Sunday against Marquette, Nika Mühl was scoreless on 0-3 shooting in the UConn women’s basketball team’s 72-58 win over the Golden Eagles.
And yet coach Geno Auriemma still thought it was one of the best games the sophomore from Croatia had played all year.
She finished with six rebounds, a team-high six assists, one steal and just one turnover, and that’s just what appeared in the box score. Auriemma is always one to push his players to impact the game in different ways, especially beyond scoring, and there’s no one who embodies that idea more than Mühl, who as of late has been playing some of her best basketball when the Huskies have needed it most.
Mühl and the rest of the Huskies are back in action when they take on Xavier (8-16, 3-12) in Cincinnati Friday evening.
Mühl’s season started on the rockier side as she struggled to settle in early on, barely seeing time in two of UConn’s games in the Bahamas. She was then shut down most of December with a lingering foot issue, missing three games in all before returning when the Huskies got back from an extended layoff due to COVID-19 issues.
Since first arriving on campus Mühl has always been someone who, in Auriemma’s words, is a “very impulsive, emotional player, and sometimes [her emotions] get the best of her and she gets herself in a jam.” But as the season has progressed, Mühl has learned to channel that energy in a productive way rather than have it result in turnovers or unnecessary fouling.
“You don’t want to negate that impact by making foolish decisions, doing things that are reckless and careless,” Auriemma said. “And where she’s making the most progress is she’s doing less and less of those things.”
“Just keeping my head straight,” Mühl said regarding her growth. “I feel like I’ve gained a lot of feeling for the game of how to maintain my focus and keep my patience in every aspect of the game, whether it’s like the first or the last minute, no matter how tired I am. I feel like I’ve gotten much better at that.”
Mühl’s steadiness has been especially important given how shorthanded the Huskies have been in the backcourt most of the season. With Azzi Fudd, Christyn Williams, Caroline Ducharme and Paige Bueckers all missing time, she has needed to become a rock on both ends.
Mühl has had to take on a bigger facilitator role with Bueckers out, but she thrives when getting the Huskies out in transition and has improved as a game-manager and decision-maker, recording at least five assists in each of the last five games and oftentimes awing fans with her no-look passes. The energy she brings, especially on defense, is contagious, her teammates say, and was one of the reasons why Auriemma inserted her into the starting lineup upon her return from injury.
Scoring is more of a bonus when it comes to Mühl’s game (4.2 points per game on 38.6% shooting, 28.3% from 3), though she says Bueckers keeps encouraging her to shoot even when Auriemma tells her to pass.
When Ducharme and Bueckers return, Auriemma will have a plethora of guards to work with, including multiple go-to scorers. Even when that time comes, it’s clear that Mühl will maintain a sizable role on this team — impulsiveness, passion and all.
“She has some craziness. I think that’s as a European, I can really appreciate that,” said graduate transfer Dorka Juhász, who is from Hungary. “But also she’s just great and she’s all about the team. She’s not about career-highs, scoring. She loves passing the ball crazy ways. On defense, she’s just such a stable person and every time someone scores, when you look over she’s celebrating, she’s crazy about it. So I think she’s a very, very important piece of our team.”
“She’s just somebody you want out on the floor, period,” Auriemma added. “And sometimes you’ve just got to like, close your eyes and go, ‘Okay, you’ve got to take some of that with the rest of that.’”
Here’s what you need to know.
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Cintas Center
Series: UConn leads 4-0
Last meeting: No. 10 UConn 78, Xavier 41, Jan. 15, 2022 in Hartford, Conn.
TV: SNY (Allen Bestwick, Meg Culmo, Maria Marino)
Live Stream: In-market SNY viewers with access to the network can watch via the NBC Sports app: stream.nbcsports.com/rsn/sny. Out-of-market viewers can watch on the Fox Sports App or at www.foxsports.com as well as on the FOX Now app or at www.fox.com/sports. The games might not appear on those sites until right around tipoff.
Radio: UConn IMG Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN (Bob Joyce, Debbie Fiske)
Xavier probable starters, sixth man
Ayanna Townsend, F, 6-2, R-Jr.; Shaila Beeler, G, 5-7, Jr.; Mackayla Scarlett, G, 5-10, So.; Shelby Calhoun, G, 5-11, So.; Aanaya Harris, G/F, 5-11, Fr.; Courtney Prenger, F, 6-1, Jr.
UConn probable starters, sixth man
Christyn Williams, G, 5-11, Sr.; Dorka Juhász, F, 6-5, Gr.; Nika Mühl, G, 5-10, So.; Aaliyah Edwards, F, 6-3, So.; Azzi Fudd, G, 5-11, Fr.; Evina Westbrook, G, 6-0, R-Sr.
The matchup
UConn’s offense: The Huskies have had to recalibrate a bit with Nelson-Ododa and Ducharme out. Fudd has assumed much of the scoring load, scoring at least 24 points in three of the last four games. Against Xavier in January, Ducharme (20), Williams (19) and Nelson-Ododa (11) led UConn in scoring.
UConn’s defense: The Huskies’ defense has been mostly good this season, including the final three quarters their last time out against Marquette. When UConn last played Xavier, UConn’s defense shined, forcing 24 turnovers and holding the Musketeers to 27% shooting.
Xavier’s offense: Xavier scored a season-low 41 points against UConn in January. The unit averages 64.6 points on 39.8% shooting on the season. Nia Clark and Kae Satterfield are the only Musketeers averaging double figures on the season, but they both haven’t played since early February.
Xavier’s defense: The Musketeers allow 74.2 points per game on 42.9% shooting, as well as a 36.8% clip from 3. These are among the worst marks in the nation, per Her Hoop Stats.
UConn keys: More of a season-long one than a specific game one, but Auriemma said that the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game at Marquette was “as well as we’ve played this year.” Now, the Huskies must push to play that way for three or four quarters, and reduce the length of their lulls.
Players to watch: Will Ducharme and/or Nelson-Ododa see time, and if so, how much? Nelson-Ododa (groin) has missed the previous three games, while Ducharme (head) has been sidelined the last four. Nelson-Ododa was seen practicing Wednesday, while Auriemma said Ducharme did about 10 minutes of practice as well.
About Xavier’s coach: Melanie Moore is in her third season at Xavier, her first gig as a head coach, and entered 2021-22 with a 8-37 record. Her previous stops on the coaching trail included Michigan and Princeton.
Xavier’s mascot: D’Artagnan, Blue Blob
Famous alumni: Politician Ken Blackwell, former NBA player David West, former politician and baseball Hall of Famer Jim Bunning
