How Paige Bueckers’ injury impacts the UConn Huskies and the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season

UConn Huskies Starguard Paige Bookers Suffering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, she will miss the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season, with ripple effects across the sport.

One of the game’s marquee players, Bueckers is the #1 overall recruit in her 2020 class and has helped UConn reach the women’s Final Four in each of the past two seasons. The Huskies lost the championship game to the South Carolina Gamecocks in Minnesota, home of the Buckers, in April.

The 5-foot-11-inch Bookers, who turns 21 in October, had an amazing freshman season for the Huskies and was named the 2020-21 Consensus National Player of the Year. She underwent surgery on her right ankle after that season, but she is ready to make a comeback for her 2021-22 season. But Buckers was injured near the end of her UConn victory over Notre Dame on December 5, suffering a fractured anterior tibia plateau and a torn lateral meniscus, as well as a left knee. She missed her 19 games and returned in late February.

Bookers averaged 20.0 points and 4.9 assists in his freshman year and 14.6 points and 4.0 assists in his sophomore year. We’ll see how Bookers’ injury affects the Huskies and the national championship race this season.

How will Bueckers’ injury affect UConn in the 2022-23 season, and what adjustments will the Huskies make without her in the lineup?

The team, which won the national championship four months ago with a single win, will undoubtedly face a tougher battle as they seek to return to the Final Four for the 15th time in a row. Lose 3 WNBA draft picks – Olivia Nelson-OdodaChristine Williams, Evina Westbrook, the first two were three-year starters and four-year starters, respectively. But Buckers’ absence removes an exceptional point guard and passer, an astounding shooter and team leader from a program that has gone the longest without a national title since winning its first championship in 1995.

The Huskies are now down to four healthy backcourt players. Aji Fad,Sophomore caroline ducharmJunior Nika Muhl Transferred to Fairfield Graduate School Lou Lopez-SenechalAnd only the Mules are true point guards.

UConn once played with just three healthy guards last season as Fudd and Bookers were sidelined for several months. It’s not out of the question that something like that could happen in 2022-23 if Husky suffers more unfortunate injuries. Also, Ducharme was freed from an offseason hip injury, and Fudd, while trying to fully recover from a leg injury that hampered most of his freshman year, has limited depth. Please also note that I participated in team training as much as possible.

The Mule have shined defensively the past two seasons, but they need to deliver more reliable points than ever with strong decision-making and foul-free play. (And who will be the backup point guard? Fudd?) Ducharme, who helped carry the team when Fudd and Bookers were away, is a go-to option, as he did during the aforementioned stretch. You should immediately reassert yourself as a

And then there’s Fudd, Buecker’s best friend and fellow overall recruit. With so many veterans graduating and Buckers out, Fudd has more offensive responsibilities than expected as he hopes it will be his first full and healthy season at the Storrs. If she wants to achieve many of the same goals this season, she needs to emerge as a superstar immediately, so many are expecting her to end up.

The Huskies aren’t left without a strong performer in 2022-23, but without a player like Buckers who not only has individual talent but betters his teammates, the Huskies’ ceiling is significantly lower. — Philippaw

How far will UConn fall in the preseason polls?

In the latest ESPN Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings on June 14, the Huskies were in second place behind defending champions South Carolina. The Stanford Cardinals, Tennessee Lady Vols and Texas Longhorns round out the top five. Bookers is clearly a key component to the team, but the Huskies played without her for almost three months last season. No need to adapt.

Still, the Husky would probably be out of the top five. For now, that’s a reasonable place for UConn, considering the Huskies have also lost veterans Williams, Westbrook and Nelson-Ododa — sixth or seventh. Forpel

UConn will play in either Texas, North Carolina, Duke, Notre Dame, Iowa or Oregon during the first month of the season. How will the Husky emerge from that schedule?

The Huskies nearly beat Louisville without Fudd and Buckers last season, and successfully beat Tennessee without Buckers, so it’s not out of the question to be able to compete against quality teams without Buckers. It wouldn’t be shocking if the slate at the beginning of the year looked somewhat similar to what 2021-22 looks like. But as the season progressed, they found more rhythm, independent of Bookers’ return.

The team has to basically reinvent themselves without Williams, Nelson Ododa, Westbrook and Bookers, so the timing is right, at least when it comes to their highest level of competition, which is focused on the first month of the season. Not exactly on their side… UConn will probably know more by February 5’s rematch for the national title against South Carolina State. Philippaw

How will Bookers’ injury affect his national championship races this season?

UConn advanced to their 14th straight Final Four last season with a spectacular regional final win against North Carolina State University. Many thought the streak would end last year as confidence in the Huskies waned while the Bookers were out. But as soon as she got back, they seemed to get back on track quickly.

It’s a different story this season without Bookers.The Gamecocks return to last season’s National Player of the Year Aaliyah Bostonwould be a repeat very strong pick and would be the top team in the SEC (although Tennessee could be a challenger).

2021 champions Stanford can always reload quickly after losing manpower. It will be the same this season with the loss of the guard. Lexi Hull, Lacey Hull, Anna Wilson.with a star like hayley jones When Cameron Brink Back and add another 6-7 Lauren Betts and the Cardinals are favorites in the championship hunt. Both Tennessee and Texas got a lot of talent from transfer portals, as did Louisville, North Carolina, and LSU. Both Iowa and Iowa State have shown plenty of talent from last season and should be among the top teams in their respective conferences.

UConn’s last of 11 NCAA titles was in 2016, and the absence of Bueckers makes it more likely that the drought will continue. But even with Buckers healthy, it was already going to be a very competitive group of most likely contenders. Forpel

How will this affect the 2023 WNBA Draft that Buckers qualified for? do you want?

Bookers will be 22 in October 2023, so he could be out of college early and into the 2023 draft. WNBA rules stipulate that any player who turns 22 in the same calendar year of the draft is eligible, even if she is not a senior.

However, Bookers has previously said he has no plans to participate in this upcoming draft. She’s one of the top players profitable in name, image, and likeness deals, and frankly, UConn’s association with its brand name is greater than any WNBA team.

With the NIL opportunity allowing Bookers to take full advantage of her popularity in college basketball with the Huskies, most people expect her to play the next two college seasons and enter the 2024 draft. and she indicated that that was also her plan. .

After just three seasons with UConn after losing the 2022-23 season, is Buckers still in the 2024 draft? If she wants to do all four seasons in college, we won’t see her until the 2025 draft. She has expressed her strong desire to win her national championship, so that can also be taken into account. Forpel