3 Things Paige Bueckers’ UConn Huskies Are Doing Wrong This NCAA Season to Add to Their Injury Woes

The University of Connecticut Huskies are placed at the 7th position in the Big East. They have a poor 5-3 tally and have been defeated by all the major teams including the NC State Wolfpack, the Texas Longhorns, and the UCLA Bruins. Apart from losing important games, they have also injured their star player Azzi Fudd.

Under such grave conditions, fans reckon, it is quite necessary for the Huskies to analyse their game once again if they are to make a comeback in the tournament. A lot of things are not working in their favor right now but they need to consider three most important points to reform their game.

Paige Bueckers is not the most adaptable player

Their star player Paige Bueckers has her own limitations in the game. She isn’t the best player when it comes to tackling two or three defenders at the same time. She believes a lot in less dribble and more shooting whereas the current circumstances sometimes push her to dribble a lot before planning to make a shot.

Her game doesn’t involve trying to make it to the free throw line and battling for space or using her agility to get in the lane. Bueckers could only pot 13 points in the extensive 35 minutes she played against the Texas Longhorns.

She had a lackluster 4-for-11 in the field goal tally. During the first half, Bueckers could only basket 5 points in the 5 attempts she had made while her team was given a lead of 14 points. If things continue the same, then the Huskies will have one of the most difficult seasons in their program history. 

Relying too much on one person

The team is relying too much on one player – Paige Bueckers. The Minnesota-born has become the chief player after their shooting guard Azzi Fudd’s injury. But Bueckers has always thrived only when the entire team has supported her.

She is not quite the one person show that the Huskies expect her to be at this time. In fact, she depends a lot on teamwork and raises her team’s chances of winning when every player contributes their own part.

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However, currently, she is forced to go into takeover mode and is the main playmaker as well as the ball handler. The Huskies have been wrestling with turnovers and unintentional miscues. The other players on their roster should amp up their performance if they want Bueckers to make anything of the remaining games collectively.

Decreased Assists

Buecker’s assists have decreased drastically. While she averaged a decent 5.7 assists during her freshman year, right now she has a meager 2.9 assists per game. And this is not only the condition of Bueckers but of other players too at the University of Connecticut.

Overall, the Uconn’s assists have declined from 20.4 per season to 15.6 in the current NCAA season. The assist rate has gone from 63.7% to 53.4%. They are unable to move the ball as per their wishes and are facing issues in identifying the gaps in their rival’s defense.

Their offense is not the same as it used to be. Their offense is so weak at the moment that the opponents have only to stop Bueckers and their forward Aaliyah Edwards who are the only two players for the UConn who have a double-digit points average. A

And once the other teams are able to trap these two then the game becomes a cakewalk for them since their defense also becomes quite penetrable then.

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If the UConn plan on winning the upcoming games they will have to take care of these three points and make amends as soon as possible.