The 2023-24 college basketball season felt disproportionately impacted by injuries. Whether it was TCU being forced to turn to walk-ons or Elizabeth Kitley and Kylee Watson being lost at the end of the ACC season or UConn’s ever-thinning bench, the ratio of big-name players on the injury report versus the court was too high.
One of the joys of the first week of the season has been a series of triumphant returns. As we kick off this year’s power rankings, the mood for Week 1 will be a little brighter than usual for a celebration of players returning to the court. Let’s look at several players who returned from season-ending injuries and examine how they’ll affect their teams.
Almost famous: Kentucky, Michigan, Louisville
Dropped out: Nebraska (15), Princeton (25)
Miles returns as the nation’s best passer
It’s hard to pick a favorite moment from Olivia Miles’ first two games in nearly 20 months for Notre Dame. There was the half-court buzzer-beating swish against Purdue to end the third quarter and put the Irish up by 36. There was the behind-the-back blind pass in transition to Hannah Hidalgo and a cross-court heave to Sonia Citron. There was the way she elevated and used one hand to scoop the ball in for multiple layups, a full-on Statue of Liberty in motion. Oh, and…
