When the team gathered inside Gampel Pavilion for Monday morning's practice, the prognosis for UConn junior guard Bria Hartley playing against Louisville was rather bleak.

While officially listed as doubtful, Hartley was considered a long shot to suit up. What a difference a couple of hours can make. Despite being limited to putting up some shots on the side and running on the treadmill and elliptical machines on Monday, Hartley was upgraded to probable.


"I got a lot better even form the day after the game until  today so hopefully the same progress happens tomorrow," Hartley said.

The decision of whether Hartley plays won't be made until the UConn coaching and medical staffs see how she looks during and after the Tuesday afternoon shootaround.

Hartley, who missed more than a month of preseason camp and the first two games of the season due to a sprained ankle, couldn't believe her misfortune when she reinjured the same ankle while going for a loose ball early in Saturday's game against Marquette.

"I went to grab it and a girl kind of landed on my ankle and turned it," Hartley said. "It is frustrating, it is like 'dang, again.' That was the first thing that came to mind, I knew it was my ankle in a way. I think at first because I hurt it already you are kind of cautious about it. You just want to make sure you don't reinjure it. It is kind of a little bit in the same spot but it is not at bad. The doctor (Tom Trojian) took a look at it and my ligament is in place. He said it looks stronger from when I injured it the first time. It was in a little bit of a different area."

The news wasn't all positive on the injury front as freshman forward Breanna Stewart did not practice and is unlikely to play tomorrow.

"She (Hartley) came out and did a couple of things today on the side," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "Hopefully tomorrow during shootaround she will look a lot better. We'll see at shootaround how she feels. Breanna came down and got some shots. She moved around a little bit. I think she is less likely (to play).