Preview: UConn vs. Providence

How to watch

Date: Sunday, Dec. 29

Time: 1:30 p.m. ET

Location: XL Center, Hartford, CT

TV: SNY

Stream: SNY.tv (in market) | FoxSports.com/live (out of market)

Radio: UConn Sports Network (97.9 Fox Sports and affiliates)

Providence Friars

Record: 7-7 (0-1 Big East)

Location: Providence, Rhode Island

Head coach: Erin Batth

New starting lineup

While Azzi Fudd returned to action against USC after missing the previous three games with a minor knee sprain, she was limited to just eight minutes — all of which came in the first half. She was healthy enough to play but Geno Auriemma didn’t believe she was in position to meaningfully contribute given how little time she’d spent on the court in the lead-up.

“A couple of practices isn't really going to get you ready to play,” he said on Saturday.

But now that UConn is back from a short break for the holidays, Fudd should be fully ready to go.

“I think getting away and giving it an extra four or five days — and then the extra days when we got back — mentally, I think it makes her a little more comfortable knowing that there's been enough time for it to be 100 percent.”

As a result, Fudd will be back in the starting lineup when the Huskies take on Providence.

“There's no point in having her coming off the bench,” Auriemma said. “If you want to warm up, then let's get started again.”

Aubrey Griffin nearing return

For awhile, Aubrey Griffin had Jan. 1 as her target date to return from a torn ACL. But now, she won’t be back until mid-January at the earliest.

The good news? The sixth-year forward hasn’t suffered any setbacks. As New Year’s Day got closer, it just became clear that it wasn’t a realistic goal for her.

“She wanted it to be realistic,” Auriemma said. “When you had to deal with as many things as Aubrey’s had to deal with since her high school career, there's a lot going on. Trying to get five days in a row of real, high-level workouts, it's not the easiest thing. So if we have three straight days where it's great and she's like, ‘Yeah, Coach, I'm getting really close,’ then there'll be a couple days where it's like, ‘Nah, still not quite there yet.’ But she will be.”

Scouting the Friars

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