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In her last three games McKinney has set a career high in points (25 vs. Penn State), assists (six vs. Wisconsin) and led the Gophers comeback by scoring all 11 of her points in the fourth quarter against Illinois.

McMiller will likely play Wednesday, but no definitive announcement on her status had been made as of Tuesday evening.

“What we told our players was what typically happens in these situations is that whatever this is — and we’re not going to speculate — it unites a team,” Plitzuweit said. “It gives them an edge, pushes them to play with an intense level. The challenge for us is not only to meet that, but exceed it.”

The Big Ten has named a freshman of the week eight times. McKinney won it this week, McMiller the two times before that.

McMiller? She has been the subject of wild speculation since she was benched for Rutgers’ loss to USC over the weekend by Rutgers coach Coquese Washington. Even as a freshman, McMiller already has a Michael Jordan brand deal and a nickname (“The Product”). McMiller took to social media to announce she would not play against USC, saying it was Washington’s decision.

Let the speculation begin. Washington said the situation would be dealt with internally. At least one report said the benching was due to an altercation McMiller had with a teammate.