UConn's women's basketball team, led by coach Geno Auriemma, is facing a tumultuous season marked by a string of injuries.
Auriemma expressed the team's plight to ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou, saying, “I don't think anybody deserves to be in this situation as many times as we've been in.”
The team's depth has been severely tested. The No. 11 Huskies are without key guard Caroline Ducharme, who continues to be sidelined due to neck spasms, as confirmed by Auriemma. Ducharme, a junior from Massachusetts, has been grappling with neck and head issues over the past two seasons, including a concussion in January. These problems have caused her to miss the Huskies' last two games in the Cayman Islands. Her absence is a significant blow to the team, considering her crucial role in the past during her freshman season, when she led UConn in scoring for a substantial period while teammates Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd were out with injuries.
“Don't ask me how long (Ducharme is out), because I wish I knew,” Auriemma said. “You don't know when they're coming and you don't know how long they're going to last. We just keep trying and trying and trying. … I feel terrible for the kid.”