UConn women's basketball announces major injury news ahead of Notre Dame game
Notre Dame didn’t have to face star UConn guard Azzi Fudd last season when the Fighting Irish won, 82-67, in Storrs, Conn. It looks like the Fighting Irish are going to miss her again when the two teams tip off in South Bend on Thursday.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said Tuesday that Fudd has a minor sprain in her knee and is likely out of any game action this week, per Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant. She’ll be tagged with a day-to-day injury designation thereafter.
No. 8 Notre Dame (7-2) and No. 2 UConn (8-0) are set to tip off at 7 p.m. ET Thursday.
Fudd is oft-injured. She’s only played in five of eight games this season and is averaging 10.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in 19.2 minutes of time on the floor per appearance. She’s coming off 18 points in 18 minutes on 60 percent shooting in UConn’s 85-52 win over then-No. 22 Louisville on Dec. 7. She currently has a career-best 50 percent shooting mark from the field.
The senior only played in two games as a junior because of a season-ending injury. As a sophomore, she played in 15. The most she’s ever suited up for were the 25 games she participated in as a freshman. For her career, she’s averaging 12.8 points per game in 47 games, 31 of which she’s started.
Fudd scored 26, 32 and 32 points in consecutive games as a sophomore. Both of the 32-point performances were against ranked teams — No. 3 Texas and No. 10 NC State. Against Notre Dame in the same season, Fudd went out with an injury that held her out for the next five weeks.
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Fudd is currently UConn’s No. 3 scorer. The Huskies are led by graduate senior Paige Bueckers‘ 18.9 points per game and freshman forward Sarah Strong‘s 16.3.
Notre Dame women’s basketball news roundup
• Notre Dame (7-2) moved up from No. 10 to No. 8 in the Associated Press Poll on Monday. The Fighting Irish responded to consecutive losses in the Cayman Islands Classic with back-to-back wins over then-No. 4 Texas, 80-70 in overtime, and Syracuse, 93-62.
• Notre Dame senior guard Sonia Citron was named a U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week for averaging 21.5 points, 9 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game in the Irish’s victories over Texas and Syracuse. Citron had 25 points and 11 rebounds against the Orange for her first double-double of the season.
• Per ESPN analyst Charlie Creme‘s latest “bracketology” projection, UConn (8-0) is the No. 1 seed in the entire field. The Huskies are currently No. 2 in the AP Top 25 behind No. 1 UCLA. According to Creme, Notre Dame would be slotted in as a No. 1 seed in the tournament as it stands right now with the other No. 1 seeds being UCLA and South Carolina.
