How Trimmed Nails Helped Azzi Fudd Cement Her Legacy in Final UConn Home Game

It’s not like this year’s UConn’s women’s basketball team needs any help winning as it cruises through the early rounds of the NCAA tournament. But in Monday’s blowout victory against Syracuse, a nail filer unexpectedly came to the rescue.

In what was UConn star guard Azzi Fudd’s last-ever game in Gampel Pavilion, she made her minutes count. The projected No. 1 pick of the 2026 WNBA draft led her team to a 98-45 rout of the No. 9 Orange, finishing with a career-high 34 points and career-best eight three-pointers. By halftime, Fudd had more than twice as many as Syracuse’s points (26 to 12), and the reigning champs had stomped ahead to a 65-12 lead, good for the second-largest halftime winning margin in NCAA history.

Fudd’s special final night in Storrs saw her put together a vintage performance in front of her home fans, and she might have to thank coach Geno Auriemma... as well as a nail filer.

Just before the half, the game’s commentators shared a recent story about Aureimma telling Fudd to trim her nails after she complained that her shot felt a little off. The two were seen on the sidelines during UConn’s game against Syracuse seemingly chatting about Fudd’s fingernails in a viral video, and naturally, reporters had to get to the bottom of it. Fudd confirmed the story in her postgame presser and opened up about her funny conversation with the longtime Huskies coach:

“[Auriemma] had told me to cut my nails. He took my hand the other day and was like, ‘You need to trim these. They’re too long,’” Fudd said. “He was like, ‘Do you feel the ball coming off your nail?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, a little.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, you’re hurting the ball. That’s why you’re not making any shots. File your nails down and be nicer to the ball and it’ll be nicer to you.’ And I did, and I guess it worked.”

Azzi said her shot was off so Geno told her trim her nails now she got 26 in the first half 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/sUg5kVPuA4
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) March 23, 2026

Leave it to Geno to be an expert on the very sensitive feelings of a basketball.

Following a rough opening start to the NCAA tournament in which Fudd scored just seven points against UTSA, she helped lift the top-seeded Huskies to their 32nd straight Sweet 16 berth on Monday with an all-time performance to remember.

“I felt like I reached flow state for a second,” Fudd said postgame. “My teammates were just finding me, setting me great screens. I don’t even know, I feel like I wasn’t even thinking. When I was open, I was like, ‘OK I'm going to shoot it.’”

Fudd shot 13-of-18 from the field, including sinking 8-of-11 from beyond the arc, and added five assists, four steals and three rebounds. The 23-year-old set the NCAA tournament record for most points with no free throws and became one of five players since 2010 to score 34-plus on 70% shooting in an NCAA tournament game. Aided by Fudd’s big game, the Huskies were able to dominate on both ends of the court, racking up a total of 28 assists while also holding Syracuse scoreless for 10 straight minutes in the first half.

Fudd, who has suffered multiple serious knee injuries during her UConn career, would likely love nothing more than to cap off her final year with a national championship. As long as she keeps her nails short, she just might get it. Fudd and the Huskies are looking to become the first team to defend its NCAA women’s title since 2016, when UConn won its fourth straight championship dating back to ‘13. UConn will take on No. 4 North Carolina next in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas.

“Gampel has been home for the last five years,” said Fudd. “When people say no place compares, it really doesn't. The environment, the crowd, the fans, the students, everything about this place is amazing. To be able to play here one last time, have a great team win like we did tonight—couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

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