Paige Bueckers out for the 2022-23 season with torn ACL

The Huskies’ superstar will sit out the entire campaign while recovering from her injury.

Ian Bethune

UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers will miss the entire 2022-23 season after tearing the ACL in her left knee, the team announced on Wednesday. The injury occurred during a pickup game on Monday. She’ll undergo surgery at the UConn Health Center on Friday. A timetable for her recovery will be available following the operation.

“We’re all devastated for Paige. She’s worked really hard to get stronger and healthier this offseason, and this is an unfortunate setback,” Geno Auriemma said in a release. “Paige is obviously an amazing basketball player but she’s a better person and teammate and it’s really unfortunate that this has happened to her. We’ll miss her presence on the court, but she’ll do everything she can to still lead and help her teammates this season.”

This is the second major injury Bueckers has suffered in the last year. In Dec. 2021, she suffered a tibial plateau fracture and torn meniscus in her left knee in the final minute of a win over Notre Dame. Bueckers underwent surgery and missed 19 games before returning in late February.

Aside from the devastating personal implications for Bueckers, the injury is also a major blow to UConn’s hopes for next season. The Huskies were expected to be national title contenders with Bueckers back at full health but will now need to lean heavily on a backcourt of junior Nika Mühl, sophomores Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme as well as Fairfield transfer Lou Lopez Sénéchal.