UConn star Azzi Fudd has a minor knee sprain and will probably miss the remainder of this week, after which she will be considered “day-to-day” coach Geno Auriemma told reporters on Tuesday. That likely rules Fudd out for the Huskies’ top-10 matchup with Notre Dame on Thursday.
Her teammates were “very” relieved that the injury was not more serious, Paige Bueckers told the media. “Just as people who know her, who are like family, just for her to have to keep going through things, even this situation is unfortunate,” she said. “It’s just very frustrating because she’s just coming back, she’s been looking great the past couple of games. It’s much better that it’s a minor setback and I know she’s gonna stay hungry, stay in the weight room and continue to do everything that she can to get back on the court as soon as possible.”
Fudd was injured during No. 2 UConn’s dominant 85-52 victory over Louisville on Saturday in the Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Early in the third quarter, Fudd attempted to fight through a screen and collapsed to the ground holding her right knee.
She got up slowly and remained in the game briefly, even knocking down a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. At the next dead ball, however, she checked out of the game and went straight to the locker room. Though she eventually returned to the bench, she did not check back into the game.
Fudd’s absence will be felt when UConn takes on No. 8 Notre Dame, but the good news is that she didn’t suffer another significant injury.
The former No. 1 overall recruit has dealt with major knee problems dating back to her high school career when she tore her ACL and MCL. She missed all but two games last season after tearing her ACL again during practice and has only played in 47 total games since arriving in Storrs in 2021.
Fudd made her return Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 20 and has appeared in five games this season. Unsurprisingly, she was rusty at first, and scored just seven total points on 2 of 11 from the field in her first two games. Since then, however, she has shown the offensive talent that made her such a prized recruit and will potentially turn her into a WNBA lottery pick. In her last three games, she was averaging 14.3 points on 63% shooting overall, including 37.5% from behind the arc in just 21.3 minutes.
After taking on Notre Dame on Thursday, UConn will host Georgetown on Sunday. Fudd’s return could come as soon as UConn’s matchup with No. 18 Iowa State on Dec. 17.
