Paige Bueckers Returns For UConn: Fans React

UConn star Paige Bueckers made her much-anticipated return to the hardwood on Friday night against St. John’s. It was her first game back since suffering a left knee injury in early December.

Bueckers only played 13 minutes in UConn’s blowout win, but she looked sharp with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.

In her postgame press conference, Bueckers made it abundantly clear that she was just happy to be back on the court with her teammates.

“I’ve never been more happy to be on a minutes restriction,” Bueckers said, via ESPN. “Just to see my name in a box score with minutes next to it is surreal to me, amazing to me, just to be back in this position. I’m just grateful for everything that I have.”

College basketball fans around the country are certainly thrilled to see Bueckers making plays for UConn once again.

Here are some reactions to Bueckers’ return:

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma wasn’t surprised by Bueckers’ performance. He knew it’d be a tune-up game for the reigning national player of the year.

“I didn’t expect her to go out there and be bad. And I didn’t expect to play her 30 minutes. And I knew there’d be some plays that she would make that other kids on our team have a hard time making or even thinking about,” Auriemma said. “And she got just enough to kind of get her feet back under and see how she is [Saturday] and then we’ll go to Sunday.”

Now, the focus shifts over to Sunday’s game against Providence. We’ll find out then if Bueckers can return to her elite form.

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