Who else is going to step up for UConn women's basketball?

The UConn Huskies have preseason National Player of the Year favorite Paige Bueckers. They have arguably the best freshman in the country in Sarah Strong and are led by Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, the most decorated active women’s college basketball coach. 

But that might not be enough – not without Azzi Fudd, who has faced seemingly endless injuries and recently suffered a sprain in her knee that will keep her off the court (again) for a period of time. 

While ranked No. 4 in the country and still considered national title contenders, UConn’s lack of depth was evident on a national stage when they fell 79-68 at Notre Dame last Thursday.

“If Azzi was one of those people that we could throw it to, maybe that changes things,” Auriemma said. “But it shouldn’t be the answer.”

Bueckers scored 25 points and was 11-of-20 from the field in the loss to the Irish, but no one else stepped up in the way UConn needed. 

“If you’re going to play her the way they played her, which I think is what she’s going to see a lot of, we need other contributions,” Auriemma said. “Paige is going to try to carry the team by herself when she thinks there aren’t a lot of those contributions, and that’s not good for her, and that’s not good for us.” 

Strong, albeit one of the most talented players nationally, is still just a freshman. She’s still adjusting to the college ranks and had yet to play a true road game until Thursday. This was the first time she’d really faced any adversity, despite finishing with 14 points, seven boards and two steals. 

“The three fouls in the first half really set her back a little bit…,” Auriemma said. “This was the first time in her career that she faced an environment like this, and she’s only going to get better and better and better. I thought that there were times when she was a little more passive than she can be. At other times this year, she really took on an aggressive mentality.”

Unsurprisingly, Bueckers leads the team with 20 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals. Strong is averaging 16.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks. 

Apart from that pair and Fudd, who appeared in five games, no other Husky is averaging double-digit scoring. Both KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade’s output have decreased this season and the team as a whole has struggled in a few areas this season.

UConn is just 68% from the free throw line and ranks 251st nationally in offensive rebounds per game, averaging 10.7 boards. 

Fudd, who has dealt with knee issues since high school when she tore her ACL and MCL, missed all but two games last season after tearing her ACL again. She’s played just 47 total games since arriving at UConn in 2021, but is easily one of the most talented players on roster. 

In UConn’s victory over Louisville this season and her most recent appearance, she had 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 18 minutes while shooting 4-of-7 from deep.

Despite the road loss at Notre Dame, UConn has still accumulated one of the best resumes in the country. They took down top 20 North Carolina in Greensboro, as well as Louisville and Ole Miss on neutral courts. 

The Huskies clearly have the talent to be among the best. 

But in order to stay there amidst the growing parity in women’s college basketball, they need to find an answer when facing the country’s biggest stars. 

They had none for Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, who nearly put up a triple-double. Saturday, they’ll need to game plan for the nation’s other sophomore sensation, USC’s JuJu Watkins, when the Trojans come to the XL Center in Hartford. 

Fudd, who will be day-to-day next week, may be available for the contest. But if she isn’t, Auriemma and the Huskies will need to find a way to defend the lethal scorer, who’s averaging 24.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.9 blocks. 

UConn faced their first conference opponent in Georgetown at home on Sunday – a 79-44 victory, but they’ll certainly learn a few lessons from their first falter. 

“A loss is a loss,” Auriemma said. “You take away the fact that we didn’t win. We sucked, right? But the team we play Sunday isn’t Notre Dame, and they don’t pose the same challenges. They pose different challenges… Some of it is youth, some of it is just undisciplined. Some of it is carelessness. We have to do a better job with that as a coaching staff.”