It’s a next-up mentality for the Huskies until Paige Bueckers returns.
Great college basketball teams are defined by how they navigate adversity and UConn women’s basketball team is no stranger to that after the last few injured-plagued seasons. The Huskies will now be tested again as it navigates a stretch without superstar Paige Bueckers, who is out with a knee sprain she suffered against Villanova on Jan. 5.
The team played its first game without Bueckers on Wednesday night, promptly handling Xavier by a whopping 54 points. Freshman phenom Sara Strong tallied another complete effort, scoring 15 points, grabbing seven rebounds and swiping five steals. Azzi Fudd led the team with 23 points while freshman Allie Ziebell contributed 17 — a season-high that more than doubled her previous best of seven points.
UConn has plenty of experience stepping up in the place of injured teammates.
“Except for the freshman, these guys have played without people their whole career,” head coach Geno Auriemma said following the Xavier win. “So they take (Paige’s injury) in stride. There was no looking around in practice, there was no hesitancy or apprehension. There was no, ‘Let’s look to Paige, where is she?’”
Still, not every team on the Huskies’ schedule will be as hapless as the Musketeers, who lost their 46th straight Big East game on Wednesday. That means Auriemma and his staff will have to rely on their depth to replace the production they would usually get from Bueckers.
UConn has always prided itself on its ability to recruit complete players — players who can get it done on both sides of the ball. As the team’s depth comes to the forefront, Auriemma is confident the Huskies have a group of players he can trust.
“Having depth is — in and of itself — a good thing. Having quality is a great thing. Having trustworthy players is the ultimate (thing),” he said.
It helps that the Huskies aren’t expecting any single player to replace Bueckers (even if Fudd can do a pretty good impression). Instead, they’re going to need a collective effort to fill the void.
“Everyone knew that we were missing everything that (Bueckers) brings, so everyone had to step up and bring a little bit more than they usually do,” Fudd said postgame versus Xavier. “It held us more accountable to do that tonight.”