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The UConn Huskies look as dangerous as ever after a pair of blowout wins over Arkansas State and South Dakota State to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Geno Auriemma's group was firing on all cylinders playing at home at Gampel Pavilion for the first weekend, and on Tuesday the good vibes continued in Storrs as star guard Azzi Fudd announced she would be returning for a fifth year at UConn. 

Fudd was the top recruit in the nation in the class of 2021 and seemed destined to be one of the Huskies next big stars, but injuries stalled her progress. Fudd was limited to 15 games as a sophomore and then a torn ACL ended her junior season after just two games. Fudd has bounced back in a big way for her senior season, averaging 13.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game on incredible efficiency, posting 48.6/45.3/92.6 shooting splits this season. 

While Fudd could have opted to join Paige Bueckers in the 2025 WNBA Draft, she still believes there's work to do before she turns pro, informing ESPN's Alexa Philippou she will return to UConn for the 2025-26 season to "work on everything I need to work on." 

Had she entered the 2025 WNBA Draft, Fudd likely would've been a late first-round pick, as our most recent mock draft had her going ninth to the L.A. Sparks. Another season at UConn will give her an opportunity to raise her draft stock and take on an even bigger role with Bueckers headed to the WNBA as the presumptive No. 1 overall pick later this spring. On top of the basketball reasons to return to UConn, with a new WNBA collective bargaining agreement needing to be signed before the 2026 WNBA Draft, the rookie scale contract starting in 2026 figures to be worth considerably more than one starting in 2025.