UConn Star Azzi Fudd Out For The Season

UConn has announced that junior Azzi Fudd will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. According to the school, Fudd suffered a non-contact injury during practice last week. She watched the #6 Huskies beat Maryland and Minnesota from the bench before the extent of her injury was announced. Fudd, the #1 recruit of the 2021 class, has been plagued with injuries across her first three years of college ball.

"We're all just so upset for Azzi. She worked hard to be healthy for this season, and it's unfortunate when you put in a lot of hard work and have a setback like this. Azzi loves the game and works tirelessly. I'm confident she'll rehab with the same work ethic and come back better than ever. We'll obviously miss her presence on the court, but Azzi will continue to be a great teammate and important part of this team this season. Our program will support Azzi through her recovery however we can," head coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement.

UConn To Persevere Without Fudd

Despite the injury, it's business as usual in Storrs. "We've always handled [injuries] really, really, really well. We've always been pretty resilient. For us to win 31 games last year, given what we went through, they respond, they don't pout. They really don't. So when I said, 'Hey, we're just going to have to figure this one out,' it changes your rotation obviously, it changes maybe the way you want to play. It certainly changes your offense," Auriemma told reporters last week.

The Huskies are 3-1, having suffered a shocking loss to then-unranked NC State in their second game of the season. However, things don't get any easier for UConn going forward. The Huskies are in the Cayman Islands for a Feast Week tournament. There, they will have to face #2 UCLA and defending WNIT champions Kansas. UConn will be the first major test for the Bruins, who are 4-0 behind wins against Purdue, UC Riverside, Bellarmine, and Princeton.

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