The UConn women’s basketball team will look different without Azzi Fudd.

The star sophomore guard will miss the next three to six weeks with a knee injury, the latest in a seemingly never-ending string of hardships for the Huskies. The woes for the iconic program started ahead of the season, when Paige Bueckers tore her ACL in August, and reached their lowest point Sunday, when Fudd went down in a loss to Notre Dame.

Injuries have plagued not just UConn but Fudd herself, dating back to her high school career.

Her first major injury came following her sophomore season at St. John’s College High School (D.C.), in which she became the first sophomore to earn the Gatorade Player of the Year award for basketball. While participating in a USA Basketball under-18 3-on-3 tournament in Colorado Springs, she tore the ACL and MCL in her right knee, which kept her out for much of her junior year.

Big news in D.C. today as @SJCHSBBALL G Azzi Fudd was given the Gatorade National Girls' Player of the Year award.

Fudd had already won the state POY award for D.C. but this is an even bigger honor for the sophomore, who helped lead the No. 1 Cadets to two titles this season pic.twitter.com/6JSzAgkGsp

— Michael Errigo (@M_Errigo) March 12, 2019

The Arlington, Virginia, native came back from the injury to become a McDonald’s All-American during her senior season at St. John’s before heading to UConn as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2021.

Fudd got off to a fast — and expected — start with the Huskies, recording 18 points on 6-9 shooting from beyond the arc in her third game. She then sat out for two months due to a foot injury, one that coach Geno Auriemma said had been bothering her since the summer before her freshman year.

Still, the guard played her best basketball of the season when she came back from the foot injury. She recorded a breakout game against Tennessee on Feb. 6, in which she scored 25 points and went 7-9 from beyond the arc. Fudd followed that up with 29 points against Villanova and then 24 against Marquette.

She finished an impressive freshman campaign averaging 12.1 points per game and shooting 43% from beyond the arc. Her play earned Fudd a spot on the 2022 Big East All-Freshman Team.

Heading into her sophomore season, expectations were high for Fudd, given her talent, accolades, and the absence of junior guard Bueckers.

Fudd delivered, opening the season with 26 points, 6 steals and 4 assists against Northeastern. Fudd scored 32 points in her next two games, highly-anticipated contests against top-25 teams Texas and NC State.

Career-high 32 points
22 second-half points
17 fourth-quarter points

AZZI. FUDD. pic.twitter.com/0Jm3lSLCfv

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) November 15, 2022

With injuries ravaging the UConn roster – Ice Brady was ruled out for the year, Caroline Ducharme was limited due to neck stiffness, Dorka Juhasz broke her thumb, and of course, Bueckers remained out – Fudd was the guiding force that kept the Huskies on track, and undefeated, until they played Notre Dame on Dec. 4.

In the second quarter, Fudd was setting up a play behind Aaliyah Edwards. The forward fell back and made contact with Fudd’s knee. In visible pain, Fudd went to the bench and then to the locker room. UConn announced Tuesday that the sophomore guard would miss three to six weeks, putting her on pace for a mid-January return.

Fudd’s setback is the latest in a string of bad-luck injuries for UConn.

Without the sophomore, the Huskies have three healthy guards available to play in Nika Muhl, Lou Lopez Senechal and Ines Bettencourt. Muhl and Lopez Senechal have played significant minutes this season, but Bettencourt has not, averaging just 5.5 per game.

After those three, there is Ducharme, whose neck stiffness has been a constant issue, limiting her production.

While the team must contend with the lack of depth at guard, UConn should be getting one of their forwards back soon. Juhasz, who played just two games before breaking her thumb, is day-to-day and could play as soon as Thursday, when the Huskies take on Princeton. That will be a “game-time decision,” associate head coach Chris Dailey said.

Fudd is UConn’s leading scorer this season (20.6 points per game), but their next top three scores are still available – Lopez Senechal (17.4), Edwards (15.7) and Aubrey Griffin (11.7). Juhasz is fifth on the list, averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds in UConn’s opening two contests.

With a slew of injuries dominating all UConn-related headlines, it’s easy to think that the sky is falling for the program. But, with last season as evidence, that is not necessarily the case.

Winning games in the present does get more difficult, but the season is played for March. In 2021-22, Bueckers missed a significant chunk of the season, then Fudd was hurt, then Muhl. At one point, UConn had just seven players available.

The Huskies lost an unprecedented five games in the regular-season, including a 72-69 home loss to unranked Villanova. But in the end, all the questions about UConn didn’t matter. Bueckers and Fudd returned and the Huskies made a run to the national title game, where they fell to South Carolina.

The same could happen this year. Bueckers won’t return, but Fudd is expected back in mid-January at the latest, so the team will have more than a month to get her reacclimated before the postseason. With Fudd, the Huskies were No. 3 in the country, so when she returns, there is no reason they can’t reach the same heights.

In her absence, other players will get more opportunities to hone their skills for the postseason. And even if UConn has a losing skid without Fudd, they’ve already notched enough high-caliber wins that their résumé for March will remain strong.

If Fudd comes back when the timeline says she will, then all the concerns raised in her absence may not mean anything.

The USWNT announced their 2025 season finale on Monday, setting a pair of friendlies against Italy at Orlando's Inter & Co Stadium on November 28th and Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on December 1st.

Facing the now-world No. 2 US for the first time in 15 years, Italy's recent run to the 2025 Euro semifinals shot them to No. 12 in the FIFA rankings.

"As we prepare for World Cup qualifying at the end of 2026, we want to play teams from all parts of the world with different styles and different strengths, so getting to play Italy, one of Europe's up-and-coming teams, will be a great way to end the year," said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes in a statement announcing the friendlies.

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After an extended break following a series of early July matchups, the US now has five matches left on the books, with the year-ending Italy matches rounding out three already-announced October friendlies.

The USWNT kicks off next month's lineup with two matches against Euro 2025 participant No. 23 Portugal, followed by a third friendly against No. 33 New Zealand.

As Hayes's year of roster evaluation comes to a close, expect stakes to rise as the 2027 World Cup comes into sharper view.

How to purchase tickets to the final 2025 USWNT friendlies

Though a myriad of presale opportunities are available throughout this week, tickets to both the November 28th match in Orlando and the December 1st friendly in Fort Lauderdale will go on sale to the general public on Friday.

Tickets will drop at 10 AM ET online.

The red-hot No. 2 Las Vegas Aces will hit the court in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs again on Tuesday night, facing off against the No. 7 Seattle Storm in Game 2 of the postseason's first round with an eye on scoring their 18th consecutive victory — and a trip to this year's semifinals.

"You guys celebrate this more than we do," MVP frontrunner A'ja Wilson said, brushing off the team's recent dominance. "The streak stopped in the regular season."

"It's the first to nine wins [for the championship], so that's how we want to approach it," Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon echoed, voicing a renewed focus on retaking the WNBA crown.

Following the league's new home-away-home first-round format, Seattle has the chance to extend their season on their home court on Tuesday night, as the Storm arrives back in market with few answers after suffering a 102-77 Game 1 loss.

"Our fans deserve for us to play well," said Seattle forward Nneka Ogwumike. "We have to figure out how to do it, no matter what. That's going to be the test on Tuesday."

How to watch the Las Vegas Aces vs. Seattle Storm

No. 7 Seattle will try stay alive against No. 2 Las Vegas at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage of Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs airing on ESPN.

With their backs against the wall, the No. 6 Indiana Fever will face down both the No. 3 Atlanta Dream and potential elimination from the 2025 WNBA Playoffs when they host their first home postseason game in nearly a decade on Tuesday night.

"I think you give yourself an edge as the home team. When they punched us, they punched us hard," Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell said after Sunday's 80-68 loss in Atlanta. "So we have to do the same thing."

"I would like to think that being back at home can kind of give us a sense of comfort, so hopefully we could use it for what it's worth and not take it for granted," she continued.

Mitchell will likely be the key to the Fever's survival, after an onslaught of season-ending injuries forced the three-time WNBA All-Star to step up as a scoring leader — with Mitchell dropping a postseason career-high 27 points in Sunday's Game 1.

"It's a lot of little things," said Indiana head coach Stephanie White following the weekend result. "I like where we are, I'm proud of our group for continuing to fight, and we're going to be better on Tuesday."

How to watch Atlanta vs. Indiana in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

No. 6 Indiana will tip off against No. 3 Atlanta in Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.

WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne is returning to the court, with USA Basketball announcing on Monday that the two-time league MVP will join the 3×3 Women's National Team as its first-ever managing director.

The 36-year-old officially retired in April 2025 after struggling with injuries, capping a career that spanned winning gold at the 2016 Olympics and the 2018 FIBA World Cup with Team USA as well as two WNBA championships.

"Elena has been a member of the USA Basketball family for almost 15 years," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in Monday's press release. "Her wealth of knowledge of the sport of basketball and our organization will be an asset as we continue our journey."

As part of her duties, Delle Donne will be responsible for selecting the USA Basketball 3x3 team's coaching staff and players prior to the 2028 LA Olympics, the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, and other major international competitions.

"USA Basketball was an important part of my on-court career for a decade and a half. To have the opportunity to continue my journey with the organization, and to help shape and grow the 3x3 program, is something that I take very seriously," Delle Donne said. "I'm excited to get started."

Delle Donne's new position is the 3x3 version of fellow WNBA icon Sue Bird's role, as the newly minted Hall of Famer became the managing director of the USA Basketball women's 5x5 arm in May.

"To now think that I'm going to be on the other side of the phone letting someone know that their dream has come true and they've made the team is going to be such a fulfilling, full circle moment for me," Delle Donne said.