Arizona Wildcats guard Aari McDonald will return to the lineup Friday night against No. 4 Stanford after missing both games last week with what her coach called a lower-leg injury.
The UA women's basketball program posted photos Friday afternoon of McDonald taking part in the team's shootaround.
— Arizona Women's Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) February 28, 2020
McDonald's presence adds an extra level of gravity to Friday's showdown between the 13th-ranked Wildcats and fourth-ranked Cardinals. The UA, having already booked a first-round bye in next week's Pac-12 Tournament, can host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament by finishing in the top 16 nationally. After playing Stanford on Friday, the UA will wrap regular-season play against Cal.
Coach Adia Barnes said this week that McDonald is "way better now."
“She’ll play,” Barnes said. “I’m not going to play her 40 minutes, but she’ll play her normal minutes and she’s feeling good. … She’ll be 100%. But we have a lot of basketball ahead of us, so it’s important figuring out what’s important.”
