Less than an hour after the news of Paige Bueckers’ season-ending injury broke Wednesday, the name “Paige” was already trending on Twitter.

Fans, coaches and players offered their support to the UConn star after the program announced the rising junior had torn her ACL during a pick-up basketball game and would miss the 2022-23 season in its entirety.

Social media made it abundantly clear in a matter of minutes just how important Bueckers is to the game as a whole.

But of course, no one will miss her as much as the Huskies.

“We’re all devastated for Paige,” head coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “She’s worked really hard to get stronger and healthier this offseason, and this is an unfortunate setback. Paige is obviously an amazing basketball player but she’s a better person and teammate and it’s really unfortunate that this has happened to her. We’ll miss her presence on the court, but she’ll do everything she can to still lead and help her teammates this season. Our program will support Paige through her healing process to help her come back better and stronger.”

Last season provided an example of the stark contrast between UConn with Bueckers and UConn without Bueckers. And this time around, the Huskies don’t have experienced players like Christyn Williams, Olivia Nelson-Ododa or Evina Westbrook to help soften the blow.

When Bueckers injured her knee during a win over Notre Dame on Dec. 5, 2021, the Huskies sputtered, losing to Georgia Tech, Louisville, Oregon and Villanova. The loss to the Wildcats was UConn’s first conference defeat since 2013. When Bueckers returned in February, the Huskies surprised many by advancing all the way to the national championship game, where they lost to South Carolina, 64-49.

Losing Bueckers in the middle of the season proved to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, UConn suffered uncharacteristic losses without the dynamic guard. But on the other, the rest of the team got stronger in her absence, and that depth was a useful tool down the stretch of the NCAA Tournament.

This time, things are different. The Huskies have more time to make adjustments, but their personnel is limited and young.

UConn returns junior forward Aaliyah Edwards, defensive stopper Nika Mühl, second-year grad student Dorka Juhász and 2021 No. 1 recruit Azzi Fudd.

Sophomore Caroline Ducharme, the No. 5 recruit in her class, also returns after making the most of an increased role as the 2021-22 season progressed.

From there, the roster consists of two freshmen, Ice Brady and Ayanna Patterson; sophomore Amari DeBerry, who averaged 6.2 minutes a game last season; Fairfield grad transfer Lou Lopez Senechal; and redshirt junior Aubrey Griffin, who missed last season with a back injury.

That’s a lot of unknowns. UConn doesn’t generally go through growing pains like other teams do to start seasons, but the perennial powerhouse is entering a new era. Beyond established players like Fudd, Edwards and Juhász, the team will rely on others taking big jumps in 2022-23. That list of potential breakout players starts with Ducharme and Griffin.

Ducharme played consistent minutes last season when Bueckers went down with the knee injury, posting four 20-plus point games, including a career-high 28 against St. John’s in January. By season’s end, Ducharme looked confident for the Huskies, averaging 9.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The Massachusetts native came to UConn as a capable scorer, finishing her high school career with 2,092 points despite missing most of her freshman and sophomore seasons due to injury.

CAROLINE. DUCHARME. pic.twitter.com/SSTNDDpkec

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) January 27, 2022

“She’s not afraid of the moments,” Auriemma told reporters after Ducharme’s performance against St. John’s. “She just plays. A silver lining, right? Who would have thought that she’d be doing this? Nobody gets hurt, everything stays the way it is, maybe she doesn’t get an opportunity to play this many minutes. We knew she was good, but we found out that she’s really, really good.”

The Huskies will need her to be even better this season.

Griffin is more of an unknown after undergoing back surgery in January and missing the entire 2021-22 season, but she’s also a versatile player with big upside. A five-star recruit in 2019, the athletic 6-foot-1 wing dominated during her senior year at Ossining Senior High School, averaging 28.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

Griffin played in all 32 games as a freshman at UConn, coming off the bench to average 6.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, she posted similar numbers while also making her way into the starting lineup five times.

Meanwhile, Fudd, Edwards and Juhász — the three returners who played the most minutes last season — will serve as the team’s core. Fudd, who was named to the 2022 Big East All-Freshman Team, will likely be called upon to lead the Huskies offensively, and her average of 12.1 points per game should increase.

She’s also the most obvious choice to take over at point guard.

Bueckers boasted a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio last year and spent significant time with the ball in her hands. Her absence in the point guard spot may be where the Huskies miss her most.

Last season, Westbrook and Williams took on those duties with Bueckers out, with Mühl serving as another alternative. But the 2022 Big East Defensive Player of the Year is more effective on the other end of the court, so Auriemma likely won’t turn to her regularly unless he has no other options.

UConn will also need to find an on-court leader to take over for Bueckers, but don’t expect her to go silent. Just like last season, she’ll continue to be vocal and lead her team from the sideline. That’s one sure thing in a season of unknowns.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

Every week on Sports Are Fun!, soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist and basketball expert Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes all things women's sports. And in today's episode, the crew is joined by his week, the crew is joined in the studio by two-time Olympic diver — and Stanford Cardinal alum — Kassidy Cook.

Of course, the co-hosts waste no time in getting down to the biggest conversations in women's sports. And this time of year, that can only mean one thing: March Madness.

"Some would say this is the most exciting Sunday in women's sports," says O'Hara, kicking off a deep dive in the college basketball's fast-approaching Selection Sunday. "Based on this weekend and season overall, who are your number one seeds? Up for discussion we've got Texas, USC, UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame. What are we saying?"

"I'm a little worried about Notre Dame. Going into the season, I was expecting them to have an elite season," Diaz admits. "But losing to Duke? Bro. They do have a great coach, but Notre Dame on paper should have won that game."

"I think UT is still going to get a number one seed," says Cook. "Throughout the year they've had the number one seed. And even though they lost, I'm going to say South Carolina because they just won. And I'm going to say USC because they're a powerhouse. Then UCLA because their only two losses were to USC."

"I want to say UConn as well, because out of the top teams, they are the underdog of that list. I would love to see them walk away with it," Cook adds. "And like you guys said last week, Paige Bueckers doesn't have a championship yet, right?

The co-hosts additionally tackle the NWSL Challenge Cup, the likelihood of a WNBA lockout, Trinity Rodman and Ben Shelton soft launch, and so much more!

'Sports Are Fun!' announces Final Four live show in Tampa

In between hot takes, the Sports Are Fun! team also shared some big news.

JWS is heading to Tampa! Get ready for a live recording of Sports Are Fun! with Kelley O'Hara on Thursday, April 3rd ahead of the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

This exclusive event only adds to the madness of March Madness. There, O'Hara, Greydy Diaz, Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ bring interactive moments, surprise guests, and behind-the-scenes access to the biggest weekend in college basketball.

“There’s never been a better time to be a women’s sports fan, and I couldn’t be more excited to bring Sports Are Fun! to Tampa during the Final Four,” says O’Hara. “The energy around this weekend is going to be electric, and we’re giving fans a front-row seat to be part of it.”

Tickets are $20 and include a complimentary drink and JWS party favor. Get yours now.

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

WSL side Manchester City parted ways with manager Gareth Taylor on Monday, just five days before the club faces table-leaders Chelsea in Saturday’s League Cup final — and nine days before they meet Chelsea once again in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.

In his nearly five years at the helm, Taylor led Man City to an overall 117-15-29 record, picking up the 2020 FA Cup and 2022 League Cup along the way.

Taylor departs just one year into a three-year contract renewal with the club.

"Manchester City prides itself on competing at the top of the WSL and on its outstanding record of qualifying for European competition," said Man City managing director Charlotte O'Neill in a club statement. "Unfortunately, results this season have so far not reached this high standard."

Former City coach Nick Cushing — who led the team from 2013 to 2020 — will take over interim manager duties for the remainder of the season.

Taylor’s dismissal follows a number of big-name WSL coaching changes, with Arsenal’s Jonas Eidevall and Liverpool’s Matt Beard both exiting the league this season.

Eidevall has since taken over as head coach for the NWSL’s San Diego Wave.

Despite rumblings that Taylor could follow suit and fill the vacancy with the Wave’s SoCal rival Angel City, those rumors appear to be overblown.

Manchester City still in the hunt for non-WSL titles

Sitting 12 points behind Chelsea with just six matchdays left in their 2024/25 season, fourth-place Man City's WSL title hopes have dimmed. However, they remain very much in the running for the League Cup, FA Cup, and Champions League honors.

That said, the Citizens are staring down an unusually demanding gauntlet against one of the world’s top clubs this month.

After facing Chelsea in Saturday's League Cup final and next week's Champions League quarterfinals, City will again take on the Blues in a March 23rd regular-season matchup before wrapping up the pair's two-leg Champions League quarters on March 27th.

Ultimately, the pressure for top WSL teams to properly challenge Chelsea’s years-long dominance is mounting — and some coaches appear to be bearing the brunt of those ambitions.

The buzzer sounded on the eight-week regular season of Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball on Monday, as the inaugural league bids farewell to two teams who failed to advance to the four-squad playoffs.

Both the Mist and Phantom BC fell below the four-team cutoff line, eliminating each club from playoff contention and sending superstars like Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart and Phantom center Brittney Griner home.

Neither team fully found their rhythm in 3×3 play, with both struggling out of the gate to ultimately take the longest to register their first wins in the offseason league.

That said, while the Phantom's elimination was clear-cut, the Mist fell from the playoffs on what was arguably a technicality.

Locked together with Vinyl BC on the Unrivaled table, the final postseason spot came down to multiple tiebreakers. With head-to-head records being equal at 1-1, the final semifinal spot went to the team with the better record against the other three playoff teams — the Lunar Owls, Rose BC, and Laces.

The Vinyl's 3-6 record against that trio edged the Mist's 2-7 record — though one of those three Vinyl victories came from a February forfeit by the injury-laden Laces.

That stat booked Rhyne Howard and the No. 4-seed Vinyl a semifinal matchup with co-founder Napheesa Collier and the top-seeded Lunar Owls, a team that blasted through the season to finish with five more wins than any other club.

After clinching the No. 2 seed, Rose BC — the only team to defeat the Lunar Owls all season — will battle Kayle McBride's No. 3-seed Laces in the second single-elimination semifinal. That said, Rose may be without star Angel Reese, who exited Monday's regular-season finale after re-injuring her wrist.

How to watch the 2025 Unrivaled 3x3 Basketball semifinals

The four squads still standing tip off Unrivaled's first-ever playoffs on Sunday, March 16th, setting the stage for Monday's championship game.

The first semifinal between the Rose and Laces will begin at 7:30 PM ET, immediately followed by the Vinyl's battle against the Lunar Owls.

Sunday's semifinals will air live on TNT.

ESPN’s women's college basketball coverage has exploded across the broadcast giant's platforms, with regular-season viewership 3% up from last year’s record-breaking run and 41% up from 2022/23.

ESPN reports that 2024/25’s overall ratings were their highest since the 2008/09 season, with 2.9 billion minutes of live women's college basketball games consumed.

While this year’s regular-season peaks outdrew last year’s top matchups, ESPN also saw significant growth in steady viewership.

Across the 87 games the broadcaster aired, each game averaged 280,000 viewers, with a record-breaking 15 games drawing over 500,000 viewers.

Due to network partnership deals, ESPN is still missing the rights to Big Ten coverage, while the SEC continues to pull in the heaviest numbers.

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Flagship channels see top women's college basketball viewership

The company's flagship networks also saw significant individual ratings growth in their NCAA women's basketball coverage. Games on ESPN drew an average of 511,000 fans, for an increase of 13% over last season's coverage on the network.

Even more, the three games the broadcaster upgraded to ABC gave the channel an average of 1.3 million viewers, for an overall increase of 120% over 2023/24 games.

ABC also the regular season's two biggest audiences.

Just one week after ESPN broke the 1 million viewer mark with then-No. 4 Texas' upset win over No. 2 South Carolina, ABC's February 16th UConn vs. South Carolina plus Texas vs. LSU shattered double-header that stat.

Then-No. 5 UConn’s 87-58 blowout of the reigning national champion Gamecocks attracted the season’s biggest audience, garnering an average of 1.8 million viewers with a peak of 2.2 million.

Texas’s 65-58 victory over the then-No. 7 Tigers snagged the 2024/25 season's second-biggest audience, peaking at 2.3 million viewers while drawing an average of 1.7 million fans.

Besides leading this season's ratings, those two blockbuster matchups registered as the third and fourth highest regular-season women's college basketball viewership in ESPN's history.