What is the latest on Paige's recovery?

[hoopsfan22]

If the bone is fully healed, then there is no risk of reinjury beyond what it would be at any point in the future.

But how do you know it's fully healed other than sufficient time? What if she goes out there and then in the middle of some random game against say Xavier there's a crack and she re-injures it? I think that is the fear of coming back too soon.

 

[CocoHusky]

But how do you know it's fully healed other than sufficient time? What if she goes out there and then in the middle of some random game against say Xavier there's a crack and she re-injures it? I think that is the fear of coming back too soon.

Same as if it was you who broke your leg. A doctor would take some X-rays to see if it is fully healed, ask you if you are having any discomfort, & have you run around for a while before pronouncing you healthy.

 

[Next 12]

Didn't Morgan Tuck play with a brace on her leg for more than a year. She did quite well with it. I also remember how glad it felt when she took it off for good.

 

[Carnac]

If it was up to me, I'd leave her out until the last couple of games of the regular season.
Use those games plus the BE tourney to get her up to speed and to get the team to
readjust (yet again) to having her in the lineup. Then we're ready to go for the big dance.
I'm just a little nervous about bringing her back too soon and risking reinjury.

My biggest concern whenever she returns is that she does not reinjure the leg. That would be catastrophic on many levels. I know the coaches are not rushing her back. I hope her teammates aren’t either. Perhaps the last 2-3 games would be soon enough to prepare for the tournaments. Of course she would have had several practice sessions before that as well.

 

[Geew1992]

She also had a meniscus tear which was repaired

 

[CocoHusky]

Didn't Morgan Tuck play with a brace on her leg for more than a year. She did quite well with it. I also remember how glad it felt when she took it off for good.

Morgan tuck began her UCONN career wearing a knee brace to help her recover from a knee injury sustained while in HS which caused her to drop from being the #1 player in the class. She wore the brace for her entire freshman season. She would continue to wear the brace for the few games she played in her Sophomore season before being shut down permanently. When she resumed playing she wore the brace her entire Junior season and most of her senior season. She took the brace off right before the start of the AAC tournament of her senior season. In summary Morgan Tuck played 9 games at UCONN without some kind of knee brace.

 

[Alydar]

But how do you know it's fully healed other than sufficient time? What if she goes out there and then in the middle of some random game against say Xavier there's a crack and she re-injures it? I think that is the fear of coming back too soon.

And she could re-injure the leg stepping off a curb on the way to a class so she should only practice and sit in her room? But she could get hurt in practice so none of that. Or better, why not sit her until her class graduates?

Her tibia was not cracked, it was a bone bruise which means there was no fracture.

 

[mbr33ct]

UConn originally said her recovery time would be eight weeks (not two months) - which would have her potentially back on February 8th. Of course things could change in either direction.

Thanks for that, I went by the attached link...

The injury, known as a tibial plateau fracture, was expected to take six to eight weeks to heal on its own.
But the school said Tuesday that she also suffered a lateral meniscus tear when she was hurt and that both injuries were repaired during the surgery.
Bueckers’ recovery is expected to take two months from the date of surgery, the school said.

 

[Skeets]

I would more likely bet that the "fast one" Azzi played on DePaul was more intended to be on South Carolina.

Now that I think about it, you could very well be right.

 

[ucbart]

I mean-did you see her jumping around during the DePaul game. It gave me equal amounts of hope and anxiety.

 

[oldhusky]

Azzi is cautious. It may have been that she was cleared by staff a few days ago. I hope Paige doesn't play against Tennessee. No need to push it. Bring her back the last game of the regular season.

I wonder if caution with Azzi and perhaps with Nika was because they had been playing with nagging injuries early in the season that wouldn't go away. Not taking the necessary time then to fully recover then might have been a mistake, so this time they erred on the side of caution.

I have been critical of many players performance this year with and without Paige, but because Uconn provides few details, some may be playing with physical issues we don't know about. As I recall neither Azzi or Nika were described as having a specific injury that had just happened in a recent game or practice. I obviously don't know, but it suggests they may have just decided they had to give it a rest and they were hampered playing hurt early in the year.

Nika has looked better after her return, same for Azzi, and Azzi had one game before sitting out where she had trouble staying with the players she was guarding, maybe that helped make the decision. I think many commented during her summer games that she seemed very un-aggressive and passive offensively which might have been because of the same nagging injury.

Hopefully those issues are behind them for good now, but regardless I think Uconn will provide little information about injuries. If Paige was shooting for a Tennessee return they would probably keep that secret too, hoping Tennessee would not game-plan for her, and if we do have players that will play in a game but be hampered by an injury, they would prefer the opponent doesn't know about it.

As fans we are dying to know status, as are the reporters, but outside or the team's inner circle, most of us are like Uconn's opponents, on a need to not know basis.

 

[AmeriConn]

I kinda wondered if Geno “pulled a fast one” on Bruno by seemingly indicating that Azzi wasn’t ready to do much. Then, after the game he said she hit 25 straight shots in practice. So might he be intentionally staying quiet of Paige’s status? Are there any rules that a team must disclose a players status?

The big mystery is would Azzi and CW have played against South Carolina.

 

[Centerstream]

The big mystery is would Azzi and CW have played against South Carolina.

If they played against DePaul, why wouldn't they play against SC? I'm confused.

 

[Golden Husky]

The gambling angle is interesting. If you're a bettor, you should bet on rumors and conjecture. If the rumor is correct (someone who was supposed to play doesn't or someone who was thought to be on the sideline does play) you've gained an edge on the line. If the rumor turns out to be incorrect, then you've played the game at a fair (Las Vegas odds) price. At least, that's what professional gamblers explained to me when I covered sports betting in another life.

For those of us on The Boneyard, none of this is as important as Paige's complete recovery.

 

[eebmg]

The big mystery is would Azzi and CW have played against South Carolina.

My feeling is CW would have played but I think Geno might have been too concerned having Azzi's first return to be against SC which went right after her defensively last game. Depaul was the right place to debut, not too hard, not too soft, just right.

 

[CTisballers]

Let her rest for the next couple games we should win without her and if she’s ready use her for the Tennessee game.

 

[FairView]

My feeling is CW would have played but I think Geno might have been too concerned having Azzi's first return to be against SC which went right after her defensively last game. Depaul was the right place to debut, not too hard, not too soft, just right.

So you're saying it was a Goldilocks kind of game for Azzi?

 

[eebmg]

So you're saying it was a Goldilocks kind of game?

Pigtails and all.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Just come back in March and make us the best #5 seed in Women's NCAA Tournament history.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Just come back in March and make us the best #5 seed in Women's NCAA Tournament history.

There is no chance at all of UConn dropping to a number five. I think a three seed is likely.

 

[oldude]

There is no chance at all of UConn dropping to a number five. I think a three seed is likely.

I will suggest another possibility. If UConn beats TN on 2/7, runs the table in the BE and has a healthy Paige back in the lineup, there is a good possibility the Huskies secure a 2-seed, with a possible spot in the Bridgeport region.

Of course that would require a number of teams ahead of UConn to stumble. But in this year of upsets, that’s definitely possible, particularly if UConn takes down TN.

 

[MilfordHusky]

A 5-seed has to go on the road for games 1 and 2 and would play a tough 4-seed (think Iowa, Maryland, or Baylor) at their place. Not likely to happen, but nothing I would want.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I will suggest another possibility. If UConn beats TN on 2/7, runs the table in the BE and has a healthy Paige back in the lineup, there is a good possibility the Huskies secure a 2-seed, with a possible spot in the Bridgeport region.

Of course that would require a number of teams ahead of UConn to stumble. But in this year of upsets, that’s definitely possible, particularly if UConn takes down TN.

See the seeding thread. I looked at the schedules for teams ahead of us, and I see several of them losing 2 more games. In particular, Maryland, Iowa, and Baylor could be spoilers and knock off Indiana, Michigan, Texas, and Iowa State.