that kept her out of three games, and she has yet to have a standout performance since returning to the starting lineup on Dec. 29. The star guard is an elite offensive weapon at her best, and Bueckers’ absence could create just the right amount of necessity for her to produce at the level she’s capable of. Fudd will also likely contend with more defensive pressure than she’s used to without the gravitational pull of Bueckers on the floor, which will challenge her to reestablish her comfort with embracing in-game contact again.
Auriemma indicated that sophomore Ashlynn Shade, who started 10 games during Fudd’s absences earlier this season, will return to the lineup against Xavier with classmate KK Arnold continuing to come off the bench. Arnold put up a season-high 15 points in the win over Villanova, 11 of which came after Bueckers’ injury, and though Shade has scored fewer than 10 points in each of UConn’s last four games, Auriemma doesn’t want to mess with lineups he already knows work amid the tumult.
The Huskies coach is also taking a hands-off approach with Sarah Strong this week, though the freshman will face a test as she rises to the top of the opponents’ scouting reports without the spotlight on Bueckers. The freshman is averaging 17.5 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds plus 3.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks, so Auriemma said there’s little more Strong can do to help the Huskies replace their top scorer.
“I don’t want her to do anything different than what she’s doing,” Auriemma said. “The only thing I would say is, just take advantage of all the opportunities you get. I’ve coached some great players, and I’m lucky that 90% of them have been incredibly unselfish, and she’s just one of those. I don’t think she likes the attention of being that guy that gets all the attention, so I think she tries to spread it around. But if we go on a scoring slump, she’ll knock in a three every once in a while, or make a play when we need a basket.”
Beyond her actual production, Bueckers is UConn’s unquestioned leader on and off the floor as the most veteran and decorated member of the squad. But Auriemma isn’t worried about a leadership vacuum in her absence, largely thanks to point guard Kaitlyn Chen. He described the Princeton graduate transfer as “one of the loudest voices on our team,” and Chen said her skill as a communicator translated easily when she arrived in Storrs after it was honed for four years with the Tigers.
“I think it’s something that Coach (Carla) Berube really helped me with in my four years there. She was constantly harping on us about communicating and speaking all of practice, so it just sort of became a habit there, and that part was easier to transfer over here. It was also just creating relationships with my teammates, because that’s how you build trust … When you’re closer, things are a lot easier. On the court I’ve always been pretty vocal, but with that comfortability I can use my voice even more.”
Arnold has also emerged as a leadership presence for the Huskies, playing with a new level of command on the court since returning from the holiday break. Arnold logged her two highest-scoring games of the season, her best shooting percentage of the season and a season-high in assists across UConn’s last two games, and she also hit just her second 3-pointer of the season against the Wildcats on Sunday.
“KK is playing much better, much more aggressive, much more confident, so there won’t be a lack of voices out there,” Auriemma said. “My thing with KK since she was in high school was, if I don’t see the other team making a scouting report adjustment because of what you’re going to do to their offense, then you’re not being effective. That’s where it all starts. You’ve got to make sure that the other team is more worried about you than they are about anything else, and once you get that, then the other stuff will just fall into place.”
How to watch
Site: XL Center, Hartford
Time/date: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday
Series record: UConn leads 8-0
Last meeting: 86-40 UConn, Feb. 14, 2024 in Cincinnati
TV: SNY
Streaming: SNY.tv, FOXsports.com
Radio: UConn Sports Network on Fox Sports 97.9
