UConn's Azzi Fudd available after missing most of last season

Available to return to action Wednesday as the No. 2 Huskies host Fairleigh Dickinson, UConn guard Azzi Fudd hasn't played since sustaining a right knee injury more than a year ago.

Seeking his record-breaking 1,217th victory Wednesday, Coach Geno Auriemma would surpass retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer most in Division I history in men's or women's basketball.

Fudd sustained the damage in Nov. 14, 2023 in practice. Currently a redshirt junior, she only participated in two games last season. HoopGurlz reports that Fudd, who was the No. 1-rated prospect in the Class of 2021, has only played 42 games in college overall.

At UConn, Fudd has averaged 13.1 points and 2.4 rebounds; nevertheless, she has fought with injuries all her career with the Huskies. Beginning her rookie year in 2021–2022, when the Huskies lost the national title game to South Carolina, she participated in 25 games starting 17.

She played 15 games in 2022–2023 while fellow guard Paige Bueckers missed the whole season due to a knee injury. That season saw UConn's 14-straight Final Four appearance run broken.

Although the Huskies made the Final Four and Bueckers returned last season, the two players have not spent much time on the court together.

The expected No. 1 choice in the WNBA draft is Bueckers, who averages 21.3 points per game. The COVID-19 waiver from 2020–2021 allowed her to still return for one more season in college, nevertheless.

Should Fudd declare for the 2025 draft, she would be expected as a possible lottery pick still with season and another of NCAA eligibility remaining.