UConn Fans Exposing Dawn Staley's Azzi Fudd Fear
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After more than a decade of annual matchups, the UConn Huskies and South Carolina announced they'll finally meet again in the 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase on November 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The timing couldn't be more suspicious. Azzi Fudd will be leaving for the WNBA, and UConn fans immediately called out the obvious reason for the delay.
Is Azzi Fudd the Real Reason Down Won't Play UConn?
When UConn posted the announcement, Huskies fans flooded social media with one unanimous message: Staley had been waiting for Azzi to leave before agreeing to face the Huskies again.
One user said: "Down waiting til Azzi in the league to play UConn again she don't want that work lmao."
The sentiment was echoed across platforms with undeniable evidence backing the theory.
Dawn waiting til Azzi left to play against UConn again 😭 Azzi had her scared https://t.co/sApie0yMtD
— Aasiyah✨ (@Milesonthego) November 5, 2025
A UConn fan noted: "The reason Down REALLY isn't playing Uconn anymore? Two words: Azzi Fudd 🤣" The jokes weren't baseless. In February 2025, Fudd absolutely dismantled South Carolina in Columbia, scoring 28 points to lead UConn to a dominant victory.
Three months later, Fudd was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four as UConn dominated South Carolina 82-59 in the national championship game, securing the Huskies' 12th national title.
One fan creatively joked: "I'd love to see what our two #1s do to Down's stomach lining again, but her gastro doc told her she couldn't play Uconn again until Azzi was gone. Down removed Uconn off her schedule courtesy of Ms Azzi Fudd 🤣" Another noted: "Since 1995, UConn has 12, South Carolina 3. 😂😂 Down was lucky Paige and Azzi only played one full year together!"
Another pointed out: "uconn wbb put bta on down staley in the march madness championship game and this was right after azzi fudd cooked their defense- down was, to say the least, not happy about it."
The mockery escalated with predictions. One fan wrote: "UConn gonna kick the shit outta Down in the 2026 NCAA Tournament!! Staley B cryin on the bench & throwing a tantrum! Sarah Strong schooling Edwards AGAIN! Azzi hitting 3's from everywhere!!"
Another simply stated: "no wonder uconn and sc aren't playing each other down doesn't want that azzi fudd belt again." The sentiment was universal: "admit it down, you are scared of azzi."
some of the user added, "Dawn is in 4k saying she not playing UConn because she didnt get the top seed after losing by 30 at home to UConn… yal dont listen"
While some of them shared a old photo of Fudd, and added a funny reaction of Dawn to the reply.
dawn when she lost azzi to uconn pic.twitter.com/aKWgCsKaBu
— robin is SO BACK (@slushyfudds) August 22, 2025
Whether Down admits it or not, Azzi Fudd put South Carolina on the basketball map for all the wrong reasons, and Huskies fans won't let her forget it.
Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from the London School of Journalism and brings four years of experience in sports media coverage. He has contributed extensively to NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football content.