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UConn sophomore Paige Bueckers has suffered a tibial plateau fracture in her left knee and is expected to be out six to eight weeks, the Huskies announced Tuesday. How does the injury — which occurred Sunday on a noncontact play with less than a minute remaining in a 73-54 victory over Notre Dame — affect the No. 2 Huskies going forward?
Bueckers’ absence will be felt in every part of the floor. The reigning consensus national Player of the Year leads UConn in scoring (21.2 PPG), minutes (36.4), assists (6.2), steals (2.7) and field goals made, and she ranks second on the team in rebounds (5.5).
Bueckers’ injury happened just four days after UConn announced that Azzi Fudd, the No. 1-ranked recruit for 2021, will miss at least two weeks due to a foot injury. In the preseason, the Huskies were expected to have unprecedented depth, but coach Geno Auriemma used just eight players Sunday.
Our panel — ESPN’s Katie Barnes, Charlie Creme and Mechelle Voepel — examines what changes Auriemma will make in Bueckers’ absence, which UConn players must step up while she’s out, the upcoming tests on the Huskies’ schedule and how their status in Bracketology might change.
UConn plays at Georgia Tech on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) and faces UCLA in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
What adjustments will UConn make without Bueckers in the lineup?
Creme: Evina Westbrook will take over at point guard, and the redshirt senior is the type of player who could be all-conference or rank among the top 25 players in the country. That isn’t to say that Bueckers’ absence doesn’t change UConn’s approach considerably. Her loss is massive in both tangible production and what her presence means to her teammates and opposing defenses. But the job of running the team is at least going to a veteran with playmaking and scoring talents.
Sophomore Nika Muhl can also play the point, which would allow Westbrook to remain the impactful wing shooter that has largely been her role…
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Source : espn
