It's extremely early to be saying this, but something about the 2025-26 NCAA season already feels like it's UConn's all over again. The defending champions are already exuding a confidence that comes when you know that you're good — and that's due in large part to a pact made by the team's stars Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong.
The duo, who are in their senior and sophomore seasons, respectively, made a deal to band together as leaders for the team earlier this year. That bond has already been tested and demonstrated on the court; the team's first regular season game against Louisville resulted in at 79-66 win. Strong racked up 21 points and 9 rebounds for the Huskies, and Fudd contirbuted 20 points of her own.
Both Strong and Fudd had some growing to do ahead of the beginning of this season. Strong, who was frequently cited as being soft-spoken and shy last season, has stepped into her own voice literally and figuratively; Fudd has improved her already powerful game. Both players began to speak up in the team's huddles when they returned in the preseason, and it turns out that's in part because they privately agreed to take on the role of leader this season.
Azzi Fudd knew she needed one more year at UConn
Those conversations started earlier this year, when Fudd went to Coach Geno Auriemma and told him she wasn't ready for the WNBA — at least not yet. "And through all these question-and-answers that we asked, that I asked, she said, 'I'm not ready,'" he told ESPN. "'I haven't played enough basketball to feel confident about going there and playing at the highest level.'"
Part of Fudd's hesitation was due to a series of injuries — including her foot, ACL, and meniscus — that kept her off the court for several games. Last season she played in 28 of 34 games, but admitted to the outlet that she still didn't feel as confident as she wanted to. But this season, things have changed.
According to the outlet, Fudd, who has been surrounded by leaders throughout her time at UConn, approached Strong about the role they both will need to play for the rest of the team this season. Strong told ESPN that they both realized that they were going to have to step up, something Auriemma had also been emphasizing in practice.
The results of that decision are already speaking for themselves, and it's likely they will continue to do so. Assuming everyone stays healthy, the Huskies are already indicating they're going to have a strong season — and the rest of the NCAA might just have to catch up.