UConn star Paige Bueckers, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, left the team’s 83-52 win over Villanova on Sunday with a left knee injury after a scary collision. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma was “optimistic” that Bueckers escaped a worst-case scenario, but she will need to undergo imaging before a full diagnosis can be made.
“She’s pretty good. I mean, it was unfortunate, the kid dove for the ball and I’m sure people saw. Paige turned her back and it was a weird situation,” Auriemma said. “It’s funny because we had someone at the scorer’s table ready to check in. But she’ll be fine. She looks good. I’m optimistic, let’s put it that way.”
Late in the third quarter, Bueckers dribbled the ball off her own leg and chased after it near mid-court. As she bent down to pick up the ball, Villanova’s Jasmine Bascoe dove for it and rolled up Buecker’s leg, which bent awkwardly. Bueckers grimaced as she rolled around in pain and clutched at her knee. She eventually limped off the floor under her own power and went to the locker room. Though she later returned to the bench, she did not return to the game.
Bueckers, who finished with 15 points, three rebounds, nine assists and three steals in…
