Combining elite consistency with pinpoint precision is a rare feat in college basketball, but it’s the exact standard Azzi Fudd has set during her one-of-a-kind run at UConn. And now, her remarkable run is earning national recognition.

The Huskies’ senior guard has officially been named one of five finalists for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. This award is an annual honor presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top shooting guard in women’s college basketball.

The finalist list includes the redshirt guard and:

• Flau’jae Johnson of the LSU Tigers.
• Ta’Niya Latson of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
• Gianna Kneepkens from the UCLA Bruins.
• And Mikayla Blakes of the Vanderbilt Commodores.

While each of these players is among the best talents in the sport, for Fudd, this recognition marks a significant milestone.

While she had previously appeared on the preseason watchlists in multiple seasons, injuries prevented her from ever reaching the finalist stage, well, until now.

In the 2025–26 NCAA season, Azzi Fudd has delivered the kind of year that’s impossible to ignore. She has played in every game and helped power UConn to a perfect 34–0 record as they went on to clinch another Big East Tournament championship. Along the way, she has averaged 17.7 points, three assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Moreover, Fudd is currently flirting with the coveted 50/40/90 shooting splits, while hitting 48.9 percent from the field, 44.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 95.1 percent from the free-throw line.

As per reports, she has missed just 10 free throws in her entire college career, going 120-for-130 from the line dating back to her first attempts as a freshman on January 30, 2022, against the Providence Friars.

But to become one of the greatest, you have to be just as good on defense, and she knows that. Fudd currently ranks among the national leaders in defensive metrics, sitting fourth in defensive win shares and 10th in defensive rating.

If she ultimately takes this award home, she would become just the second UConn player ever to win the award, joining Christyn Williams, who claimed the title back in 2022.

Azzi Fudd Opens Up About Looking Up to Teammate Sarah Strong

In a program stacked with elite talent, it’s not often that a star openly admits they want to model their game after a teammate. But that’s exactly how Fudd feels about Sarah Strong.

During a recent media appearance, the UConn guard opened up about how her chemistry with Strong has evolved over the past year.

“I feel like our chemistry has really gotten stronger on and off the court. I tell her all the time, I want to be just like her. ‘Sarah, you’re the best player I’ve ever played with. I want to be just like you.’ And so I’m like, ‘Okay, Sarah, what should I do here? What I do here, help me, teach me.’”

For a player of Azzi Fudd’s caliber, the statement certainly caught attention. The Huskies guard is widely regarded as one of the most talented scorers in the country, yet she made it clear that her admiration stems from watching Strong’s game up close every day.

“I feel like we just have a better understanding of each other. Where last year we played together, we didn’t play as much to the main game together. So this year, learning how to play with her, to play off of her, use her screens, know where she likes to pop when she likes to roll, where she likes to catch the ball. That’s been a lot of fun to learn because she is, like I said, the best player I have ever played.”

And judging by the numbers Strong has been putting up this season, her praise isn’t without reason.

Strong currently leads the UConn Huskies in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals while averaging 18.6 points per game on an impressive 59.5 percent shooting clip.

Together, the duo has created an inside-out dynamic that few teams have managed to slow down this season, which has been a major reason why UConn continues to look like one of the most dangerous teams in the country.