UConn to play UNC in Greensboro next year; Edwards non-committal about draft decision

UConn and North Carolina are slated to meet up against next season, according to UNC coach Courtney Banghart. The two teams face off in Greensboro, North Carolina so the Tar Heels can play on a partisan “neutral court” after facing the Huskies at Mohegan Sun Arena. A date still needs to be selected, but that’s the last hurdle.

“It’s contracted,” Banghart said. “So we’ll play the game and we’ll both hope to be healthier.”

This has been the plan all along. Last summer, Banghart revealed on a podcast that she suggested the psuedo home-and-home setup after UConn asked her to play at Mohegan Sun Arena. Since the casino is about 45 minutes from Storrs, the two teams will play roughly 55 minutes from UNC’s Chapel Hill campus next year.

The Greensboro Coliseum serves as the host of the ACC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments every March. It’s often the site of NCAA Tournament games as well.

Next season, UConn has four non-conference opponents currently on the schedule: USF at home, Notre Dame and Louisville on the road, and North Carolina on a neutral site.

Edwards mum on draft decision

While Aaliyah Edwards is in her senior year at UConn, she could return for a fifth season thanks to a bonus year of eligibility due to Covid. However, Edwards is projected to be a top pick for the 2024 WNBA Draft — ESPN’s most recent mock draft has her going fifth overall while The Athletic has her “knocking on the door” of the first round.

When asked about her eventual decision after Sunday’s win over UNC, Edwards was non-committal.

“I'm living in the moment, just utilizing this time that I have with my team right now and what we're focused on for this season, and then worry about what I need to worry about after the season,” she said.

More context on Ayanna Patterson’s injury

On Friday, Geno Auriemma revealed that Ayanna Patterson will likely miss the entire season due to a knee issue that’s sidelined her all summer. Later that night, he provided further context to her injury on his radio show.

“It's been something that's been bothering since 10th grade and everything that you can try has been tried, and it works temporarily but it hasn't relieved enough of the pain that she could play,” Auriemma said. “We'll know more in the next couple of weeks because at some point, you're gonna have to say, ‘Here's the timeline.’ You can't just go indefinitely like this.”

The latest on Azzi Fudd’s recovery

Sunday marked 10 days since Azzi Fudd’s surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in her right knee. During Auriemma’s radio show on Friday, he provided an update on the early days of her recovery.

“[Fudd’s] doing great. I saw her yesterday and our athletic training staff said she's doing great, that she's way ahead of where she normally would be at this time,” Auriemma said. “She's been through this before when she was in high school, so it's not anything new. I don't like it for her, she doesn't like it for her. You hate to see this happen to anybody but she's such a hard worker, she's such a dedicated kid that I'm sure she'll be back even stronger than before. No doubt.”

Fudd suffered the injury in practice on Tuesday, Nov. 14.