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Last season provided a picture-perfect ending for UConn and Paige Bueckers.
The super senior won the title that had eluded her during her entire collegiate career, allowing her to celebrate on the floor with head coach Geno Auriemma, who now has 12 NCAA national championships.
Regardless of how historic last season’s achievement was, it is a moment in the past.
UConn now has to begin the climb to the top once again. So, how can they repeat? These three developments are necessary for the Huskies to win championship No. 13:
With Bueckers gone, Azzi Fudd must fill those shoes. That’s a gargantuan task, but she might be ready for it.
During the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Fudd averaged 17.5 points per game and shot 44 percent from 3-point range on her way to Most Outstanding Player honors.
Buckers leaving doesn’t make the team better, but now Fudd will have the room to take charge, and with the WNBA looming, a superb senior campaign will help UConn—and her draft stock. Last season, she had 10.9 field goal attempts per game. That’s her lowest number of attempts since her freshman year, and that won’t be happening again.
Fudd’s collegiate career had been filled with injuries. A foot injury forced her to miss time as a freshman. In her sophomore year, a knee injury interrupted her play, and her junior year ended after a pair of games due to a torn ACL. Last season, she killed the injury bug. Now, with a full year of health and a final season to go, this is Fudd’s moment in the sun.
This is her opportunity to go out on top, just like Bueckers did, all while cementing the next UConn dynasty.
While basketball is a star-power sport, no one does it alone. Fudd will be relying on three returning Huskies—Sarah Strong, KK Arnold and Jana El Alfy—to help earn the back-to-back crown for UConn.
Strong had a great freshman season last year, averaging 16.4 points and 8.9 rebounds as a force inside. Arnold should see an increase in playing time at the guard position now that Kaitlyn Chen is in the WNBA. She averaged 5.5 points per game and played in all 40 regular-season matchups last season. And last but certainly not least, is El Alfy. As a backup big, she can provide valuable frontcourt minutes for the Huskies and they’ll need her to control the paint and dominate the glass.
If this trio can take even marginal steps forward, it’ll put UConn in the driver’s seat not just in the Big East, but the country.
It’s not just the stars and returning players who will contribute to UConn’s championship quest; the freshmen will impact winning, too.
Kelis Fisher is a dynamic guard, Blanca Quinonez is an exciting wing who has experience playing professionally overseas and Gandy Malou-Mamel is a promising 6-foot-5 center. All are top prospects and should be able to produce to some capacity right away if given the opportunity. Will they provide enough to put UConn back over the top?
The defending champs and the preseason No. 1, UConn is, once again, the team to beat.
The pressure is on to keep that prestige and beat every team that comes their way. That journey begins on Nov. 4 in Louisville, KY against the No. 20 Cardinals, and Connecticut is hoping it’ll end on April 5 in Phoenix, AZ with the Huskies cutting down the nets once again.
