Are Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong the keys to UConn running it back?

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TAMPA. Fla. — When it was Sarah Strong’s turn to climb up the ladder and cut off her piece of the net, the UConn freshman treaded carefully, meticulously planning out her course of action.

Longtime assistant Chris Dailey had just given the 19-year-old a quick primer in the way only the winner of 11 previous titles could do — where to cut, what part of the rim to target. But Strong, a newb, didn’t look so sure.

“Oh man,” she said once she got to the basket and grabbed the scissors out of the holster. “Like that?”

Her net piece in tow, she looked around at the Amalie Arena crowd and flashed a meme-worthy grin before giving her supporters a sheepish wave.

A few minutes later, it was Azzi Fudd’s turn.

The graduate guard needed similar reassurance and looked back toward her teammates for some last-minute instructions once she got to the hoop.

“Oh, baby,” she said as the scissors sliced through the white lace.

Cutting down nets is a rite of passage for most UConn stars who suit up for coach Geno Auriemma, winner of (now) 12 national titles. But these Huskies had never done it before second-seeded UConn dismantled No.1 seed South Carolina 82-59 in Sunday’s national championship game for the program’s first title in nine years. Forgive Strong and Fudd — who each scored a game-high 24 points — for needing an assist.

If all goes according to plan, though, the duo could be old pros this time next year.

Azzi is just surgical..Paige is just an all around monster….Sarah strong, my goodness, how did u get so good so early??? Great bump on espn

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) April 6, 2025

Fudd, the fourth-year guard, already announced she will return to the program for one final run in 2025-26. Strong, who finished with a freshman record 114 points through the NCAA Tournament, is on pace to go down as one of UConn’s most dominant forces. Even as superstar guard Paige Bueckers departs the program, the Huskies have to feel good about what’s ahead with the team now firmly in their hands.

“Coming off this, this team’s confidence is gonna be higher than ever and that’s exactly what we need,” Fudd said, the national championship hat sitting on top of her braided pigtails. “When we play with everyone on the roster playing confidently, you saw what happened (Sunday) night. You can’t stop us.”

Auriemma said his coaching staff had deduced Fudd would be the “key to the tournament.” She dazzled against the Gamecocks, finishing 9-of-17 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three steals. Her ability to get to the basket off the dribble was evident as she carved up South Carolina’s defense. After going scoreless in the second half against UCLA in the Final Four, she finished with 11 points in the third quarter alone, finding a way to get in a groove on a night her 3-point shot wasn’t falling. Her own defense was smothering.

“We talked about it in the locker room before the game, just the coaching staff. We said, ‘Every time Azzi scores more than 16 points,’ — I forget what the number was exactly — ‘we win every one of those games,’” Auriemma said.

“We kind of know what we’re going to get from Paige. We kind of know what we’re going to get from Sarah. So Azzi became the focal point for us of who has to step up tonight. And she did magnificently, obviously.”

Fudd earned Most Outstanding Player honors on the UConn celebration stage, where her teammates doused her with confetti and her father cheered along with two cell phones in his hands — one for photos and the other for videos.

Strong, whom South Carolina coach Dawn Staley suggested earlier this week may ultimately go down as the greatest player in UConn history if she keeps this up, also earned All-Tournament honors. One year to the day after she committed to the Huskies as the nation’s top prospect, she added 15 rebounds to go along with scoring.

“I feel like I did better than I was expecting. It was cool to score that,” Strong said, as Auriemma rolled his eyes a few seats away at his taciturn star’s unwillingness to elaborate. “That wouldn’t have happened without my teammates, though.”

Indeed, as Fudd said, Sunday was a complete effort from everyone on the floor for the Huskies. Bueckers finished with 17 points, while KK Arnold added nine. Fudd and Strong combined for just 11 shy of South Carolina’s team output.

Arnold, the sophomore guard known for her energy, also returns in 2025-26. So do center Jana El Alfy and guard Ashlynn Shade, all of whom now have significant starting experience. Throw in 6-foot-2 forward and former five-star prospect Ayanna Patterson — who has missed much of the past two seasons with injuries — and suddenly UConn looks like a team that will be ready to reload as soon as offseason practices begin.

Fudd joked with Bueckers that she promised to “actually help” this championship game after some bad Brussels sprouts made her sick during UConn’s loss to the Gamecocks two years ago in Minneapolis. On Sunday, she sounded encouraged about what’s to come. It’ll take her a while for this feeling to sink in, but if there’s one program that will lock back in as soon as possible, it’s UConn.

“I know our seniors will be leaving, and that’s definitely a big part of our team,” Fudd said. “But to have also so many pieces staying and pieces coming in and to be able to build from that and build on that confidence, build on that skill and the chemistry — I think it’s gonna be a great year.”

(Photos of Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong: M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images,  C. Morgan Engel / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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