This week is packed with full-circle moments for UConn women’s basketball star Azzi Fudd.
On Monday, the redshirt senior played a complete game against Notre Dame for the first time in her college career after she was sidelined three of the last four years and exited the lone matchup she appeared in with a knee injury in 2022. She logged 15 points on 53.8% shooting plus three rebounds and a steal in front of a sold-out Gampel Pavilion crowd to help power the Huskies to their first win in the rivalry series since 2021.
“I knew it, but I didn’t really realize it, so I was just excited to finally be healthy — knocking on wood,” Fudd said with a smile after UConn’s 85-47 rout of the Irish. “Having to sit on the bench every year sucks no matter what game you’re watching, but having to watch this one, this is a fun game and a big matchup, so I was excited to finally be a part of it and be out there.”
On the heels of that victory, Fudd will play her final collegiate homecoming game Thursday when UConn faces Georgetown on the road in Washington, D.C.. Fudd grew up in Arlington, Virginia, roughly 10 miles west of the Hoyas’ home at CareFirst Arena, and she played her high school state championship game on that same court. Fudd’s mother Katie also competed for Georgetown from 1998-2001, and she was a three-time All-Big East selection during her college career.
The Huskies have played at Georgetown three times since Fudd joined the team in 2021-22 as part of their Big East schedule, but last year’s meeting on Jan. 11 was the first time the star guard was available to play. In front of a massive cheering section of friends and family, Fudd put up 21 points hitting 5-for-8 from 3-point range and 61.5% from the field.
“I’m super excited obviously to be able to play at home,” Fudd said. “I don’t really know who’s coming, but I’m assuming lots of people will be there, so it’s always fun to be able to be home and see a lot of familiar faces and a lot of people I love. I’m just grateful.”
Fudd is in the midst of the best — and healthiest — season of her UConn career, averaging 17.3 points per game and flirting with 50/40/90 shooting splits currently at 49.2% from the field, 45.5% from beyond the arc and 100% at the free throw line . The Huskies’ sharpshooter has been even better against elite competition, averaging 22 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists shooting 51.5% from the field and 46% on 3-pointers in games against Power 4 opponents.
But where Fudd has taken the biggest leap is as a defender. Her 2.2 steals per game are nearly double her previous career high, and she also has her best-ever defensive rating by a wide margin. She is tied for second on the team in defensive win shares with starting point guard KK Arnold, with whom she often splits the responsibility of defending the best opposing guards.
“I thought defensively she impacted the game, and that’s what really good players do,” coach Geno Auriemma said after Fudd went 0-for-4 on 3-pointers against Notre Dame. “They don’t just go, ‘Well, I’m not shooting the ball well tonight, so my impact is going to be minimal.’ I think that was the kind of game you want to have. It’s easy to look back on a game and go, ‘That kid played great, she shot 10-for-12 from the three point line.’ But I think the sign (of a great player) is, can you impact the game when you know it’s not your best day?”
UConn’s defense as a whole is among the best in the country, ranking No. 1 nationally in scoring defense and top 10 in field goal percentage defense and turnovers forced per game. But Georgetown boasts arguably the No. 2 unit in the Big East, so Thursday’s matchup could be a low-scoring affair. The Hoyas rank second in the conference in points allowed, third in steals and opponent field goal percentage and fifth in forced turnovers.
Still, the Huskies have yet to meet a Big East team that can truly slow down their offensive production: They are averaging almost 94 points per game in conference play and outscoring opponents by an average of 47. On top of their stifling defense, they are second in the nation in field goal and 3-point percentage — the only program besides UCLA to rank top 5 in both metrics. UConn is also one of just five teams shooting better than 50% from the field collectively.
“When the shots start dropping from various places on the floor, it makes it real tough for the defense, whatever their plan is, to limit how many buckets we get,” Auriemma said. “It’s like a leak — it’s coming from here, from here and from here … Once that happens, now all of a sudden, everything’s started to spread out for them, and then all the things inside start to open themselves up. A lot of times you score inside, and then they collapse … Then we make a bunch of threes or make a bunch of jump shots, and it opens up everything inside.”
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How to watch UConn women’s basketball at Georgetown
Site: CareFirst Arena, Washington, D.C.
Time/date: 7:30 p.m., Thursday
Team records: UConn 19-0 (9-0), Georgetown 11-7 (4-5)
Series record: UConn leads 57-6
Last meeting: 73-55 UConn, Jan. 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
TV: TNT, truTV
Streaming: HBO Max
Radio: UConn Sports Network on FOX Sports 97.9