Cole Set to Return After Concussion
The Story: It looks like R.J. Cole will be ready to go Saturday against Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as he is on track to be cleared to play after getting concussed in the Big East semifinals.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Cole fell hard and hit his forehead on the floor Friday late in the second half against Creighton. He missed the closing minutes of the game but has since returned to practice. The junior is the Huskies’ second-best player, their second-best scorer and the one who can run the Huskies the best, and he will be critical to their hopes against Maryland. While we like Jalen Gaffney’s skills, it is Cole who runs the team when it matters most. He’s averaging only 12.3 points per game but has been terrific facilitating for the Huskies since James Bouknight returned from injury.
BOUKNIGHT’S SHINING MOMENT: Duke and Kentucky are not in the tournament, but there are plenty of star players in Iowa’s Luka Garza and Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham, the consensus No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft come June. Where does Bouknight fit in? We have settled on him being a top-10 selection in the draft and we see him being comfortably in the lottery. This is his one chance at stardom while in Storrs and we don’t want to see him waste it.
WHERE IS BOUKNIGHT IN COMPARISON TO PREDECESSORS? To us, talent-wise, Bouknight is the best player we’ve seen since Jeremy Lamb. He’s likely to be the first lottery pick since Lamb, too. That said, before we talk of Bouknight as a legend like we do Kemba Walker, Ray Allen, Emeka Okafor and Rip Hamilton, we are going to have to see him have success in March. Bouknight has never played in the postseason, and when was the last time he was stressed about a defensive assignment? If he can lead the Huskies on an NCAA Tournament run, he is going to surprise.
And Then There Were Two: Ralph Also Out
The Story: The women’s basketball team won’t just be without Geno Auriemma when it takes the floor for its opening-round NCAA Tournament games in San Antonio. Assistant coach Shea Ralph will also not be on the bench as she has decided to return home after a family member tested positive for COVID-19.
WHAT HAPPENED? Ralph had already flown to San Antonio with the team when she was informed that an unidentified family member had contracted the virus. Though she has continued to test negative since March 9, when the NCAA began requiring daily testing, she did not want to put the Huskies at risk of infecting players. That means Chris Dailey and Jamelle Elliott will be the only coaches in attendance for the first-round game against High Point on Sunday and the second-round game against Syracuse or South Dakota State on Tuesday because Geno is already back home in Manchester after he tested positive for the virus.
BUECKERS AN ALL-AMERICAN: It comes as no surprise to anyone who has watched her play, but Paige Bueckers was named to the Associated Press All-America First Team yesterday, becoming only the second UConn freshman, behind Maya Moore, to earn the honor. Bueckers not only appeared on 28 of 30 electors’ ballots, but she tallied the most points, meaning she actually has a good shot of winning a player of the year award. Also on the team? Louisville’s Dana Evans, South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard and Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith. Christyn Williams and Olivia Nelson-Ododa were honorable mentions.
Morning Reads
OH, THAT AGAIN: Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the football team will have an open competition at quarterback, offensive coordinator Frank Giufre said, and it likely won’t name a starter until Week 1. (Hartford Courant)
