Muhl likely out against Baylor; Ralph won’t return
SAN ANTONIO — UConn freshman Nika Muhl is expected to miss Monday’s Elite Eight game against secondseeded Baylor with an ankle injury.
“There’s no change in her status,” coach Geno Auriemma told reporters Sunday on Zoom. “I don’t anticipate her playing tomorrow.”
The 5-foot-10 guard has sat out the last two games of the NCAA Tournament — wins over eighth-seeded Syracuse and fifth-seeded Iowa — after rolling her right ankle during firstround action against 16th-seeded High Point.
Should the Huskies, seeded No. 1 in the River Walk Regional, advance past Baylor, Muhl’s status is uncertain. The Final Four would begin Friday in San Antonio.
The injury has been described as a sprained ankle and Muhl has been seen in a walking boot.
“A lot can change in a week,” Auriemma said. “It’s hard to say right now how much progress she’d make in a week, but as far as tomorrow’s concerned, no [she won’t available].”
Muhl has emerged into a key player for the Huskies, averaging 5.0 points, 2.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 22 games, 15 starts.
Making her second straight start in place of Muhl, forward Aaliyah Edwards scored 18 points on 9 of 11 shooting in a 92-72 victory over the Hawkeyes. Edwards, also a freshman, is averaging 18 points and 6.6 boards for the tournament.
Auriemma also said assistant coach Shea Ralph won’t be able to rejoin the team in Texas, per NCAA policy. Ralph, 43, flew home prior to the start of the tournament after a member of her family tested positive for COVID-19.
“Shea’s not going to be able to get back in,” Auriemma said. “That’s NCAA policy that anyone who left the bubble will not be able to get back in.”