The University of Connecticut and Big East rivals announced last Wednesday that women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers will miss the entire 2022-23 season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee. 

“It’s so crazy because you work so hard to get back healthy, you feel stronger than ever, and you are playing your best basketball and with one sudden movement it all shifts,” Bueckers wrote in a statement on Instagram. “It’s hard trying to make sense of it all now but I can’t help but think God is using me as a testimony as to how much you can overcome with him by your side.”

The Blue Demons will miss out on facing Bueckers for a second consecutive season.

Bueckers, 20, last season averaged 14.6 points, four rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Prior to her injury, Bueckers was projected to be a top three pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. 

Bueckers missed the remaining 34 games last season after suffering a non-contact knee injury against Notre Dame, resulting in a tibial plateau fracture in her left knee. She injured her left knee yet again but this time around, the injury is believed to have occured in a pickup basketball game, the school said in a statement.

DePaul has only secured one win all-time against UConn, so it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how much of an impact losing Bueckers has on Doug Bruno and the Blue Demons. The Huskies have always played the Blue Demons tough, with or without Bueckers in the lineup.

Bueckers ended up playing against DePaul twice during her freshman season and helped contribute to two UConn victories. During their matchups, she averaged 20 points, 6.5 rebounds and six assists per game while shooting an outlandish 69% from beyond the arc.

The expectations for the Blue Demons remain high. But with or without Bueckers on the court this upcoming season, the Huskies should continue being the favorites in the Big East Conference.