Women's Fastbreak On SI

Azzi Fudd Has Unique Way of Keeping Paige Bueckers Loose Ahead of UConn vs USC Game

A hilarious interaction between UConn Huskies stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd stole attention before Saturday's USC showdown.

Grant Young

Dec 7, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrate after the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrate after the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

The women's college basketball community is about 24 hours away from one of the most compelling matchups of the 2024-25 regular season when the UConn Huskies play a home game against the USC Trojans.

This rematch of the 2024 Elite Eight game is especially exciting because it features a matchup between guards Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins, who are arguably women's college basketball's two biggest superstars right now.

It's currently unknown whether UConn will have another one of its superstars (sharpshooter Azzi Fudd) available for Saturday's game, as she's still on the mend from a knee sprain she suffered earlier this month.

Although that doesn't mean Fudd isn't making an impact on her team; albeit in a unique and hilarious way.

When Bueckers was speaking with the media on Friday, she paused in the middle of an answer and looked out of a nearby window, as something outside of the building had clearly caught her attention. She then shook her head and "What?" in exasperation before gathering herself and continuing.

A December 20 article from CT Insider's Maggie Vanoni revealed what it was that Bueckers saw.

"Azzi Fudd was outside in the falling snow, holding a towel above her head and dancing as Kaitlyn Chen took a video of her from inside the lobby doors," Vanoni wrote.

"Moments later when Fudd tried to get back into the building, Chen pretended to not let her back in before eventually doing so."

Clearly the morale is high for the Huskies ahead of tomorrow's game. And perhaps Fudd being able to dance in the snow bodes well for her status against USC.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

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.

Home/News