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UConn Women's Basketball: One Storyline to Watch in Season Opener
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- UConn Women's Basketball: One Storyline to Watch in Season Opener
On Saturday, UConn Huskies women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma announced that all three of his injured players will "be available" for the team's opener on Monday against Cornell (5 p.m. ET) at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford.
Blanca Quinonez missed all three preseason games while coming off shoulder surgery from the offseason while freshman Marine Dursus missed all three games with a foot issue. Morgan Cheli, who has worked back from injury issues over the last few years, missed the final two exhibition games after playing in the opener against Syracuse .
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While Auriemma said all three would be available, he did not give concrete information on how much each would play or what their roles would be.
Which leads us to one big storyline to watch on Monday for the No. 2 Huskies.
The Blanca Quinonez situation
So, Quinonez is one of the best players in the entire country despite being just a sophomore.
She was the Sixth Woman of the Year in the Big East as a freshman and an All-Conference selection. She was named to the Preseason All-Big East team, while also getting put on the Preseason Watch Lists for Small Forward of the Year and National Player of the Year.
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The Huskies are certainly better when she's playing and they have a better chance of hitting their ceiling with her at her best, so how does Auriemma handle things in this one?
1) Does he start Quinonez and send freshman Jovana Popovic to the bench, despite how well she played in the preseason? The freshman from Serbia had double-figures in all three games, including 22 against Texas. Is she going to get her minutes cut now? Or, what about senior Ashlynn Shade, who brings experience, leadership and athleticism to the lineup?
UConn Huskies guard Blanca Quinonez (4) drives the ball against Georgetown Hoyas forward Chet Nweke (25) in the first half at PeoplesBank Arena. David Butler II-Imagn Images
2) Does he keep Quinonez on the bench at the start of the game to keep that starting group together? That's a possibility, but it also limits Quinonez's minutes and possible impact.
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3) And how many minutes does he play her? This game against Cornell is expected to be a blowout, but does Auriemma keep her on the floor in an effort to get her more game reps before a daunting non-conference schedule ramps up on Thursday at No. 5 Michigan?
Game information
Monday's season opener can be watched nationally on NBC Sports Network or on the Peacock App. It can be listened to on the UConn Sports Network.
The Big Red are coming off a season in which they went 9-18 overall and were 4-10 inside the Ivy League.
