Storrs — Caroline Ducharme couldn't hide her smile when talking about Nika Mühl and Dorka Juhász returning to action for the UConn women's basketball team.

Perhaps their comeback will help the Huskies' sophomore guard return to more of her freshman self.

Ninth-ranked UConn is expected to have nine players available Sunday when it takes on Florida State in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena (1 p.m., ESPN).

Juhász, who has missed the last seven games with a broken left thumb, was scheduled to practice Saturday before a final decision was made whether she'll play. Mühl, who went into concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head during the third quarter of a Dec. 8 win over Princeton and missed last Sunday's loss to Maryland, was a full participant in Friday's workout and is 100 percent ready to go.

"Both of them have such huge roles and huge voices," Ducharme said. "Having everyone get back to what they do and have them back healthy makes a huge difference on and off the court."

Mühl's return will allow Ducharme and fellow guard Lou Lopez Sénéchal to play more on the wing and lessen their ballhandling responsibilities.

Without Mühl, the Huskies committed 14 fourth-quarter turnovers against Princeton and saw a 15-point fourth-quarter lead cut to two before freshman Inês Bettencourt made three free throws to preserve the victory. Against Maryland, 22 turnovers led to 21 points for the Terrapins in a seven-point road loss.

"The last couple of games we have had a lot of people playing out of position," Ducharme said. "It's something that we've come to expect since it happened a lot last year. We're in a better position than last year with that but it's unnatural. It's not your primary role and what you do best. Having her back makes it easier for everyone else."

Ducharme hopes she's a beneficiary.

Coming off hip surgery in the spring and dealing with neck stiffness in the fall, Ducharme has been limited to flashes of who she was a season ago when she was an all-Big East second team and all-freshman selection.

"It's not what I would like," Ducharme said. "Coming back from the injuries has been hard. It's been up and down. I'm definitely not where I want to be on both ends. A lot of that comes from my defense and I know that I have a long way to go just trying to get back to being the player I want to be.

"The last couple of months have been like, 'I know what I can do, I know what I can be, and I'm just not there yet.' It's frustrating because I'm trying to find ways to get back in that flow. I know I have to be better. I know the team needs me to be better, the coaches do. It's on me to perform."

Ducharme seemed on the right track with 15 points in a win over Iowa on Nov. 27 and 10 points in a rout of Providence five days later. But she had only two free throws in a loss at Notre Dame on Dec. 4 and one basket in the Princeton win with five turnovers. She finished with 13 points and seven rebounds after a slow start against Maryland but committed a career-high six turnovers in her almost 39 minutes of play having to handle the ball more than usual in Mühl's absence.

Coach Geno Auriemma admitted there was not much to like about her performances in the last two games and has spoken to Ducharme about it.

"The want-to, I want to be really good, I want to play really well, I really want to contribute, I want to make a lot of plays, that hasn't gone away," Auriemma said. "It's the anxiousness and the diving head first into bad situations, trying to make things happen that aren't there, it's forcing the game rather than letting the game come to her that's been a really struggle for her at this point. We knew that was going to happen and that's why we tried to bring her back slowly. Unfortunately she was put in a situation where it's a lot of minutes. After a summer of not touching a basketball and playing, then some of the other things she's been dealing with, that's not fair to her. Little by little that will improve.

"Last year she was quicker, able to get to places. She was fluid. Right now physically she can't do it and it doesn't work in her favor. For her it's adjusting to the new normal right now."

UConn (7-2) had just seven available players at Maryland with Bettencourt making her first start. The Huskies have been off since for fall semester final exams. Florida State (11-1) is coming off a 98-37 rout of Presbyterian. The only loss was to Oklahoma State in the Cancun Challenge. Guard Ta'Niya Latson is the Seminoles’ leading scorer and has been the ACC's Freshman of the Week all five times the award has been given out this season.