The UConn women's basketball team knew it would have its hands full defending against Iowa and Caitlin Clark in the Final Four. But the Huskies' standout point guard has been up to the task so far.
Nika Mühl covered Clark through most of the the first half in Friday's national semifinal. Her press defense limited Clark to 0-for-6 shooting from 3-point range in the first half and 3-for-11 shooting from the field.
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On the other side of the court, Mühl had six points on 2-of-4 shooting, with both made shots coming from 3-point range.
Amid a stacked UConn roster, Mühl is likely to fly a bit under the radar. KK Arnold has shined as a freshman alongside stellar seniors Aaliyah Edwards and Paige Bueckers. But Mühl is worth knowing. Here's everything to know about the senior guard.
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Who is Nika Muhl?
Mühl was a senior guard at UConn before the Seattle Storm drafted her with the 14th overall pick (second pick of the second round) in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
During her four years with the Huskies, she has been an impactful talent. She won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2022 and 2023. She also holds the program's single-season assist record with 284 in 2022-23, and she set the single-game assist record with 15 on Nov. 20, 2022.
Nika Muhl injury update
Mühl was injured during the third quarter of Saturday's game when it appeared teammate Aaliyah Edwards fell on her lower leg. Mühl briefly went to the locker room before she returned to the court after missing 15 seconds of game time.
Nika Muhl age
Mühl is a member Seattle Storm in the WNBA. She was previously a senior at UConn. The 22-year-old arrived at Connecticut as a freshman in 2020-21. According to ESPN, she was a three-star recruit.
BENDER: With Bueckers, Auriemma, UConn is hardly a sleeper for national title
Where is Nika Muhl from?
Mühl is from Zagreb, Croatia. She attended Gimnazija Zagreb in high school. Mühl played four seasons with ZKK Trasnjevka 2009 in Prva Zenska Liga, the top league of Croatian women's basketball, per UConn.
Her sister Hana Mühl is a sophomore at Ball State.
Why is Nika Muhl leaving UConn?
Mühl reportedly made the decision to leave the Huskies "months" before March Madness. On March 8, she officially announced that this would be her final campaign with UConn.
Last ride with my G <3
— Nika Muhl (@MuhlNika) March 8, 2024
✌🏼out Uconn Nation, I will miss you so much! pic.twitter.com/QLSe2tEs1j
In a press conference discussing her decision, Muhl explained her decision to go pro rather than use her extra year of COVID eligibility. She will not be transferring to another program, not even Ball State, which would give her the opportunity to play alongside her sister, according to CT Insider.
"I don't think I sat down and made a list of pros and cons," Mühl said, per CT Insider. "I just had that feeling that I've given my all in my time here. It's time for the other players. It's time to move on to some different things.
"It's not that I want to go home. Coming here was a huge adjustment. It's so hard. But I took a leap of faith my freshman year. I took a leap of faith because of Coach [Geno Auriemma]. How much I trusted him as soon as I met him, I'd never experienced that before. I don't trust people that easy. Him being able to give me that form of trust was like, 'I have go go here and if I don't I'm going to regret it.'"
Nika Muhl stats
| Year | Grade | G-GS | MPG | FG-FGA (FG%) | 3P-3PA (3P%) | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG |
| 2020-21 | FR | 23-15 | 24.4 | 1.7-4.6 (38.1%) | 1-3 (34.3%) | 4.9 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 1.7 |
| 2021-22 | SO | 33-19 | 21.7 | 1.5-3.5 (43.1%) | 0.8-2.2 (34.2%) | 3.8 | 3 | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| 2022-23 | JR | 36-36 | 36.6 | 2.3-5.7 (41.2%) | 1-3 (34.3%) | 7.1 | 3.9 | 7.9 | 1.4 |
| 2023-24 | SR | 38-38 | 31.9 | 2.6-5.7 (46.3%) | 1.3-3.2 (39.7%) | 6.8 | 4 | 6.5 | 1.2 |
| Career | -- | 130-108 | 29.3 | 2.1-4.9 (42.7%) | 1-2.9 (36%) | 5.8 | 3.4 | 5.2 | 1.4 |
