Is Aaliyah Edwards playing today vs Iowa? Looking at UConn forward's availability ahead of Final Four

UConn Huskies forward Aaliyah Edwards will be playing on Friday in the Final Four matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Edwards has been dealing with a broken nose and wears a mask during games. The forward missed most of the Big East Tournament but has played in March Madness masked up.

"It was just a matter of letting everything calm down so that [the mask] fit and she was comfortable enough breathing," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said, via The Mirror. "So she's practiced a couple of days and we would expect that she will be 100% come this weekend. Luckily, there was a mask on hand - hers."

Edwards has been a key player for the Huskies, but this could be her final game as she has already announced she'll be declaring for the WNBA draft.

Aaliyah Edwards putting Canada on the map

Aaliyah Edwards is the next great Canadian women's basketball star. She has said she wants to follow in Kia Nurse's footsteps:

"I think the impact that I've been able to continue to lead after Kia came here was just showing Canadians that we cannot only be dominant just within Canada, but coming across the border and seeing how special you can get more opportunities in the NCAA and going for a scholarship and becoming a student-athlete and eventually going pro.

"We're not only a hockey country, we're trying to be a basketball country as well. So a lot of love up north, and I appreciate all of you."

At UConn, the forward has been a key player for the Huskies on both ends of the court. In the Huskies' upset win over USC, she played 40 minutes scoring 24 points while adding six rebounds and an assist.

Edwards has been at UConn for all four years, and this season, she's averaging 17.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists, as she's started all 36 games she's played in.

Where is Aaliyah Edwards projected to be drafted?

Aaliyah Edwards has already said she will be declaring for the 2024 WNBA draft and is expected to hear her name called early.

In ESPN's latest WNBA mock draft, the network projects Edwards being selected fifth overall to the Dallas Wings.

Edwards is a solid two-way player who can play in the post and isn't afraid to get dirty to score baskets or defend.