Caroline Ducharme remains out with neck spasms

Caroline Ducharme will not play in UConn’s matchup at Texas on Sunday and remains out indefinitely due to neck spasms. She won’t even travel with the team this weekend, either.

“Don't ask me how long (she’ll be out) because I wish I knew. I don’t think anybody [knows],” Geno Auriemma said Friday. “You don't know how long they're gonna last and we just keep trying and trying and trying. Flying to a game and we're bouncing around, then you get off the plane and everything hurts, everything's bad. I feel terrible for the kid.”

Ducharme has been plagued by ailments brought on by head injuries since her freshman year. She missed five games in 2021-22 after contact to the head in multiple games then sat out the season opener in 2022-23 due to neck stiffness. Just after the new year, Ducharme suffered a concussion in practice and was sidelined for the next 13 contests.

During UConn’s trip to Europe, Ducharme only played in two of the exhibitions because she took a shot to the head in each and sat out the next game as a result.

Prior to the start of the current season, Ducharme detailed the toll all the head injuries have taken on her.

“Doing everyday things, now I have to think about it more, take extra precautions around it,” she said. “The usual things like being in bright lights, loud noises, schoolwork, looking at screens, watching TV. Little things that you don't really even think about.”

Ducharme didn’t play in either of UConn’s games in the Cayman Islands due to the neck spasms. She’s started all four contests she’s appeared in and has averaged 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game.

The Huskies are already without Jana El Alfy (achilles) and Azzi Fudd (ACL) for the season, while Ayanna Patterson (knee) remains sidelined. They’ll take on Texas at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday on ABC.