STORRS, Conn. — Forming a huddle in front of the UConn bench, the Huskies surrounded Paige Bueckers, who lay on the hardwood floor with a left knee injury. Just prior, Bueckers was bringing the ball up court in the final 45 seconds of UConn’s win over Notre Dame. After landing awkwardly and appearing to slip, she rose and dribbled a bit more.
Bueckers hopped a few steps, handed the ball off and fell to the floor. With teammates around her, Amari DeBerry and Evina Westbrook carried a hunched-over Bueckers to the bench. An eerie quiet fell across Gampel Pavilion, with fans finally realizing the gravity of what had just happened. The final buzzer sounded not long after, and Bueckers remained on the bench until she was helped off the court.
Paige Bueckers walked off the court after an injury on this play pic.twitter.com/iXh0iXPsax
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 5, 2021
Doctors performed a quick examination and will later perform an MRI exam, coach Geno Auriemma said. A doctor said “nothing twisted” and that Bueckers might have hyperextended her knee, the coach said. The Huskies hope for good news, but that doesn’t stop Auriemma from going to the worst-case scenario. He’s watched plenty happen at UConn.
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“You just kind of shake your head and hope that you didn’t see it or what you saw wasn’t as bad as you think it might be or as it appeared,” Auriemma said. “But you immediately put yourself in that kid’s shoes, and what are they thinking? How are they feeling right now? What’s going through their mind when something like that happens? And that’s the part that I think really hits you in the pit of your stomach.”
No. 2 UConn beat No. 24 Notre Dame 73-54, but the victory was punctuated by worry rather than the joyous atmosphere that embraced the campus in the preceding hours with celebrations honoring UConn’s Olympians. The guests of honor and school personnel gathered outside before tipoff to unveil a monument to the former players who have participated in the Olympics. Gampel loomed in the background, its iconic white dome glimmering in the sun. UConn basketball greats Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Rebecca Lobo, Asjha Jones and others stood for the ceremony and later posed for pictures. Megan Rapinoe, Bird’s soccer star fiancé, was on hand. Teasing the nearing matchup between old rivals, UConn interim president Dr. Andrew Agwunobi said, “You will be watching future Olympians in action.”
Inside Gampel, the present and future were preparing to play. That included Bueckers, who leads the Huskies in scoring, minutes, steals and assists. The reigning national player of the year is a facilitator and the go-to player when UConn is struggling, hitting much-needed baskets or coming through with assists. Sunday’s matchup was no different. Bueckers scored a game-high 22 points and delivered baskets to create separation when Notre Dame tried to narrow the score.
Earlier in the game, before Bueckers exited, she was hit hard on a foul and went down. She took a moment to get up but remained in the game and took her free throws. As she got up on that play, she was grabbing her right side. Not long after, Notre Dame’s Dara Mabrey fouled her hard. Bueckers ended up on the floor, thumping her chest for the play as her teammates picked her up.
UConn opened the fourth quarter with a seven-point edge. Thanks to Bueckers, Oliva Nelson-Ododa and freshman Caroline Ducharme, the Huskies padded the lead to 20 within the first four minutes of the quarter. Yet, Bueckers remained in play for the entire game, which has been a season-long trend. She’s averaging 36.3 minutes, and in three of UConn’s five other games she has played more than 38 minutes.
Why was Bueckers still on the court in the final seconds of a blowout? “She never wants to come out,” Auriemma said. “She’s a pain in the ass to have on the bench ’cause all she does is complain about why she’s not playing. And we’ve made a concerted effort in the last three or four games to get her some rest during the game. And you’re right, I don’t have an answer for why she was in the game. I mean, that could happen any time. … But yeah, I don’t like our team without her on the court. I mean, I might have to like it if she misses any time, but I don’t like the way our team looks when she’s not on the floor.”
UConn played sloppily Sunday, recording a season-high 21 turnovers and fouling 18 times. The Huskies were outscored in the third quarter, and the Fighting Irish pulled within single digits in that span. Auriemma noted that he can tell the Huskies are “not there yet” because they’ll build a double-digit lead, have multiple sequential defensive stops but won’t capitalize on opponents’ mistakes to score.
“We’re not very bright. Our basketball IQ at times leaves a lot to be desired,” Auriemma said. “We don’t see things that are open and then we try to do things that aren’t open. … Part of it is we’re playing too fast, we’re not letting things develop the way you need to do to run efficient offense. Not enough people making outside shots, so now you start to force things. That’s usually the crux of it.”
But there were positives, including a strong fourth quarter and dominant post play from Nelson-Ododa. Ducharme also had a breakout game, recording a career-high 14 points in 14 minutes. She had a strong move to the basket to start her scoring and added three 3-pointers. Auriemma has touted her practice performance, but that hadn’t translated to game situations until Sunday. In Friday’s win over Seton Hall, Ducharme was first off the bench but fouled twice and had a turnover in only five minutes. On Sunday, Auriemma said Ducharme “changed the complexion of the game” when she entered.
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UConn is already without Aubrey Griffin, who’s been dealing with a few injuries and has yet to take the floor this season. The Huskies are also without freshman guard Azzi Fudd (foot) until at least mid-December. Fudd is a shooter who can get hot once she gets going, so the Huskies were already dealing with an offensive deficit.
Scoring has been a point of emphasis for UConn even before Bueckers’ injury. Now, it all depends on the severity of the injury, but look for Ducharme to have an impact with strong takes to the rim and also a threat from deep if she’s consistent. In terms of facilitating, UConn will need Williams and Westbrook to bring consistency. Nika Mühl also is likely to see extended minutes.
Again, everything depends on the severity of Bueckers’ injury. UConn next plays Thursday at Georgia Tech and again Saturday at the Never Forget Tribute Classic against UCLA. UConn will then be off until a Dec. 19 matchup against No. 10 Louisville.
Although UConn was able to pick up a victory and celebrate some of the program’s past accomplishments Sunday, it all felt rather dampened by the day’s end.
“I think you get a little shell-shocked, a little fear, whenever you see that happen — whether it’s one of your teammates, whether it’s an opponent,” Auriemma said. “Every time you see that, you’re always just, ‘Cross your fingers and hope for the best.’”
That’s as much as the Huskies can do.
(Top photo: David Butler II / USA Today)
