Can Paige Bueckers Drag Injury-ridden UConn Out of the Pit?

Howls of Huskies echoed today as UConn bagged a 59-83 win against the Seton Hall Pirates. Notably, the UConn Huskies are considered the most successful women’s basketball program in the United States. The Huskies have a record of winning 11 NCAA Division I Championships, along with a women’s consecutive record of four from 2013 to 2016. Moreover, they have never missed an NCAA tournament since 1989. In addition, the Huskies have a record of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances from 2008 to 2022.

Having a stellar track record, the Huskies own the two longest winning streaks in the history of college basketball. They had the magnificent and longest winning streak of 111 wins. This streak started in November 2014 with a win against Creighton and ended in March 2017, against Mississippi State when the buzzer-beater at the end of overtime caused a 66-64 loss in the 2017 NCAA Final Four. Although the team has tried to stay healthy with resilient optimism, however, this season the Huskies too have been brushed by the injuries plague. Let’s see how things have been going on with them.

UConn Huskies bogged down with injuries

Although the Huskies are in the winning corner, however, they are also suffering from some serious injuries. Some of the players affected this season include guard Aubrey Griffin, who suffered a torn ACL injury in her left knee during a game against Creighton. Before her injury, she averaged 9.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Also, she was shooting with a field goal percentage of 54.7%.

Then it’s UConn’s forward Ayanna Patterson, who underwent surgery on her left knee to cure the patellar tendonitis that she had developed in high school. As a result, her treatment has ruled her out of this season. Before sitting out of the season, she was averaging 2.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. Moreover, she was shooting with a field goal percentage of 45.8%.

Further, Caroline Ducharme has been grappled with serious neck spasms given she has suffered head and neck injuries throughout her college career. Before being sidelined, Caroline averaged 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game. She was shooting with a field goal percentage of 31.3%.

Now is the turn for the injury sustained by Jana El Alfy. Notably, the freshman center ruptured her Achilles tendon while competing for Egypt at the FIBA U19 World Cup held in Spain. The injury in turn marked another hit to UConn’s program, ruling out Alfy completely this season. However, last season she showcased an outstanding performance, including 32 points and 26 rebounds in U17 New Zealand, and 22 points, and 8 rebounds alongside 4 assists in U17 Korea, to name a few.

Fingers are crossed as these injuries have left this leading program’s championship run in a pickle. There are only three forwards left on UConn’s roster for the rest of the season.

Read More: UConn Huskies Injury Report: How Deep in Trouble Are Paige Bueckers and Co.?

However, among these players, there is one who has made a significant impact on the team’s performance after her injury, the one close to guard Paige Bueckers.

How Paige Bueckers and UConn lost Azzi Fudd to injury

Just when Paige Bueckers had stepped out of her miseries with her return this season, her close friend and teammate Azzi Fudd fell into the same pit. It happened while Azzi was in practice and ended up tearing her ACL and medial meniscus.

Interestingly, her stint with injuries started in high school in 2019 when she tore her ACL. The injury became recurring when she missed 11 games in 2021-22 and again she missed 22 games in the 2022-23 season. Before her injury, she averaged 11 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, and shot with a field goal percentage of 32%.

Disheartened by this news, Fudd’s long-time friend Paige Bueckers said, “Nobody’s going to be Azzi, but we can all do stuff that contributes to filling her void and making sure that we’re accounting for her and doing all the little things,” expressing the hovering low spirits on how the team will handle the season without Fudd.

UConn’s head coach Geno Auriemma too shared his thoughts on Fudd’s season-ending injury in a statement. He said, “We’re all just so upset for Azzi. She worked hard to be healthy for this season, and it’s unfortunate when you put in a lot of hard work and have a setback like this. Azzi loves the game and works tirelessly. I’m confident she’ll rehab with the same work ethic and come back better than ever.”

“We’ll obviously miss her presence on the court, but Azzi will continue to be a great teammate and an important part of this team this season. Our program will support Azzi through her recovery however we can,” he added.

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Despite the injury-plagued roster, the Huskies are still treading on forward like unbeatable warriors, having a little dust-up with a few setbacks.