UConn star Paige Bueckers was spotted putting up pregame shots just days after undergoing knee surgery

• Paige Bueckers underwent knee surgery to repair a fracture and meniscus tear in her left knee.
• Six days later, she was spotted putting up pregame shots alongside her UConn teammates.

Paige Bueckers went under the knife to repair a fracture and meniscus tear in her knee on December 13.

Six days later, the UConn superstar was back on the court putting up pregame shots alongside her teammates.

The Huskies' point guard was spotted heaving three-point shots ahead of UConn's top-10 matchup against the Louisville Cardinals on December 19. Though Bueckers has been using crutches since injuring her leg during the final minute of the Huskies' December 5 win over Notre Dame, she ditched the sticks on the sideline and hopped on one foot ahead of the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase.

Last year's consensus women's college basketball player of the year was off to a hot start for the 2021-2022 campaign before her injury. Through six games this season, Bueckers averaged 20.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.3 steals per contest. She's also just shy of a 50-40-90 statline, with her free throw shooting lagging 3.1% under the required 90% clip.

UConn has felt Bueckers' absence, as the Huskies have lost two of their three games played without their star sophomore in the lineup. Against both the unranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and No. 6 Louisville, UConn collapsed in the fourth quarter and failed to close out its opponents.

Now, for the first time since March 2005, the Huskies have dropped out of the top-10 of the AP Poll.

Bueckers is clearly eager to get back on the court and help her team right the ship. But according to the program, she isn't expected to return until eight weeks after her surgery at the earliest.

Should she be ready to play by then — the second week of February — she'll have missed at least 11 conference games and UConn's entire remaining non-conference slate, featuring matchups against the Oregon Ducks, No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks, and No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers.

The Huskies' regular season could be in jeopardy, and if Bueckers returns at less than 100%, so too could their NCAA tournament prospects. UConn has made it to the Final Four every year since 2008, but without their top player at full strength, the Huskies may see one of the most impressive streaks in sports come to an end.