Paige Bueckers' lower knee injury 'a big blow' for UConn basketball
Women's college basketball will be without its brightest star for the next couple of months.
Connecticut sophomore guard Paige Bueckers is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a tibial plateau fracture in her left knee.
The good news for the No. 3 Huskies is that the season is not lost for Bueckers. The bad news is they will have to navigate at least the next two months without the most talented player in women’s college basketball — and it will probably be even longer than that before she is back to her usual self.
What is a tibial plateau fracture?
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Dr. Matt Provencher gives an update on the lower knee injury to Connecticut star Paige Bueckers. "Bueckers suffered a non-surgical Tibial Plateau fracture and will be sidelined for about six to eight weeks. She is one of the best basketball players in the country, and this will be a big blow to the team for the next couple months."
"It is an injury to the lower part of the knee joint at the tibia bone, usually caused by impact, a hyperextension injury, or a direct blow," FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst Dr. Matt Provencher said. "There are different levels of plateau fractures, with some involving surgery, and others needing only non-operative treatment. Bueckers, thankfully, seems to have suffered the latter."
The injury, which came in the final 40 seconds of Connecticut’s 73-54 win over Notre Dame, could potentially be worrisome as this is her second lower-leg injury in nine months — the guard underwent right ankle surgery in April.
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Connecticut's Paige Bueckers left in the second half with a noncontact leg injury.
The sophomore sensation entered this season as the reigning Naismith Player of the Year, Big East Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. She was the heavy favorite to earn each of these honors again as a sophomore and was performing at a high level early in this season. Bueckers leads Connecticut in points (21.2), assists (6.2), steals (2.7) and minutes (36.3).
But postseason awards have become secondary for Bueckers and Connecticut for now, with her health the most important factor for the short term and her future.
Bueckers has some work ahead of her as she begins the recovery process.
"To work her way back, Bueckers will have to work to reduce swelling and pain, and then she'll have to focus on strengthening and stability as the bone heals while keeping her range of motion," Dr. Provencher said.
Even then, she will need additional time to get back into practice, test the leg and be at full strength for game action, Dr. Provencher said, "so I expect several more weeks beyond the initial six to eight weeks of healing time."
Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma released a statement following the announcement of Bueckers' injury.
In the wake of the injury, some have questioned why the star was still on the floor late in an easy Connecticut victory.
In a media conference following the game, Auriemma made it abundantly clear that he prefers Bueckers on the court, even while trying to get her more rest in recent games.
"I don’t like our team without her on the court," Auriemma said. "I mean, I might have to like it if she misses any time, but I don’t like the way our team looks when she’s not on the floor."
Now, the Huskies will have to adapt to life without Bueckers for the foreseeable future while hoping to position themselves for another 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament and perhaps another Final Four run.
Connecticut reached the Final Four last season before falling to Arizona. Despite reaching the Final Four in each of the past four NCAA Tournaments, the Huskies have not won the national championship since 2016, marking their longest drought between championship wins since they went four years without winning a title between 2004 and 2009.
With the estimated timeline of recovery for Bueckers, she could be set to return in mid-January ahead of Connecticut’s rematch with No. 1 South Carolina, whom the Huskies lost to 73-57 in their fourth game this season.
Renowned orthopedist Dr. Matt Provencher and his company, Proven Performance Technology (PPT), deliver data-driven injury insights to football fans. In this first-of-a-kind role as Athlete Injury and Performance Analyst for FOX Sports’ digital platforms, Provencher provides important predictive player health and recovery information about post-injury performance, the impact of weather, field conditions and more.