UConn's Azzi Fudd Projected as Top Pick in Mock Draft
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The UConn Huskies lost point guard Paige Bueckers to the WNBA’s Dallas Wings earlier this year. The 23-year-old led the program to its 12th national championship before leaving and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
UConn is likely nurturing another top pick this season. Azzi Fudd is entering her final year with the Huskies as Geno Auriemma and Co. gear up to defend their title. The 5-foot-11 guard is projected to be a first-round pick in ESPN’s latest 2026 WNBA Mock Draft.
According to Michael Voepel of ESPN's projections, the Seattle Storm will draft Fudd at No. 3 overall next year.
“After injury issues during her first three years at UConn, Fudd had an overall healthy 2024-25, playing in 34 of the Huskies' 40 games. She averaged 13.6 PPG and shot 43.6% from behind the arc for the national champions. Fudd's talent has never been a question: She is an elite player when healthy, especially as a perimeter scorer,” Voepel wrote.
Fudd arrived to UConn as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2021. She committed to the Huskies on November 11, 2020. But it was a difficult journey ahead for the 22-year-old as injuries nearly derailed her college career before it truly began.
She missed 11 games as a freshman with a foot injury. When healthy, Fudd delivered spectacular performances, including a career-high 29 points against Villanova. She finished the season with 12.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game in 25 games.
The Huskies guard had an incredible start to her Sophomore year. She exploded for 26 points with six steals and four assists in the season opener against Northeastern. In December 2022, during a game against Notre Dame, a teammate fell on Fudd's right knee, causing a knee injury that initially sidelined her for three to six weeks.
Fudd attempted to return after about five weeks but re-injured the same knee, forcing her out for an extended period. She ultimately appeared in only 15 games with 10 starts, averaging 15.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG, while shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc.
After working tirelessly to return to full health, Fudd's junior season lasted just two games. On November 14, 2023, she tore her ACL and medial meniscus in her right knee, the same knee she had previously injured, in a non-contact practice injury. She averaged 11 points in those two games.
Fudd flipped the script in the 2024-25 season. She played in a career-high 34 games with 30 starts, averaging 13.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the floor and 43.6 percent from beyond the arc. The guard saved her best for March, though, as she averaged 17.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament.
A dominant Final Four performance earned her Most Outstanding Player honors, becoming the first Husky since Breanna Stewart to win the award. In the national championship game against South Carolina, Fudd scored 24 points with five rebounds and three steals, playing a crucial role in the program’s 12th national championship win.
Fudd announced in March that she would continue to wear the Huskies’ colors for another year despite being eligible for the WNBA Draft. The sensational guard would fancy clinching another national title before joining the elites in the WNBA.
Nishant is a sports writer with over four years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and soccer. He has bylines in several reputable digital media platforms, including Sportskeeda, Athlon Sports, Pro Football & Sports Network, and PinkVilla. He's known for delivering insightful and engaging coverage on everything, turning game-day grit into punchy storytelling.