UConn failed to repeat as national champions this season, but its title window remains wide open. With Sarah Strong leading the way, the Huskies should remain regulars in the Final Four and continue to be contenders for the ultimate prize. But beyond the superstar, UConn is set to bring back a talented young core.

Currently, the Huskies will lose five players. Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme and Serah Williams exhausted their eligibility while Ayanna Patterson and Ice Brady hit the transfer portal earlier in the week. Meanwhile, they’ll return 10: Two seniors (KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade), four juniors (Jana El Alfy, Kayleigh Heckel, Allie Ziebell and Strong) and four sophomores (Blanca Quiñonez, Morgan Cheli, Kelis Fisher and Gandy Malou-Mamel).

UConn will also bring in freshmen Olivia Vukosa and Jovana Popovic, but could supplement that group with an addition or two out of the transfer portal. The Huskies have areas they could upgrade, but there aren’t any glaring holes on the roster.

Among the five players heading out the door, only Fudd and Williams held significant on-court roles.

Williams started all 39 games for the Huskies but never emerged as an impact player with just 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 17.4 minutes. Continued development from El Alfy, the addition of Vukosa (the No. 2 prospect in the class of 2026) and any potential contributions from Malou-Mamel should be enough to account for the loss of Williams.

Fudd won’t be quite as easy to replace. She finished second behind Strong in scoring with 17.3 points, led the team with a 44.7 percent mark from three, and also helped out with 3.1 assists and 2.5 steals. Even with a rough finish, Fudd was still a consensus First Team All-American. No one individual can replace the soon-to-be first-round pick. It’ll have to be a collective effort.

As for the others, Ducharme will leave behind a significant void in terms of leadership even though she didn’t play much. Patterson never saw serious minutes while Brady missed most of the season due to lingering knee issues.