Geno: Injuries ‘Make You Shake Your Head’
The Story: The women’s basketball team enters the season without junior Paige Bueckers or freshman Ice Brady because of injuries, and Geno Auriemma said that their absences may be punishment for the fact that they went so long without any significant injuries.
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL: The Huskies lost Bueckers to a torn ACL on Aug. 1 and Brady to a dislocated right kneecap last week. Bueckers is, well, Bueckers, so her role was clear, and Brady was expected to provide a post presence off the bench behind junior Aaliyah Edwards and redshirt senior Dorka Juhasz.
• Their injuries happened after UConn was rocked last season by player absences. Bueckers broke her right leg and missed much of the season, Azzi Fudd did not play in 11 games with a foot injury, Aubrey Griffin missed the entire season with ankle and back injuries and Juhasz broke her left wrist in the Elite Eight.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “I think we’re getting punished for … the 10-15 years where nothing happened and it’s almost like now it’s our turn. And again, they’re all just freak things that happen that just you can’t explain why.”
GRIM COMPARISONS: Geno compared the Huskies’ recent rash of injuries to the one that struck in the late 1990s, when Shea Ralph tore an ACL in the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and Nykesha Sales tore an Achilles in the final week of the regular season a year later.
A LONG JOURNEY: Griffin was back on the court for the Huskies’ recent closed-door scrimmage against UMass. “I’m starting to feel like myself again,” she said, acknowledging that she doesn’t feel like she will be a different player than she was in 2020-21, the last time she played a game.
• A 6-foot-1 wing who is known for her defense, athleticism and versatility, Griffin hasn’t played since the Final Four loss to Arizona on April 2, 2021. “That’s a long time to all of a sudden put a basketball in your hand and try to catch up,” Geno said, but he acknowledged that he has high hopes for her return because she’s the only potential shut-down defender the Huskies have.
Men’s Hockey Team Receives Top-10 Vote
The Story: The men’s hockey team continued its season of firsts yesterday when it was ranked No. 8 in the USCHO poll — and received one first-place vote.
THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY? Well, the Huskies sure look like it. At 7-1-1, and 4-1 in Hockey East, they’ve certainly secured their best start in program history. Whether they’re the best in the country is a topic for another day — but hey, at least we can gloat.
• UConn got to this point with a win and a tie against then-No. 11 Ohio State two weekends ago, then split a pair of games at then-No. 9 Boston University the following weekend. It also easily dispatched Boston College on Thursday, winning 5-1 at home against a traditional powerhouse that isn’t having its best season.
• The Huskies aren’t the top-ranked Hockey East team. That honor goes to No. 5 UMass, which also earned a first-place vote and won’t face UConn until a home-and-home weekend series in mid-January. Oddly, they’re not even the top-ranked team in the state, either, with Quinnipiac one spot ahead at No. 7.
• Unfortunately, we don’t know who voted UConn as the best team in the country. The USCHO doesn’t make its votes public. But wherever you are, you know who you are — and you’re a hero.
• Michigan is the No. 1 team in the poll after moving up from No. 4. Denver is No. 2 and Minnesota fell from No. 1 to No. 3 after a weekend split with Ohio State, which is now No. 9.
TVERBERG HONORED: Junior right wing Ryan Tverberg was named the Hockey East Player of the Week yesterday after he scored two goals and had an assist in the win over BC. Tverberg, a Maple Leafs prospect, has a team-high seven goals to go with four assists through nine games.
UP NEXT: UConn will be back in action at home Friday and Saturday with a two-game set against Maine at the XL Center.
Morning Reads
• The football team finalized an agreement to play UMass in each of the next five seasons, with next year’s contest to take place at a neutral site — likely one in the Boston area. As always, you can check out all of the football team’s future schedules on our totally new, totally revamped website. (UConnHuskies.com)
• Andre Drummond is in danger of missing a second consecutive game with a shoulder injury as Bulls coach Billy Donovan said he might not be able to go tonight against the Nets. He missed Saturday’s loss to the 76ers. (K.C. Jones on Twitter)
Top photo: UConn’s Aubrey Griffin shoots during the “First Night” event at Gampel Pavilion. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
