Azzi Fudd's takeover at South Carolina was a long time coming, but nothing new

When Azzi Fudd chose UConn back in November 2020, it was hard not to envision championships — plural — in the program’s future. Viewed as a generational talent in her own right, she was joining a Huskies squad that already had one in Paige Bueckers. At the time, some even believed Fudd was the better player.

The question wasn’t whether those two would win a national championship together — it was how many.

Instead, Fudd’s UConn career has largely been defined by injuries, not trophies. Now in her fifth season in Storrs, she’s played in just 63 of a possible 139 contests. Sophomores KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade have already have more career games under their belts.

But on Sunday, Fudd reminded the world what she’s capable of with a 28-point takeover in the Huskies’ shocking blowout win at South Carolina. Despite an 0-4 start and 2-10 performance in the first half, she exploded in the third quarter with 18 points on 7-9 shooting, including a 4-5 mark from behind the arc.

If there were any linger questions about Fudd after all the injuries, she put them to rest in emphatic fashion.

“This was a big moment for her. She hasn't played in a long time, hasn't been in this scenario in a long time,” Geno Auriemma said postgame. “For her to have the kind of game that she had, this was big. It really goes a long way towards pushing her forward. I'm sure she had some doubts whether, ‘Do I still have it in me?’ I was really proud of her.”

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