UConn's Fudd available to return after lost season

UConn guard Azzi Fudd, who hasn’t played since suffering a right knee injury more than a year ago, is available to return to action Wednesday as the No. 2 Huskies host Fairleigh Dickinson.

Coach Geno Auriemma is seeking his record-breaking 1,217th victory Wednesday, which would move him past retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer for most in Division I history in men’s or women’s basketball.

Fudd suffered the injury in practice on Nov. 14, 2023. She played just two games last season and is now a redshirt junior. In all, Fudd has been limited to 42 games in college after being the No. 1-rated recruit in the Class of 2021, according to HoopGurlz.

Fudd has averaged 13.1 points and 2.4 rebounds at UConn, but she has dealt with injuries throughout her time with the Huskies. She played 25 games, starting 17, her freshman year in 2021-2022, when the Huskies lost the national championship game to South Carolina.

She played 15 games in 2022-2023, when fellow guard Paige Bueckers missed the entire season with a knee injury. UConn’s streak of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances ended that season.

Bueckers returned last season as the Huskies made the Final Four, but the two players have not had much time on the court together.

Bueckers, who is averaging 21.3 points per game, is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. However, she could still return for one more season in college because of the COVID-19 waiver from 2020-2021.

Fudd, who still has this season and another of college eligibility remaining, would be projected as a potential lottery pick if she declared for the 2025 draft.