On the final day of the regular season, the attention was on the seniors. Ice Brady, Caroline Ducharme, Azzi Fudd, Ayanna Patterson, and Serah Williams were all honored on Senior Day as an emotional crowd bid adieu. The youngsters had some tearful moments as well, and the baton was passed on to Sarah Strong and Co. However, as they celebrated the end of an era, Azzi Fudd took some time out of her post-game press conference to pinpoint a red-shirt sophomore who is going through a difficult time. 

“I just want to talk about how Jana (Al Alfy) is one of the hardest workers on our team every single day in practice, in the weight room, no matter where it is,” Fudd told the media. “Even though it doesn’t always show on the court, she doesn’t get the most playing time in the world, but she comes every single day, and we can rely on her to get that rebound, to get that loose ball, the hustle play that we need.”

Alfy has averaged 4.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, playing only a quarter of the total available minutes. Despite getting few opportunities, Alfy is still the team’s best offensive rebounder, getting 20.5% off the opponents’ glass. “No matter how many minutes she gets, she comes in and gives her all. And I just want to say I just want to make a public announcement because she doesn’t get the attention that she deserves.”

This is also great leadership on the part of Fudd. Alfy is at the fag end of their current rotation, but her profile and talent can turn out to be crucial when needed. She is also the future of the program once Fudd moves on. Keeping her motivated and spirits high ensures a total buy-in. Once players feel appreciated, the team atmosphere remains positive. That is especially applicable for someone like Alfy, who is not completely fit. 

Leading up to this clash against Providence, she suffered a hip injury. “I didn’t think she was going to go. She landed on her hip, and it looked pretty painful,” Geno Auriemma said. “So as of yesterday, she was going to be out, and then this morning she says she felt pretty good, but obviously you saw her two, three times up and down the floor, and she has to come out. So, we’ll see where that takes us between now and Thursday.” In January, she suffered a concussion and missed multiple games.  

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That has been the theme of Alfy’s UConn career. Initially, she enrolled mid-year in 2022-23 and did not play immediately. Then, she had to redshirt in her freshman season after tearing her ACL, a feeling Fudd relates to. Even coach Geno Auriemma explicitly pointed out the same thing. 

“From the time that she got here as a freshman, she’s always been one of the best people to have as a teammate because she engages with everyone,” Auriemma said. “She works exceptionally hard. She’s low‑maintenance. It’s unfortunate that, like it was for a lot of that group, she missed a lot of time and wasn’t able to play as much as you’d love to when you first go to college.” However, it’s not over for Jana El Alfy as she has multiple years of eligibility still in the tank. As much as the spotlight was on individual resilience, the bigger picture for UConn remains their form heading into March, and their latest outing offered both encouraging signs and lingering concerns.

Geno Auriemma Ignores Turnover Record After Disastrous Three-Point Night

Like every other team, UConn dismantled Providence. The 81-38 win had the Huskies with full intensity as they forced a program record 38 turnovers. KK Arnold was the chief contributor to that number with 8 steals, while Ashlynn Shade had 5. That is 13.4 more than the season-wide average coming into the game. However, coach Geno Auriemma did not even notice his team’s high intensity.

“I didn’t know it. They were telling me on the way in that we set a record, tied a record, for forcing the most turnovers ever,” Auriemma said. “I had no idea. As I was watching, my eyes were hurting from watching all the three-pointers that we missed, and my ears hurt from the clanging on the rim. So, between that, I wasn’t paying attention to a lot of the turnovers.”

Well, that is Geno Auriemma. As strict and unfiltered as ever. The Huskies shot 26% from the three-point line. Azzi Fudd had a rough night, going 3-13 from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, that is not their worst number. Just in their last match-up against Louisville, UConn shot 15.4% from the three-point line, and they haven’t shot above 30% in the last 5 games. 

Well, that coincides with Azzi Fudd’s difficult spell as she scored 0-8 in the last 2 games and has not scored above 30% from the three-point line in 2026. As their premier three-point scorer, Fudd needs to step up so Geno Auriemma can have all the bases covered in March.