UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers will miss the next 6-8 weeks after suffering a left leg injury over the weekend against Notre Dame. On Tuesday, UConn announced the star sophomore has been diagnosed with a tibial plateau fracture that will keep her sidelined.
Buecker is the reigning Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy recipient.
“Obviously, we’re all extremely disappointed for Paige and that she suffered this injury,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “It would be really hard for me to describe how much basketball means to Paige and how much her teammates mean to her. Her not being able to do the thing that she loves to do, to be there for her teammates, is really difficult for her.
We're all behind you, Paige 💙 pic.twitter.com/ecVLeWwqYZ
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) December 7, 2021
“We’ve had players get injured in the past and my philosophy here is, I’m not interested in how fast we can get someone back; I’m interested in what’s best for them long term. Every decision made will prioritize what’s best for Paige and her career. Everyone involved with this program will be there to support Paige through her healing process.”
A tibial plateau fracture is described as:
A tibial plateau fracture is a break of the larger lower leg bone below the knee that breaks into the knee joint itself. It is rare to only just break the bone. This is an injury that can involve the bone, meniscus, ligaments, muscles, tendons and skin around the knee.
While it is a big loss for the Huskies in the immediate future, the good news is Buecker should be 100 percent healthy by the time March Madness rolls around.
This season, Buecker is averaging 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.