SAD NEWS: UCONN Paige Bueckers Collapses After Big East Conference Race

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Paige Bueckers injury history: Timeline of UConn guard’s journey from ACL tear to Sweet 16

Paige Bueckers has long been one of college basketball’s biggest stars.

The UConn guard exploded on the scene as a freshman, earning a litany of awards from the Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year, and USBWA Player and Freshman of the Year, among countless others. She averaged 20.0 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game as she helped power the Huskies to the Final Four.

But college basketball was missing the standout guard for much of the past two seasons. Between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, she played in only 17 combined games.

Bueckers is back healthy for the 2023-24 season, and she’s returned to full form, averaging 21.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from 3-point range. And with her return to play, the Huskies are back to the Sweet 16 and looking to keep their magical March rungoing.

How did Bueckers go from back-to-back injuries to a healthy 2023-24 campaign? Here’s what you need to know.

Paige Bueckers injury history

Bueckers went into her sophomore season with lofty expectations, and through the first six games of the season, she was off to a blazing start. But during the Huskies’ Dec. 5, 2021, win against Notre Dame, Bueckers sustained a tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear in the final minute of the game.

The Huskies announced she repaired the fracture and tear on Dec. 13, 2021, which would keep her out for an extended period of time. Bueckers wound up making her return to the court on Feb. 25, 2022, against St. John’s, scoring eight against the Red Storm.

Over the rest of the season, Bueckers made seven starts in 11 total games, and she averaged 11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. She began to get more comfortable as the season progressed, averaging 15.2 points per game during the Huskies’ six-game NCAA Tournament run to the national championship, including scoring 27 against NC State in the Elite EDec.