STORRS, Conn. -- UConn Huskies star guard Azzi Fudd suffered a minor knee sprain in Saturday's rout over Louisville and will probably be out this week, coach Geno Auriemma told reporters Tuesday. That includes Thursday's high-profile matchup versus No. 8 Notre Dame.
Auriemma said Fudd will be considered day-to-day after this week, leaving open the possibility she can return for UConn's next top-10 battle versus No. 5 USC on Dec. 21.
Fudd injured her right knee in the third quarter of the No. 2 Huskies' 85-52 victory over Louisville in Brooklyn, New York, walking off the floor under her own power and leaving for the locker room. She ultimately returned to the bench for the remainder of the game. The 5-foot-11 guard had scored 18 points in 18 minutes in the contest, appearing in her fifth game back since returning from her Nov. 2023 ACL and meniscus tears in the same knee.
"If you can imagine what the alternative could have been, her spirits are pretty good," Auriemma said, referring to the injury as relatively "good news."
"I sat down next to her on the bench, and I told her, 'This is not going to go the way it's gone in the past.' Nobody wants to miss time, nobody wants to miss games. But given the alternative, I think she's pretty pleased."
Fudd has had a bad bout with injuries dating back to high school, where she first tore her right ACL and MCL. Since arriving in Storrs, she was sidelined in 11 contests with a foot injury as a freshman and 22 contests as a sophomore with a pair of knee injuries. Then her junior year was cut short after two games with the ACL/meniscus tears.
"Just as people who know her, who are like family, just for her to have to keep going through these things, even this situation is unfortunate," All-American guard Paige Bueckers said. "It's just very frustrating because she's just coming back. She'd been looking great the past couple of games. It's much better that it's a minor setback, and I know she's going to stay hungry, stay in the weight room, continue to do everything that she can to get back on the court as soon as possible."
Bueckers, star freshman Sarah Strong and Fudd had quickly established themselves as one of the best trios in the country in the five games they'd shared the floor together. Thursday at Notre Dame they'll go against another Big Three in the Irish's Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron.
"I think their three guards are so, so good," Auriemma said, referring to Notre Dame. "They're so aggressive offensively, they're so skilled offensively, they put so much pressure on you, pushing the ball up the floor, attacking the basket, being able to make shots. To me, those are the most difficult teams to play against.
"Somebody might be as good, but I don't know that anybody's better as a backcourt."
But Auriemma is looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead for his relatively young and inexperienced group going up against a top team in a hostile road environment. The Notre Dame-UConn rivalry thrived in the 2010s, with both teams competing multiple times a season in the Big East and frequently facing off in the Final Four. UConn owns the series edge 39-15, but the Irish have won the past two battles.
"It hardens you. It does something to you," Auriemma said. "I think once you put yourself in that environment, good things are going to come out of it."
The Huskies enter the contest undefeated at 8-0, with ranked wins over UNC, Ole Miss and Louisville. Notre Dame (7-2) suffered a pair of losses to TCU and Utah but boasts a strong résumé with wins over current top-6 teams USC and Texas.
"Like I tell the team all the time, when we play these games, the loser of that game, the season doesn't end," Auriemma said. "It's going to feel like an NCAA game, but it's not. That's the beauty of playing these games.
"I love this game, win or lose. I love this game."