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Who are the UConn Huskies without Paige Bueckers?

Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Mir McLean, Christyn Williams and Caroline Ducharme will all get more playing time and responsibilities in Bueckers’ absence. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Shortly after Paige Bueckers went down with a non-contact injury in the final minute of UConn’s Dec. 5 home game against Notre Dame while leading by 18 points, Geno Auriemma told reporters Bueckers was still in the game partly because “she’s a pain in the ass to have on the bench because all she does is complain about why she’s not playing.” But he also admitted, “I don’t like our team without her on the court.”

One week and two Bueckers-less games later, an ugly loss followed by an uplifting win, we’ve gotten a glimpse of who UConn is without their star player. The Huskies’ 57-44 loss to Georgia Tech was the first time since 2006 that a UConn squad had scored fewer than 45 points in a game and the first time since 2012 that they’d lost to an unranked opponent. It also dropped UConn to No. 7 in the AP poll this week, their lowest ranking since 2007.

After the loss, Auriemma told the media, “We’re disorganized as a group right now, from the coaching on down, everybody. There’s just no sense of [having] a plan of how we’re going to execute, how we’re going to get a bucket, who’s going to get it for us.”

Auriemma and his staff are no doubt hoping this marks their low point of the season, especially now that they are down to eight active players after two entered the transfer portal and Azzi Fudd, Nika Mühl and Aubrey Griffin are out with their own respective injuries. All four injured players are expected to make full recoveries this season, with Bueckers’ return timeline being the longest. The sophomore is expected to miss eight weeks as she recovers from a successful surgery to repair an anterior tibial plateau fracture and a lateral meniscus tear.

The diminished squad followed up the Georgia Tech loss with a much-needed confidence boost when they beat UCLA 71-61 last Saturday. But their biggest challenges are on the horizon, the first of which comes Sunday against No. 6 Louisville’s strong defensive squad.

“I think the biggest thing that’s an issue is consistency. Just because we see them put it together at the end of the UCLA game, they’re going to have to try to do that coming off an exam week against a better team in Louisville,” says Alexa Philippou, who covers the program around the clock for Connecticut’s Hartford Courant.

With three other top-ten matchups on the calendar before Bueckers is expected back, the Huskies’ response to this identity crisis will be put to the test repeatedly. Here’s what we know so far about who UConn is without the reigning National Player of the Year.

Senior safety net

Evina Westbrook, Christyn Williams and Olivia Nelson-Ododa are the reason there hasn’t been a complete implosion upon losing Bueckers. They are all senior starters who have played top-tier college ball without Bueckers before. Yes, they all need to step up their on-court performance, but the fact this trio of senior leadership is in place is saving the Huskies from complete disaster.

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Senior Evina Westbrook has been tasked with filling the point guard role in Bueckers' absence. (John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Westbrook, a redshirt senior who played her first two seasons at Tennessee, will take over as offensive facilitator while Bueckers and back-up point guard Mühl are both out. It was clear from the start of the Georgia Tech game that Westbrook is ready and able to fill this role; she notched five assists and committed just one turnover when they went to the locker room tied at the half. And against UCLA, the 6-foot Oregonian who played point guard until transferring to UConn, tallied another seven assists along with 17 points and one turnover for the game.

“She’s always been a good facilitator even if she wasn’t the primary point guard on this team,” says Philippou. “I thought she looked so much more aggressive in trying to look for her own shot and to get to the rim against UCLA. That’s why she was able to single-handedly keep UConn in the game early. She can’t just facilitate in that role. She’s going to have to put some of the offensive scoring load on her shoulders and she did that really well against UCLA.”

It was when Westbrook took a more passive approach in ball management in the second half against Georgia Tech that UConn’s offense was at its worst, scoring only four points in the paint and shooting 21.4 percent from the field.

Part of that responsibility lies with Williams. There’s no doubt the team’s second-leading scorer behind Bueckers feels enormous pressure to get the ball in the hoop for her team, but so far that pressure is causing her to force it instead of waiting for the cracks to reveal themselves. And with her elite ability to get to the rim, hit the mid-range jumper or pull-up outside the arc, the guard can exploit even the tiniest opening.

Since arriving in Storrs as the nation’s top recruit in 2018, Williams has played in every single game but one and started in all but two. After scoring 13 points on 31.6 percent shooting, and going only 1-for-8 from 3 with four turnovers against Georgia Tech, Williams had a similar stat line versus UCLA. The difference in the win was she hit two of her three 3-point attempts, a good sign that her decision-making might be recovering from the heightened pressure.

“Historically, Christyn has gone through these ruts, these highs and lows of confidence. We saw that her sophomore year, we saw that her junior year,” Philippou recalls. “I think what was most notable about the UCLA game was that she found a way to get herself back into it in the second half, which maybe a younger Christyn Williams wouldn’t have done. Maybe she would have shut down all game.”

It won’t be surprising if the player with the biggest production increase in Bueckers’ absence isn’t a guard at all, but instead Nelson-Ododa, UConn’s senior center. After a quiet start to the season, Nelson-Ododa has shifted into a higher gear in terms of initiative and confidence on the offensive end of the court. She averaged just 4.25 shot attempts in UConn’s first four games this season, but is now averaging nine over their last four matchups, resulting in double-digit scoring in all four contests. Against UCLA, she was just two rebounds shy of a third double-double in a row. Her near 60 percent shooting percentage is the highest on the team.

“I don’t think Olivia Nelson-Ododa is a player who is going to be putting up Aaliyah Boston-esque numbers on a daily basis, especially against the best teams,” says Philippou. “But I think starting in that South Carolina game, we did see a different player than we saw most of last season even. She just played with an intensity and a focus, really a tenacity, that hasn’t always been part of her game.”

Youngsters who could benefit

If UConn’s season had gone according to plan, freshmen like Caroline Ducharme and Amari DeBerry would have been fighting for scraps of minutes on the floor. Now, with a significantly reduced roster, these youngsters, especially 2021 fifth overall recruit Ducharme, will get much more playing time.

The learning curve will be steep, as evidenced by Ducharme’s performance against Georgia Tech, where she missed a couple of easy buckets to go 1-for-5 from the field with three turnovers. But instead of working through those mistakes gradually over the course of the season, her development will be fast-tracked. Against UCLA she improved to 30.8 percent shooting with 14 points, two assists, two blocks, a steal and only one turnover. She also hit all four of her free throws on a night when the rest of her team was just 50 percent from the line.

“Caroline Ducharme, pretty much guaranteed, would not have been playing this much if all these injuries hadn’t happened,” Philippou says. “She’s looked better and better, and in this last game in particular, she finally looked like that player that Geno’s been saying he’s had in practice.”

The other freshman Philippou thinks could gain from these unfortunate circumstances is 2021 top overall recruit Azzi Fudd, who’s expected to return from a foot injury shortly after the holidays. After all the hype surrounding Bueckers and Fudd’s on-court chemistry, it seems counterintuitive to imagine Bueckers’ absence as somehow boosting Fudd’s game. But recalling the freshman’s four-game start to the season, Philippou notes, “She was just too hesitant. I think she was overthinking things. It seemed like she was a little bit of a perfectionist and she didn’t want to make a mistake. But she’s going to be asked to take on a bigger role with Paige out … They’re going to be asking her to be more aggressive on offense and if she can get that going, then maybe that puts her on a faster track than before.”

After Auriemma raised the alarm bells, he even sounded optimistic after the UCLA game that UConn could come through this better prepared for a deep tournament run than they were before.

“Now when Paige and the rest of our players do come back, there’s more people in the party instead of outside hoping to get in, and feel like they belong here and can contribute not just when they have to, but they’ll be able to contribute as part of the natural flow of our offense,” the coach said.

With only a two-game sample size since Bueckers went down and a forthcoming stream of other injured players to reintegrate with the team, UConn’s identity will be a new puzzle to solve each week. But if the Huskies can keep the rest of their roster healthy, they have the senior leadership necessary to keep them afloat on the scoreboard and in the locker room and the underclassmen who can exploit this opportunity for the betterment of the team in the long run.

The next step in UConn’s journey begins against Louisville on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Tessa Nichols is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports.

‘The Late Sub’ Says Angel City Is Off to a Red-Hot Start to the NWSL Season

Angel City winger Alyssa Thompson celebrates a goal during a 2025 NWSL match.
With three goals in four matches, Alyssa Thompson is leading Angel City's young attack. (Harry How/NWSL via Getty Images)

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins examines Angel City FC's early success in the young 2025 NWSL season.

Off to an undefeated 2025 campaign, a stat only the 2024 championship-winning Orlando Pride and powerhouse Kansas City Current also share, 2022 expansion side Angel City launched itself into the early contender conversation after missing the NWSL Playoffs entirely last season.

Watkins digs into the LA club, chatting through the team's star-studded formation, its early days, as well as its young core, highlighted by star sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson — all while weighing if the squad is truly ready to level up into the league's title-seeking echelon.

Angel City is beginning to see some payoff from its early developmental strategy, with Watkins pointing out that taking winger Alyssa Thompson straight out of high school is now providing major returns.

"She's got three goals in four games in 2025, she's the second youngest NWSL player to hit 10 goals and 10 assists in her career," noted Watkins. "Teams are having trouble accounting for her despite knowing that she is their offensive focal point at this moment."

That said, even with Thompson's prowess, Watkins does expect the club's hot start to cool, though she does predict a 2025 NWSL Playoff berth for the LA team.

"They are getting through on moments of brilliance, on chemistry and mental fortitude," noted Watkins. "It's a long season, and those kinds of things can start to slip as you get tired and other teams get used to the way that you play."

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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MLB Trailblazer Kim Ng Named AUSL Commissioner

Miami Marlins GM Kim Ng smiles before a 2023 MLB game.
Ex-MLB GM Kim Ng will serve as AUSL’s first commissioner. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) hired former MLB executive Kim Ng as its first-ever commissioner on Wednesday, tapping into Ng’s 21 years of top-level experience ahead of the league’s inaugural 2025 season.

After becoming the youngest assistant general manager in baseball history for the New York Yankees in 1998, Ng inked another line into the record books as the first woman GM in any major US men’s sports league in November 2020, when she took over the front office for MLB’s Miami Marlins.

Her three-season tenure in Miami culminated in a 2023 playoff appearance — the Marlins' first in 20 years.

Ng's pivot to softball is a homecoming for the trailblazing 56-year-old exec, who played NCAA softball before breaking down MLB barriers.

"I think after 30-plus years in the business, I also owe it to myself to do some things that I hadn't necessarily had the opportunity to do in the past," Ng told The Athletic about her decision to join AUSL. "And this is, for me, it's a passion."

Prior to her commissioner appointment, Ng served as a senior advisor for AUSL, helping to develop the league into existence from a landscape full of growing parity at the college level, yet few viable pro opportunities.

"Knowing what an established, mature system of governance looks like, I think will be really helpful in establishing this league," Ng added.

Athletes Unlimited softball player Rachel Garcia warms up before a 2024 game.
AUSL offers NCAA alums like ex-UCLA star pitcher Rachel Garcia the chance to go pro in softball. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

AUSL takes the field with 2025 tour

Launching on June 7th — immediately following the 2025 NCAA Women's College World Series — each of the AUSL's four inaugural teams will play 24 games across a seven-week season.

The league's 2025 debut will function as a tour, with regular-season games played across eight different cities before two additional locations are added for the first-ever AUSL All-Star Cup in August.

Each city is auditioning to become one of six permanent markets for the league, which will transition to a traditional location-based set-up in 2026.

PWHL Sets Date for 2025 Draft, Announces Details

2024 PWHL Draft No. 1 pick Sarah Fillier skates in a 2025 New York Sirens game.
Princeton alum Sarah Fillier was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft. (Troy Parla/Getty Images)

The PWHL dropped its 2025 Draft details on Tuesday, with the league’s third-annual entry draft set to take over Ottawa, Canada — home of the Charge — on June 24th.

Eligible NCAA standouts and other pro hockey prospects have until May 8th to declare for selection, following the PWHL’s May 3rd regular-season finale.

Notably, the second-year league follows the Gold Plan when it comes to determining draft order. Under this system, teams eliminated from the playoffs have an incentive to continue hunting wins, as franchises who amass more points post-elimination secure higher draft picks.

The New York Sirens and 2024 champions Minnesota Frost currently sit below the postseason cutoff line, meaning both teams could snag the most draft capital when the league returns from international break later this month.

Team USA's Abbey Murphy skates during a 2023 game against Canada.
Team USA's Abbey Murphy is the likely 2025 PWHL Draft No. 1 pick, unless she returns to the NCAA. (Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)

NCAA stars likely to top 2025 PWHL Draft selections

Last year, the New York Sirens selected Princeton star Sarah Fillier as the overall No. 1 pick, with the rookie forward having an immediate impact in her debut pro season.

Fillier currently ranks second in individual points scored on the 2024/25 PWHL stat sheet, trailing only US hockey legend and Boston Fleet captain Hilary Knight.

As for who will join Fillier and Minnesota Frost forward Taylor Heise — the inaugural 2023 PWHL Draft No. 1 pick — atop this year's draft, two NCAA standouts are likely contenders.

Should she declare, University of Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy is the projected 2025 No. 1 pick.

However, Murphy could return to the Golden Gophers for a final NCAA season following her international duty with the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship semifinals-bound Team USA.

Should Murphy defer her pro debut, 2024/25 NCAA MVP Casey O'Brien is the likely top selectee, having already declared for the draft.

The Wisconsin captain wrapped up her NCAA campaign as this season's leading scorer, claiming 88 points on 26 goals and 62 assists en route to this year’s national championship — the third NCAA title of her college career.

LSU Hunts Repeat Title as 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championships Kick Off

UCLA gymnastics star Jordan Chiles poses during her balance beam routine at a 2025 NCAA meet.
Jordan Chiles’s UCLA squad is hunting their first NCAA title since 2018. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Eight top squads are edging closer to Saturday’s 2025 NCAA gymnastics championships team trophy, with the pivotal semifinal round kicking off on Thursday afternoon.

No. 2-seed Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 7 Missouri, and No. 11 Alabama will hit the mat first, before 2024 winners and the 2025 bracket's No. 1-seed LSU goes to work to defend their title against No. 4 Utah, No. 5 UCLA, and No. 8 Michigan State.

The top two teams from each of Thursday's semifinals will advance to compete for the national title on Saturday.

LSU's Haleigh Bryant does a split-leap during a December 2024 gymnastics exhibition meet.
LSU's Haleigh Bryant will defend her 2024 all-around title on Thursday. (Reagan Cotten/University Images via Getty Images)

Semifinal meets will crown individual NCAA champions

First, however, five individual NCAA trophies will be bestowed on Thursday night, as the semifinal meets will determine the 2025 all-around and event champions.

In addition to the athletes on the eight qualifying teams, four all-around competitors and 16 event specialists will join the race for solo NCAA hardware, with each earning an invite as the top performer in their respective category at one of the sport's four Regional tournaments.

These individual contenders will follow a qualified team's rotation schedule during their semifinal meet.

Leading the all-around pack is LSU star and 2024 individual champ Haleigh Bryant, though she'll face stiff competition in her bid for a back-to-back championship.

Standing in Bryant's path are Oregon State's Jade Carey, Arkansas's Joscelyn Roberson, Denver's Madison Ulrich, and Washington's Mary McDonough, alongside qualified team athletes like UCLA's Jordan Chiles — Carey’s 2024 Olympics teammate.

Bryant will also defend her shared 2024 vault title, though her co-champion on that event, Cal's Mya Lauzon, will instead compete for beam and floor hardware this week.

All other 2024 event winners are also back, with LSU's Konnor McClain and Florida's Leanne Wong seeking to repeat on beam and floor, respectively. Wong will also hunt another trophy on bars, alongside last year's co-champ, Utah's Grace McCallum.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championships

The first 2025 NCAA gymnastics semifinal starts at 4:30 PM ET on Thursday, followed by the second semi at 9 PM ET.

Live coverage of both semifinal meets will air on ESPN2.

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