BAD TIMING! This is what’s hovering over the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team players. To elaborate, one by one, the Huskies are going down with season-ending injuries, hence putting the program’s championship run in jeopardy. Despite Paige Bueckers’ return, there is a toll pending on the Huskies’ end to fate.

With another Husky down, let’s see what Paige has to say about the upcoming WNBA draft and the Huskies’ current situation.

Paige Bueckers – the redshirted UConn Husky

Talking to the ESPN reporters, this is what the 2021 National Player of the Year said, “It’s not about teams in the draft….it’s all about me loving playing here, me loving my teammates and wanting to get more experiences and more time with the team and more time in the program. And so that’s I think the deciding factor,” on whether she will declare for the WNBA draft.

So far, 5 players have faced the same fate of sitting down for the rest of the season given their injuries. These players include UConn guard Azzi Fudd who tore her right ACL and medial meniscus during a practice session on 14th November, 2023.

The next injury came when sophomore Ayanna Patterson underwent surgery in December 2023, for the ongoing patellar tendonitis in her knee. Jana El Alfy, the redshirt freshman was already sitting out this season when she ruptured her Achilles tendon in July. However, the most recent one occurred with Aubrey Griffin. During UConn’s matchup against Creighton on 3rd January 2024 when she suffered a torn ACL in her left knee.

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Another injury registered early into the season was of Caroline Ducharme. The shooting guard has been sitting out due to neck and back issues with no definite timeline for her return. However, these injuries sustained, yet painful, still couldn’t stand in the way of the program to continue its journey of the championship run.

The Huskies staying resilient

Despite that, up until now, the Huskies have been performing with utmost resilience. The Huskies have a current record of 13-3, 5-0 in the Big East. Notably, in their impressive 94-50 win over Creighton, the Huskies kickstarted the game by making 11 0f 14 shots in the first quarter. Paige Bueckers led the team with 24 points, and Aaliyah Edwards scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds, registered her 6th double-double in seven games. Moreover, freshmen Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold contributed 18 and 17 points to UConn’s victory.

Similarly, in another matchup against Providence, the Huskies beat them up with a score of 85-41. Freshmen Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold scored 17 and 16 points, along with 8 steals. UConn’s collectively made a season-high 20 steals. Moreover, Paige Bueckers hooped 13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

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If the Huskies kept moving in the same way with the injuries at hand, then there is a good chance they might reach their destination before the others. However, still, it will be the final showdown that will decide who wins this year’s national championship.