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MILWAUKEE — Two months from now, when Cathy Engelbert walks to the podium to announce the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, she may call Azzi Fudd’s name. At the very least, Fudd is set to become the just in UConn star selected in the lottery. 

Fudd arrived in Storrs in 2021 as the No. 1 overall recruit in her class, but has not had an easy road to this point. She suffered a devastating knee injury during high school that required multiple surgeries to repair a torn ACL and MCL in her right knee, then played just 42 games in her first three seasons at UConn due to an array of injuries, including another torn ACL in her right knee. 

Over the last two seasons, Fudd has finally gotten healthy, which has allowed her to show why she was so highly regarded as a prospect. She was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player last season after helping the Huskies win their first national championship since 2016, then decided to use her extra year of eligibility to return to school and further develop her game. 

Through 27 appearances this season, Fudd is averaging 17.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.4 steals on 49.5/46.3/94.9 shooting splits for the 27-0 Huskies, who are ranked No. 1 in the country and have a real chance to pull off another undefeated season. 

After 14 consecutive wins by at least 30 points, the Huskies ran into a bit of trouble on Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd at the Al McGuire Center on Marquette’s campus. The Golden Eagles jumped in front early, and the game was tied in the middle of the second quarter. Fudd, who finished with a game-high 25 points and four steals, helped lead a 16-4 run to close the half, however, and the Huskies held on for a 71-56 win — their third-closest contest this season. 

I was lucky enough to sit courtside for the Valentine’s Day matchup, and spent the afternoon focused solely on Fudd, who didn’t come out until 2:30 remaining, when the game was finally in hand. Here are my observations from watching one of the top prospects in this year’s draft class from a unique vantage point. 

Defense

Fudd is largely discussed as an offensive prospect, and for good reason, but the biggest thing that stood out from watching her in person was her defense, particularly off the ball. 

UConn was switching just about everything in the halfcourt, and Fudd often made sure she took whoever was in the weakside corner. That allowed her to remain on the backline and act as a roamer to help shut off the middle of the floor. She was excellent in this role. 

She was constantly scanning the floor and talking to her teammates. Her awareness of what was happening in front of her, and her timing on when to help, was almost always on point. Time and again, Fudd was in the right place to deny a pass, force a more difficult shot or create a turnover. 

Because of UConn’s switching tactic, there were times Fudd found herself matched up against bigger players, such as Halle Vice or Skylar Forbes. She never shrank from the challenge. While the 5-foot-11 Fudd isn’t the biggest guard, she’s not small either. Most importantly, she’s willing to fight in those situations when she has to, and smart enough to know when she should get out of there. 

One possession in the third quarter stood out, when Fudd got switched onto the 6-foot-3 Forbes, who tried to bury her in the post. Fudd fought to get in front of her and denied an easy entry pass. As Vice hesitated and swung the ball to the opposite wing, Fudd immediately yelled “Sarah! Sarah!” and coordinated a switch with Sarah Strong. Fudd scrammed out to the wing with high hands, which forced Kennedi Perkins to throw something of a lob down into Forbes. Strong was able to read the pass and pick it off. 

Fundamentals are often an offensive conversation, but Fudd was so sound defensively. She constantly had her head on a swivel and played with active hands. Even something as basic as the way she slid her feet in UConn’s full-court press was flawless. 

Fudd finished with four steals, one short of her season-high, and took two of them coast-to-coast for layups. 

“She’s putting herself in positions to do that, as opposed to previous years, I think she was very cautious. She played the game cautiously on defense,” Geno Auriemma stated after the game. “If I would say there’s one thing that I’m glad we’re seeing, is her ability off the ball to be in the right spot at the right time and to have the confidence to go for it and not worry about what happens if I’m not successful. It’s been like that all year, and it’s great when you have someone that’s that kind of offensive player that’s willing to play like that on the other end.”

Shooting

Fudd’s shooting prowess is no secret. She’s a 42.3% career 3-point shooter and is making a career-high 46.3% of her attempts this season. 

Fudd’s textbook form is a big part of her success. Pre-game warm-ups provided an opportunity to watch her release over and over in a less chaotic environment than a game, and it was incredible to see up close. Here are a few stills from a video I shot. It doesn’t get better than this. 

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Fudd’s perfect form

It was also interesting to see how repeatable Fudd’s shot was. It looks the same every single time, which is a testament to the work that she’s put in, and really translates to game action. 

Of course, Fudd’s lightning-quick release is another aspect of her success. It’s one thing to watch on TV, it was another to see it in person from courtside. The speed with which she’s able to catch, square herself and fire — again, with the same, perfect form every time — is really remarkable. The dismay from Marquette on a few of her 3s was palpable. 

Finally, it was fun to watch Fudd read and react to the defense. She did a great job of using screens and relocating to create space for herself. Her first 3 of the day was a perfect example. She faked a cut toward the basket, which got Jordan Meulemans to take one step the wrong way, then sprinted into a hand-off with Jana El Alfy. Instead of curling around El Alfy, she stopped right behind her and was wide open. 

On-ball creation

If there’s a clear area of improvement for Fudd, it’s her on-ball creation. She is one of the best shooting prospects of all time, but remains largely an off-ball threat. 

Against Marquette, Fudd did not initiate UConn’s offense except on occasion in transition. She generally started in the corner and utilized screens and cuts to get open. 

While she was willing to put the ball on the deck when the Golden Eagles ran her off the line, she was almost exclusively looking for one- or two-dribble pull-ups. Her form remains impeccable on those attempts, but she’s clearly not as comfortable shooting off the dribble. Against Marquette, she was 2 of 7 on pull-up 2s and 0 of 2 on pull-up 3s. 

“Definitely something I could have been better at today,” Fudd stated about her self-created offense after the win. 

Notably, Fudd finished with zero assists, and on two of the rare times she went to the basket in the halfcourt, she was rejected by Forbes. Though still an excellent lateral athlete despite the knee injuries, Fudd isn’t an explosive vertical athlete and often tried to finish with underhand scoop layups. 

Fan reaction

Finally, just a note about the incredible fan support Fudd and UConn received. 

When I arrived a few hours before tip-off, there were already hundreds of fans lined up waiting to get in, most of them sporting UConn gear. There were plenty of Fudd jerseys and shirts, and multiple “Fudd Around and Find Out” signs. Again, the game was in Milwaukee, not Storrs. 

Post-game, when Fudd sat at the announcer’s table doing an interview with FS1, dozens of fans immediately flocked to that side of the bleachers just to take pictures and selfies in her presence. When she eventually walked to the locker room, the screams were deafening. 

UConn and Fudd’s popularity is not a surprise at this point, but Saturday’s game felt different from even their previous trips to Milwaukee. Whichever team drafts Fudd be acquiring a massive fanbase in addition to a great player.