NCAA women’s basketball: Muhl’s status uncertain
If freshman guard can’t play, UConn will have options
SAN ANTONIO — There’s one big question for UConn when it comes to Tuesday’s second-round game against Syracuse — will Nika Muhl play?
The answer is uncertain.
“If there’s any way Nika can be on the court, she will be on the court,” associate head coach Chris Dailey told reporters Monday. “I know her, and that’s the way she is.”
Muhl exited the NCAA Tournament opener against High Point Sunday after spraining her right ankle stepping on an opponent’s foot. The 5-foot-10 freshman had to be assisted off the court and had her ankle heavily wrapped before leaving on crutches.
The injury was strikingly similar to what occurred in the Big East quarterfinals, when Muhl rolled her left ankle. In that case, Muhl returned to play the next day without any limitation. But don’t assume that’ll be the case this time around. Determining recovery time is an inexact science. Every injury is different.
“I’m not an athletic trainer,” Dailey said, “so I’m not going to be able to compare the severity of one versus the other.”
UConn, a No. 1 seed in the River Walk regional, didn’t have any issues without her, walloping the 16th-seeded Panthers 102-59. Next up on Tuesday (9 p.m., ESPN) is eighth-seeded Syracuse (15-8) — another game the Huskies will be heavily favored to win.
Muhl, a pass-first, defensiveminded point guard, has been a spark plug for the Huskies since joining the starting lineup in late January. Should she be healthy enough to suit up against the Orange, she’ll be right back out there, operating as AP All-American Paige Bueckers’ running mate.
And if not? Well, the Huskies
have some choices. They could plug in sophomore Anna Makurat, who isn’t as relentless a defender but is another strong facilitator. Makurat is averaging 2.8 assists, though she hasn’t played more than 14 minutes since returning from a stress fracture in the Big East Tournament. Or based on the matchup, the Huskies could opt for a bigger lineup by pairing either 6-foot-1 Aubrey Griffin or 6-3 Aaliyah Edwards with 6-5 junior Olivia NelsonOdoda.
Syracuse has a presence inside with 6-7 Kamilla Cardoso. The freshman, a former UConn target, is averaging 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks, which ranks 13th in the country. She had 12 points and six blocks in a firstround victory over ninthseeded South Dakota State.
When asked how the Huskies plan to defend her, Dailey said, “Certainly her size poses a problem. You’re not going to keep her from getting the ball. … That’s a tough job because of her size, and then we have to keep her off the backboards.”
The Huskies haven’t faced anyone like Cardoso this season. But Dailey noted they’ve played a few bigger-bodied teams like Tennessee, which is sixth in the country in rebounding (45.7 per game).
And it helps that Edwards, the Big East Sixth Woman of the Year, has become a physical presence in the low post, complementing a longer, slightly more agile big in NelsonOdoda.
“I think Aaliyah may be our most improved player start to finish this year,” Dailey said. “She’s finishing around the rim better, and she’s definitely our most physical post player, but is quick enough to get out on the perimeter and defend and do some things that can help us.”
Dailey continues to stress the next-man-up mentality which, while cliched, is applicable to the Huskies given Muhl’s injury and the re-shuffling of the coaching staff.
Head coach Geno Auriemma isn’t expected to rejoin the team until Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19, leaving Dailey to run the team in his absence for a second straight game. The Huskies are also still without assistant Shea Ralph, who returned home last Wednesday after a member of her family was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Dailey expects her players to be “locked in” — with or without Muhl, of course.
“They need to be prepared to try some different things,” she said. “Stuff that we’ve already done. We’re not recreating the game of basketball, but things that we’ve worked on that maybe we haven’t had to use against other teams.”