Kim Barnes Arico updates statuses of Brown, Phelia heading into postseason
On Tuesday morning, Michigan women's basketball head coach Kim Barnes Arico gave an update on the statuses of the team's two leading-scorers — Leigha Brown and Laila Phelia. Both players missed significant time near the end of the regular season, and their presence was missed.
Phelia missed the entire month of February with a lower body injury, and the sophomore hasn't played since Jan. 29. The 6-foot guard missed seven games over that stretch. Michigan was able to weather the storm without Phelia, as the Wolverines went 4-3 over the seven-game stretch.
Brown's absence wasn't as lengthy as Phelia's, but her contributions were still missed. Prior to Michigan's senior night matchup with Rutgers, the program announced that Brown would not be available due to an "internal issue."
She then missed the team's ensuing matchup with Wisconsin, and questions began to arise about whether the fifth-year senior would be available for the postseason. Michigan was upset in Madison on Sunday, and it was clear Michigan wasn't the same team without Brown in the lineup.
However, Barnes Arico put all rumors to bed on Tuesday morning on Sports Talk 1050 WTKA.
"Leigha is available, which is great news, obviously, heading into the tournament" Barnes Arico said."
As for Phelia, Barnes Arico wasn't as optimistic that her return would come as quickly as Brown's, but she was quick to mention that Phelia will "be back at some point."
"She's progressing really well, and she is super antsy, and she's ready to go," Barnes Arico said. "She's got an opportunity to meet with the doctor this week and I think she's really progressing really well."
"She's such an impact player for us in so many ways... she's ready to go for sure."
Brown and Phelia were recently named to the All-Big Ten First Team, and All-Big Ten Second Team, respectively. Both were consensus selections to their respective teams by both the coaches and the media.
Despite Emily Kiser's 34-point performance against Rutgers last Thursday, Brown and Phelia still lead the team in points, averaging 18.2 and 17.0, respectively.
The addition of the All-Big Ten players will be great news for Michigan, as the postseason looms. The Wolverines came in as the 17th-ranked team in the country in the latest AP Poll.
The poll doesn't directly correlate to NCAA Tournament seeding, but if the number holds, Michigan would be a No. 5 seed in the national tournament, and it would be hitting the road for the first and second round matchups.
In order to slide back into a top-four seed — where it has been for much of the season — Michigan will likely need to make some noise in the Big Ten Tournament, which will be a lot easier with Brown's return.
The Wolverines will take on the winner of Minnesota and Penn State on Thursday at roughly 3 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
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