Azzi Fudd dazzles in her return to March Madness

The last time Azzi Fudd stepped on the court for UConn in the NCAA Tournament was nearly two years ago to the day. The Huskies fell to 3-seed Ohio State in the 2023 Sweet 16 in Seattle, bowing out of tournament prior to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005. Fudd shot just 22 percent from deep in the game while the shorthanded squad turned the ball over 25 times.

Fast forward 728 days and Fudd is back on the court for UConn in the NCAA tournament after an ACL tear that cut her junior season short after just two games.

“I had a lot of fun, and it felt great to be out there, especially it's tournament time, it's been a while,” Fudd said. “I'm so grateful. It was so much fun.”

While it has been two years since Fudd played in a March Madness game, you wouldn’t have known it from watching her play on Saturday afternoon. The redshirt junior took the court looking confident, sinking back-to-back threes early in the first quarter and quickly hitting her stride on the court.

“A lot of times when kids haven't played and then you throw them out there, they put a lot of pressure on themselves to make up for two years of missing NCAA Tournaments and try to get it all back in one night,” Geno Auriemma said. “For me, it's putting Azzi in a position where she likes being in and letting her do what she does best.”

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