Naismith Player of the Year, Big Bakers, may be marginalized for longer than originally thought. After UConn’s 71-61 win over UCLA on Saturday, coach Geno Auriemma said Bueckers was considering surgery to repair a tibial plateau fracture in his left knee.

“She needs to ask for two more opinions,” Orima said. “Then the next step is there will or won’t be a process. And that should happen relatively soon. Yes or no.”

The Bakers suffered a knee injury in the last minute of Ocon’s match against Notre Dame on December 5. The original schedule for their return was announced in 6-8 weeks, which will create a window for their return in mid to late January.

With surgery, that clock will reset.

“Everyone heals differently,” Orima said. “If there’s surgery, I’m looking forward to mid-February, late February at the latest.”

UConn lost its first match without the Bueckers, losing 57-44 to unranked Georgia Tech. That loss interrupted Connecticut’s winning streak of 239 consecutive victories against unranked opponents. The next Husky family meeting is against No. 7 Louisville on December 19.