Caroline Doty wasn't about to let a little thing like a season-ending knee injury keep her from joining her team for the much-anticipated showdown against No. 2 North Carolna.

Doty, speaking for the first time publicly since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in Saturday's win over Syracuse, said she has tried to stay positive even though her freshman season came to an end prematurely.

"Right now I am excited for the team but the past couple of days are kind of like a roller coaster," Doty said before Monday's game. "I tried to stay as positive as I can. My teammates and coaches are doing a great job of keeping my spirits up."

Doty said the tear was not as serious as the one she suffered in September of 2007 when she was a senior at Germantown Academy and won't have to wait as long for surgery. Doty said the plan is to undergo surgery on Thursday.

During Monday morning's shootaround, sophomore Lorin Dixon was playing with the starters and seems to be the early choice to take Doty's place in the starting lineup. If UConn goes that route, Dixon would play the point and Renee Montgomery would move over to shooting guard.

Lastly, a source close to the situation said that the next step in the post-game fiasco Saturday night will be handled by the two schools. The source said that administrators from UConn and Syracuse were contacted about the words exchanged between UConn coach Geno Auriemma and Syracuse junior forward Nicole Michael. If Syracuse and UConn deal with the issue to the Big East's satisfaction, there will be no further action or reprimands. But if the schools do not step up to the plate, the conference will take whatever action they deem necessary.