UConn's Geno Auriemma: Paige Bueckers Will 'Be Fine' After Knee Injury vs. Villanova

Fans of the UConn women's basketball program can breathe a sigh of relief.

While star player Paige Bueckers limped to the locker room and never returned following a collision late in the third quarter of Sunday's 83-52 win over Villanova, head coach Geno Auriemma said on the broadcast that "she's pretty good. … She'll be fine. She looks good. I'm optimistic."

He continued and said, "It's not the worst thing that we can imagine. That's great news, considering how awkward it looked."

The injury cut short an impressive game for the guard, who had 15 points, nine assists, three rebounds and three steals on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.

It should be noted the Huskies were comfortably ahead at the time of Bueckers' injury, so there was no need to rush her back for the rest of Sunday's game. They finished the win with ease and were never threatened after the first half.

UConn is now 13-2 overall and 4-0 in Big East play after the latest win.

It is yet to be threatened in the Big East this season with each of its four victories coming by at least 26 points. Considering the next eight games are against conference opponents that could be overmatched, the Huskies may not look to rush Bueckers back to action.

That is especially true with a Feb. 6 showdown against Tennessee looming after that stretch of Big East games.

UConn is a dominant program that is in national-championship-or-bust mode almost every season, and the 2024-25 campaign is no exception in large part because of the presence of Bueckers.

She is a two-time All-American and two-time Big East Player of the Year with a Naismith Award and Associated Press Player of the Year on her resume. She entered Sunday's game averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from deep.

Bueckers is one of the faces of college basketball and will look to lead the Huskies to the Final Four and beyond if she is healthy, and postgame indications seem to suggest she is despite a scare in Sunday's win over Villanova.