UConn star guard James Bouknight out indefinitely after elbow surgery

The No. 25-ranked UConn Huskies improved to 7-1 on the season via a 60-53 win over the DePaul Blue Demons on Monday without having leading scorer James Bouknight in the lineup. 

UConn confirmed on Wednesday that the sophomore guard is now out indefinitely following surgery to repair an injury to his left elbow. 

As Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant pointed out, Bouknight was enjoying a breakout season when he injured the elbow diving for a loose ball during a game against the Marquette Golden Eagles on Jan. 5. He hasn't played since, and the school originally reported that Bouknight had hyperextended his left elbow. 

He was seen sporting a brace on his arm during subsequent contests. UConn didn't specify the nature of Bouknight's injury or the type of operation he underwent. 

According to ESPN stats, Bouknight is second in the Big East in scoring and averaging 20.3 points per game while shooting 45% from the field and over 32% from three-point range. 

Last week, The Athletic's Sam Vecenie listed Bouknight as the eighth overall pick in his latest mock draft. This past Monday, Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports forecasted that Bouknight could be the ninth selection in next year's class.

"Bouknight needs to work on creating for others after averaging just 1.7 assists per game," Peek explained. "Off the ball, he’s excellent off the cut and is a solid defender who can keep players in front of him."