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 imagined a scenario in which he voluntarily pulled the inexperienced superstar off the floor as a test for himself 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 opportunity to call on their fifth-year leader. On Tuesday, Auriemma confirmed that Bueckers suffered a sprained left knee and will miss at least the next week, including Wednesday’s game against Xavier at the XL Center.

The redshirt senior had not missed a single game since tearing her ACL in the 2022/23 season and is UConn’s top scorer, averaging 19.9 points on 55.9% shooting as well as 4.3 rebounds, four assists and 2.1 steals -player. Of the 10 active UConn players participating in the Big East matchup, only redshirt junior Azzi Fudd has more than a full season of experience with the team.

“I meant what it would look like if I didn’t play them for a quarter or something,” Auriemma said with a laugh. “It’s interesting because that was one of the comments she made yesterday, like, ‘Hey, this isn’t the end of the world.’ Some other guys need to get an opportunity to step up and do some things… Most of these kids want to be in that situation, but it’s nerve-wracking for them too because this is UConn, right now you have to play at a level that means , that you are not a newbie.”

UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers left the game against Xavier with a sprained left knee

Fudd, who missed the season opener due to a torn ACL, also suffered a mild 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 in December 29. The star guard is an elite offensive weapon at her best, and Bueckers’ absence could create just the right amount of need for her to perform at the level she’s capable of. Without Bueckers’ magnetism on the floor, Fudd will also likely have to contend with more defensive pressure than she is used to, which will challenge her to get comfortable accepting contact in the game again.

Auriemma indicated that sophomore Ashlynn Shade, who started 10 games during Fudd’s absence earlier this season, will return to the lineup against Xavier while classmate KK Arnold continues to come off the bench. Arnold scored a season-high 15 points in the win over Villanova, 11 of them after Bueckers’ injury, and even though Shade has scored fewer than 10 points in each of UConn’s last four games, Auriemma doesn’t want to mess with the lineups. He already knows how to work amidst the tumult.

The Huskies coach is also taking a more relaxed approach to Sarah Strong this week, although the freshman will be tested as she rises to the top of opponents’ scouting reports without Bueckers in the spotlight. 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 there’s little more Strong can do to help the Huskies get their top scorer to replace, said Auriemma.

“I don’t want her to do anything other than what she does,” Auriemma said. “The only thing I would say is just take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. I’ve coached some great players and I’m lucky that 90% of them have been incredibly selfless and she’s just one of them. I don’t think she likes the attention of being the guy who gets all the attention, so I think she’s trying to spread it. But when we’re struggling, every now and then she’ll throw in a three-pointer or make a play when we need a basket.”

Beyond her accomplishments, Bueckers is UConn’s undisputed leader on and off the floor as the team’s most experienced and decorated member. But Auriemma isn’t worried about a leadership vacuum in her absence, especially 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 skills as a communicator transferred easily when she came to Storrs after being honed for four years with the Tigers .

“I think Coach (Carla) Berube really helped me in my four years there. She constantly talked us into communicating and speaking throughout the exercise, so it just became a habit there, and that part transferred more easily here. It was also just about building relationships with my teammates because that’s how you build trust… When you’re closer to each other, things are a lot easier. I’ve always been very vocal on the pitch, but with this comfort I can use my voice even more.”

Arnold has also become a leader for the Huskies, playing with a new level of leadership on the field since returning from the holiday break. Arnold recorded her two highest-scoring games of the season, her best shooting percentage of the season and a season-high in assists in UConn’s final two games. She also hit just her second 3-pointer of the season on Sunday against the Wildcats.

“KK is playing much better, much more aggressive, much more confident, so there will be no shortage of votes,” Auriemma said. “My thing with KK since she was in high school has been: If I don’t see the other team making an adjustment on the scouting report based on what you’re going to do with their offense, then you’re not being effective. That’s where it all begins. You have to make sure the other team is more worried about you than anything else, and once you understand that, the other things will take care of themselves.”

Here’s how to watch

Website: XL Center, Hartford

Time/Date: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday

Series record: UConn leads 8-0

Last meeting: 86-40 UConn, February 14, 2024 in Cincinnati

TV: SNY

Streaming: SNY.tv, FOXsports.com

Radio: UConn Sports Network on Fox Sports 97.9

Originally published: January 7, 2025 at 6:38 pm EST