Huskies fans rejoice, Aubrey Griffin is back! The black clouds of injuries have not left Storrs for some time now. But the fans once again have good news knocking on their doors. The six-foot-one forward for UConn has been cleared to play tonight against Seton Hall. This comes as a sigh of relief for Paige Bueckers and Co, as they are back to full strength again!

Aubrey Griffin suffered a left ACL tear on January 3 last year, ruling her out for the remaining 2024 NCAA season. After months of rehab, she has been allowed to return to the sport competitively. Griffin has been out for 381 days in total. The senior was highly helpful in her four seasons at UConn, putting up about 8 pts and 5 rebounds for her career in limited minutes.

The addition of Aubrey Griffin will be a huge help to Bueckers and Sarah Strong who have been holding down the fort for the Huskies. Strong, a six-ft-two forward, has been very consistent during her freshman season, averaging about 16 points and 8 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers has been conducting business as usual. The star guard has been averaging about 19.5 points per game on extremely efficient shooting.

With Griffin added to the squad, the Huskies look to dominate the paint even more. UConn plays against Seton Hall tonight, hoping to continue their win streak to remain unbeaten in the Big East. While Griffin’s return was very much anticipated, there is one more star athlete in the squad who has experienced her fair share of injury-laden days but continues to grow and dominate. But can she also be a 2x National Player?

Paige Bueckers: 2x NPOY?

Bueckers made a comeback that many injured athletes dream of. After her National Player of the Year award in her freshman season, Paige tore her ACL. Normally, that kind of a tear is very volatile in the way that it is treated, with only a small percentage of athletes returning to sport within a year. But she did it, and she did more than just recover.

After being permitted to return to sport, Paige did the impossible. She carried UConn to the Final Four last year, averaging nearly 22 points per game. Though they suffered a heartbreaking loss to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa, the post-season really showed her mettle as a player.

Her case for NPOY is strong this year as well. If UConn keeps playing the way that they are playing, the Huskies have a genuine shot at making a very deep playoff run once again.

Paige is handling the back-court with ruthless efficiency, and her leadership abilities have developed over her years in college. With this being potentially her last collegiate season, there is a lot we can expect from her.‎ Their last game against St Johns proved that the Huskies can go a long way!

What do you think? Will Bueckers win NPOY for the second time in her career? Will UConn win it all? Only time will tell.