UConn’s Azzi Fudd knew she needed a strong Final Four performance

TAMPA, Florida — UConn guard Azzi Fudd wasted no time making her presence known against UCLA in the Final Four.

In the first 30 seconds, Fudd forced a turnover, sprinted to the basket and laid in the Huskies’ first points. UConn demolished UCLA 85-51, the largest margin of victory in Final Four history, to advance to the national championship game for the 13th time in program history.

“My mindset tonight was just to be aggressive, whatever that meant,” Fudd said after the win. “Whether that meant making shots or driving and kicking.”

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In an Elite Eight matchup against USC, Fudd struggled from the field, shooting 3-for-14. The eight points she recorded were well below her 13.1 per-game average. 

“I told all of them, I left that in Spokane, so Tampa was a new me,” Fudd said. “It’s March. It’s the Final Four, like, you can’t keep any of that with you.”

Fudd, who missed nearly all of last season with a torn ACL, couldn’t be held down for long against the Bruins. She shot 7-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from 3, and made a pair of free throws to finish with 19 points. 

After the game, she held her arms out wide when describing how big the basket looked to her in the first half. 

“It’s just so much fun to watch her play with joy, be at this stage,” said Paige Bueckers, who also missed a year of her college career with an ACL tear. “You see all the ups and downs, the bad days, the good days, and to be in the spot where it’s the light at the end of the tunnel and for her to perform and just be at this stage means everything to us.”

This is the first Final Four and national championship game Bueckers and Fudd have played in since 2022, when they lost to South Carolina. Fudd logged just 16 minutes and three shots that night, a far cry from the 31 minutes and 12 shots she recorded against UCLA.

“Having teammates that are always on you to shoot the ball, it makes it pretty easy,” Fudd said. “Also, when they’re giving me great looks, it also makes it really easy.”

Fudd and the Huskies look to continue the momentum as they take on their third No. 1 seed of the tournament in the national championship game against South Carolina.

South Carolina vs. UConn time, TV channel, how to watch

• Time, date: 3 p.m. ET | Sunday, April 6
• TV Channel: ABC
• Live Stream: Fubo – Watch Now!

Makenzy Wolford is a student in the University of Georgia’s Sports Media Certificate program.

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