How Azzi Fudd’s injury impacts UConn and women’s NCAA hoops

After so much preseason optimism over what a healthy UConn could do in the 2023-24 women’s college basketball season, it has been extinguished in less than a month of play: Junior Azzi Fudd will miss the rest of the season with ACL and medial meniscal tears in her right knee, the Huskies announced Wednesday, the latest in a slew of season-ending injuries the program has dealt with in recent years.

Fudd’s injury is her third in three seasons in Storrs. A foot injury limited the former No. 1 recruit from the class of 2021 to 25 games her freshman season. Knee injuries sidelined her on two occasions as a sophomore, with her returning in time for the NCAA tournament and playing 15 games in all.

Then, barely a week into the 2023-24 season, after just two games, Fudd suffered the ACL and meniscal tear in practice. Coach Geno Auriemma said Fudd went up for a shot and remarked afterward that something felt funny before leaving for the training room. The sharpshooter, whose jumper has been called textbook by Stephen Curry, previously tore the ACL and MCL in her right knee in April 2019.

UConn already is without Jana El Alfy due to an Achilles injury she suffered in July playing with Egypt in the FIBA U19 World Cup. Last year, 2021 national player of the year Paige Bueckers and then-freshman Ice Brady were sidelined the entire year with an ACL tear and a dislocated patella, respectively, that occurred during the summer.

ESPN’s Michael Voepel, Charlie Creme and Alexa Philippou dissect what Fudd’s injury means for the No. 6 Huskies’ championship aspirations and for Fudd moving forward.

How will Fudd’s absence impact the Huskies? How will the lineup change? Which players will see more playing time and must step up?

Creme: Aubrey Griffin and Qadence Samuels are the first two players who come to mind. As a fifth-year senior, and one who also missed a season due to injury, Griffin has the experience to equal Fudd. She stepped into the starting lineup against Maryland and produced nine points and 13 rebounds in 28 minutes.

Freshman Samuels can provide at least a portion of the perimeter shooting lost with the absence of Fudd. Neither possesses Fudd’s overall talent, but Griffin has performed in these situations before and Samuels is a top-50 recruit — and already the Huskies’ most prolific 3-point shooter this season.

Philippou: Caroline Ducharme. It seems ages ago that Ducharme carried the Huskies when Bueckers and Fudd were sidelined for a chunk of 2021-22, looking every bit the top recruit she was deemed before her arrival to Storrs. Since then, she has dealt with concussions and neck stiffness, and she hasn’t been the same player consistently. She’s struggling to start this season, scoring 16 points and playing 59 minutes through four games.

If the junior can stay healthy, and if…