ESPN slammed over Azzi Fudd and Audi Crooks All-America snub
Despite Paige Bueckers now being in the WNBA and JuJu Watkins missing the entire season to rehab from a torn ACL, women's college basketball is still loaded with talent right now.
About midway through the 2025-26 season, there are still several contenders to win the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year award. And while the UConn Huskies look like the clear favorite to defend as national champions, several of the other top teams could be poised to upset Geno Auriemma's squad when March rolls around.
Much of UConn's success has centered on star guard Azzi Fudd. The sharpshooter is averaging a career-high 17.6 points per game while producing the best field goal percentage (49.3%) and three-point percentage (48.2%) of her college tenure this season.
But Fudd is far from the country's leading scorer. That distinction would go to Iowa State Cyclones center Audi Crooks, whose 28.3 points per game is more than three points per game than the next person behind her, who is Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (25.1 points per game).
ESPN's Azzi Fudd and Audi Crooks snub raises eyebrows
Despite Crooks and Fudd's respective success this season, neither of them was named to ESPN's midseason All-America First Team, which was conveyed in a January 13 article.
X user @EJayArrow reposted ESPN's midseason All-America First and Second Teams, "ESPN has unveiled their midseason All-America Teams:
"FIRST TEAM
"Lauren Betts
"Mikayla Blakes
"Madison Booker
"Olivia Miles
"Sarah Strong
"SECOND TEAM
"Audi Crooks
"Joyce Edwards
"Azzi Fudd
"Rori Harmon
"Hannah Hidalgo".
ESPN has unveiled their midseason All-America Teams:
— E J 🏀 (@EJayArrow) January 14, 2026
FIRST TEAM
▪️Lauren Betts
▪️Mikayla Blakes
▪️Madison Booker
▪️Olivia Miles
▪️Sarah Strong
SECOND TEAM
▪️Audi Crooks
▪️Joyce Edwards
▪️Azzi Fudd
▪️Rori Harmon
▪️Hannah Hidalgo
Fans are not happy about Fudd not getting First Team recognition. @thenebean9 wrote, "Swap Azzi and Olivia".
"we’re pulling up to the homes of the writers who didn’t put Azzi on the first team," added @EDWlNDlAZ.
"Azzi definitely a first teamer!!!" said @Bigl6192011.
@marisolareen said, "How is Azzi second team this is stupid".
How is Azzi second team this is stupid
— billy they cyrus (@marisolareen) January 14, 2026
"love miles to death but there is 0 chance she and booker are better then fudd," noted @teadogame.
"i need to know what azzi has to do to be considered top of the top bc this is ridiculous," added @darcysdimple.
Other fans are upset about Audi Crooks not being on the First Team.
"Crooks Clearly first team…..," said @yalldntknome202.
"It’s not even a contest between Crooks and Betts. Both have their weaknesses, but to date, one has been overwhelmingly better than the other. This is comical," added @ScottPerry69.
@Roger__Hardy wrote, "Audi Crooks is the #1 force on offense in women's college hoops".
"Audi carrying Iowa State on its back, but for cuespn what matters is only top ranking teams," said @Fiksss in translated Spanish.
Audi carregando iowa state nas costas ,mas pra cuespn o que importa é só esquipes top ranking https://t.co/9ForZ8E0lo pic.twitter.com/cTUfUu9Efs
— Tormenta (@Fiksss) January 14, 2026
The good thing is that both Fudd and Crooks still have a lot of season left to keep proving these ESPN writers wrong.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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