The Latest: UConn's Samuelson misses practice with illness

By foxsports
Published

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Latest on preparations for the Final Four in Indianapolis, where two NCAA Tournament semifinals are set for Sunday (all times local):

1 p.m.

UConn freshman Katie Lou Samuelson didn't practice on Saturday. Team officials say she wasn't feeling well.

The 6-foot-3 Samuelson averages 11 points for the Huskies, but has increased that to 14.4 points during the postseason. She led the team during the first two rounds of the tournament, scoring 22 points in a 101-49 win over Robert Morris, then scoring another 22 and grabbing 14 rebounds in UConn's 98-38 second-round rout of Mississippi State.

A team spokesman says it's likely she'll play in Sunday's semifinal against Oregon State.

-----

UConn stars Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck say the Huskies are good for women's basketball.

The pair was asked Saturday at the Final Four to weigh in on criticism that their 73-game winning streak, their record-breaking 22-game NCAA Tournament winning streak and 40-plus point margins of victory have turned off casual fans.

Stewart says the Huskies get higher TV ratings than other women's teams and play the game the way it should be played.

''We're growing the game, but people need to continue growing it with us,'' she said.

Tuck says she believes the criticism stems from the sexism of those who want to demean women's basketball.

''If it were men's basketball or football, or baseball, they wouldn't say it,'' she said. ''I would never think that being great is a bad thing.''