The UConn women's basketball team is about to receive a major boost heading into the final stretch of the season.
The Huskies announced Thursday that Paige Bueckers, the reigning national player of the year, will return to the lineup Friday against St. John's in a Big East showdown.
Already one of the top teams in the country, UConn (20-5, 14-1 Big East) will be getting Bueckers back for the penultimate game of its regular season and just a week from the start of the Big East Tournament. The NCAA women's basketball tournament begins March 18.
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When is Paige Bueckers coming back?
Bueckers will be back in UConn's starting lineup Friday when the Huskies take on St. John's at 7 p.m. ET in Hartford, Conn.
The star guard suffered a tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear in the final minute of a Dec. 5 matchup against Notre Dame. UConn reported that she had surgery to repair the fracture and tear on Dec. 13.
Bueckers was off to a hot start in her sophomore season; she was averaging 21.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game before her injury.
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She burst onto the college basketball scene as a freshman when she averaged 20 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in 29 starts for the Huskies. She became the first freshman in women's college basketball history to win a national player of the year award and the fourth overall, joining Kevin Durant (2007), Anthony Davis (2012) and Zion Williamson (2019). She swept the major women's awards: Wooden Award, Naismith Award, Associated Press Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the Year.
For those hoping to watch Bueckers' return, viewers in the Connecticut, New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania markets can stream the game through the SNY broadcast on NBC Sports. Out-of-market fans can watch the game with a cable subscription by logging onto Fox Sports' website or the Fox Sports app.
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UConn women's basketball remaining schedule
The season is rapidly winding down in college basketball, which adds to the importance of the remaining games on the Huskies' slate.
Here's what is coming up for Geno Auriemma's squad:
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 25 | St. John's | XL Center | 7 p.m. | SNY |
| Feb. 27 | Providence | Gampel Pavilion | 2 p.m. | CBS Sports Network |
Big East Tournament
| Date | Round | Location | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 5 | Quarterfinals | Mohegan Sun Arena | Noon | FS1 |
| March 6 | Semifinals | Mohegan Sun Arena | 3 p.m. | FS1 |
| March 7 | Final | Mohegan Sun Arena | 8 p.m. | FS1 |
NCAA women's basketball tournament
| Dates | Round | Location | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 18-19 | First round | TBD | TBD | ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU |
| March 20-21 | Second round | TBD | TBD | ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU |
| March 25-26 | Regional | Webster Bank Arena | TBD | ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU |
| April 1 | Final Four | Target Center | TBD | ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU |
| April 3 | National championship | Target Center | TBD | ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU |