No one was saying it anyways, but let it never be said Olivia Miles isn't tough.
Notre Dame's star guard, the other half of one of the best backcourts in the country alongside Hannah Hidalgo, has been playing through a sprained ankle she suffered in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament against Stephen F. Austin. She will continue to do so against TCU Saturday.
The good news for Notre Dame fans, however, is Miles seems to be on the upswing.
“It’s good,” Miles said of her ankle on Thursday, per The Indianapolis Star. “It’s gotten a lot better. I haven’t played a game, so I’m going to say about 75%. That could change (Saturday). I’m doing better.”
While 75% may not sound great, it's an uptick from her second-round matchup against Michigan, in which the 40% 3-point shooter estimated she was operating at about 45%.
Here's the latest on Miles and her injury, along with what to expect from the guard Saturday.
Olivia Miles injury update
Miles will be on the floor for Notre Dame as she deals with a left ankle sprain she suffered in the first round of the tournament against Stephen F. Austin.
In the first weekend against Michigan, just days after the initial sprain, Miles still managed to play 28 minutes for the Fighting Irish. Despite the hindrance of the ankle, she had eight points, four rebounds and five assists. Though her point total was well off her season average of 15.5, her contributions in other areas of the game were about in-line with her season averages.
A week of rest should, in theory, do a lot of good for Miles, but according to her she would be on the floor whether her ankle was truly improving or not.
“It’s everything,” she said, via The Indianapolis Star's Stephen Noie. “I can’t not play. If it was December, I’d be like, ‘Yeah, let me take some time off.’ I can’t do that. I refuse not to play.”
Olivia Miles stats
Miles has put together a solid season for the Fighting Irish. She's averaging 15.5 points, 5.9 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game, making her a well-rounded perimeter threat.
Where she's been most impressive, however, is in the areas she has improved. Miles is shooting 40.1% from beyond the arc this season on 5.4 attempts per game, a staggering jump from 22.8% on 2.8 attempts per game last year. It has made her and Hidalgo one of the deadliest backcourts in women's basketball this season, and catapulted her draft stock.
Olivia Miles WNBA mock draft
To that point, USA TODAY's For The Win's Meghan Hall has Miles going second overall in her WNBA mock draft to the Seattle Storm.
As Hall has noted in previous mocks, No. 4 is about Miles' floor. As it stands, she has Miles only below near-consensus No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers ...
