UConn brushed aside Notre Dame 85-47 for the biggest win against the program. It was an all-round, clinical display with Sarah Strong going off for 18 points and 11 rebounds. Azzi Fudd added 15 points and 3 rebounds, but went 0-4 from the three-point line. Despite the cold shooting from Fudd, Geno Auriemma explained a major positive in Fudd’s game that makes her unique.

Azzi Fudd has been phenomenal this season. She is scoring 17.4 points per game while shooting 48.9% from the field and 47% from the three-point line. She gives Auriemma the outside threat to stretch the floor and Sarah Strong the freedom to dominate in the paint. Still, the numbers only tell part of the story. Auriemma highlighted something deeper in Fudd’s game.

“I like that she got into the lane and found other ways to score besides just relying on her three-ball,” he said after the game. “And I thought defensively, she impacted the game. And that’s again, that’s what really good players do. They don’t just, well, I’m not shooting the ball well tonight, so my impact is going to be minimal. No, I think that was the kind of game you want to have.”

It’s not only Fudd’s shooting that is elite. Her athleticism and the ability to read the ball have sharpened as well. Against Notre Dame, she went head-to-head against one of the top defenders in the country, Hannah Hidalgo, and still got to the rim with relative ease. She went 7-13 from the field.  “I think the sign is, can you impact the game when you know it’s not your best day? “Auriemma concluded. 

It was also a sign of maturity that Fudd only went for 4 three pointers, 2.5 less than her season wide average. While she may have figured it out on her 5th attempt, Fudd doesn’t need to go for that because of the team around her. Fudd is playing some of the safest basketball ever seen in college ball. 

According to Hunter Cruse, a scout for the IX Basketball, her “1.4% PFr (personal foul rate) – lowest by any WNBA draft prospect w/ a 2% STLr & 1% BLKr over the last 15 years. 9.1% TOVr (turnover rate) – second-lowest by any high-volume 40% 3P shooting prospect over that span, behind PB (Paige Bueckers).” When she is not shooting it well, she is still covering all the bases and playing mistake-free. She understands that when it is not her shooting day and immediately shifts to a more team-oriented outlook rather than wasting opportunities.

 “I think that’s something that is super unique about our team, is that you really can’t take one thing away from us,” Fudd said to the media postgame, “If our three-point shot isn’t falling, we can score at the other two levels. You can take me away; you have the rest of the team that can score. Our team is just so versatile.” 

On the day, UConn as a whole shot at just 6-24 from the three-point line (25%) and still outscored the opposite team by 38 points. That is the kind of domination this team has. They are the best defense in the country with an adjusted defensive efficiency of 65.8 per Barttorvik. And they are the second-best offense with an adjusted offensive efficiency of 130.9. In all honesty, they can afford a bad day for Fudd or any of their squad players. That is because of the sheer depth. Fudd has found her place in the system and can adapt on the go. Which brings us to the team holding the No. 1 pick: the Dallas Wings.

Azzi Fudd’s Dallas Wings Case Gets Stronger 

There were a lot of questions when ESPN bumped Azzi Fudd to No.1 in the WNBA mock draft after the Dallas Wings won the lottery. The Wings need a big to complement Paige Bueckers, which would ideally be Awa Fam or Lauren Betts. However, there is a strong case for Fudd as well. She should fit well with Bueckers at the Wings, especially after the game she had against Notre Dame. 

If Fudd is drafted by the Wings, she will be the secondary ball handler next to Paige Bueckers. At UConn, she is already faring well in that same role. One day, her usage rate can be as high as 36.2%, like against Florida State, or as low as 16% against Notre Dame. She can persevere either way. Her shooting will be an asset, along with her defensive intensity. Couple that with Bueckers’ ‘underrated’ defense, their perimeter defense should be elite. For comparison, the Wings had the worst perimeter defense last season, conceding 3 pointers at 38.8% accuracy.

“We’re definitely going to play differently,” Coach Jose Fernandez said. “Our playbook will be expanded. We’ll look to score early in transition and be very efficient in the half-court. That’s how we’ll practice and prepare every day.”

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Fudd has shown multiple times to be aware on the half court and cut early in transition or make the right pass. She can be a valuable tool, especially due to the chemistry with Bueckers. They know the ins and outs of each other’s games, which will make Fudd’s ascension to the WNBA easier. In the end, Fudd’s adaptability may be her greatest selling point.