Fudd Shoots Women into Sweet 16
The Story: Last night marked the return of Azzi Fudd as a lethal scorer, and as a result, the No. 2 seed UConn women are dancing to their 29th straight Sweet 16 after a 77-58 victory over Baylor in their second-round NCAA Tournament matchup at a sold-out Gampel Pavilion.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: On a day that saw a second No. 1 seed (Indiana) fall on its home court, the Huskies (31-5) needed Fudd’s timely scoring to turn a close game into a much more comfortable margin and to spoil any chance of the No. 7 seed Bears (20-13) pulling off an upset.
BRING ON THE BUCKEYES: UConn moves on to play No. 3 seed Ohio State at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Seattle. The Buckeyes (27-7) held off No. 6 seed North Carolina in the final seconds, 71-69.
• Meanwhile, it was the second straight year that Baylor suffered a second-round exit from the tournament.
A FUDD-TASTIC THIRD: Leading by only five points at halftime (thanks to this buzzer-beating 3 from Nika Muhl) and then sitting leading scorer Aaliyah Edwards with four fouls early in the third quarter, the Huskies were in dire need of an offensive spark — and they got it from Fudd.
• The sophomore guard, looking more confident than she has in months, poured in 16 of her game-high 22 points in the third quarter. With Fudd outscoring the Bears by herself (16-15), UConn was able to take a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter.
IS ANYONE SURPRISED? It was only a matter of time before Fudd, who might have the most picture-perfect shot in college basketball, would get hot and once again look like an unstoppable scoring machine.
• She was only averaging 7.5 points per game in the four games since her return to the court after missing the previous 22 with a right knee injury.
• Remember, before she got hurt, Fudd was one of the nation’s leading scorers. She was putting up more than 25 points per game after the first five games, three of them against top-10 opponents. Last night’s game was her first 20-point game since Nov. 27, when she scored 24 against Iowa.
A MASTER-GLASS EFFORT: With Edwards sitting out most of the third quarter, just as important as Fudd’s scoring was the stellar rebounding effort from Aubrey Griffin.
• Coming off the bench, Griffin was the Huskies’ unsung hero. She single-handedly kept possessions alive with her work on the offensive glass. She led all players with 12 rebounds, with six of those coming on the offensive end.
After the game, Baylor coach Nicki Collen referred to Griffin as “the difference-maker,” while Geno Auriemma added that Griffin scored “four points and completely dominated the game.”
SURVIVING THE BEARS’ ATTACK: Before Fudd and the Huskies took over in the second half, Baylor made life miserable for them. Without the size to match UConn inside, the Bears’ offensive approach was simple — set screens and get open looks from 3-point range.
• It worked early on because Baylor couldn’t seem to miss from deep. The Bears hit 6 of 11 3-pointers to lead by six, 24-18, after the first quarter.
• UConn, however, eventually adjusted its defense, getting more bodies out on the perimeter, and Baylor only hit 6 of 18 3-point attempts over the rest of the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Including Fudd, UConn had four players in double figures and shot 51.6 percent, compared to 34.4 percent for Baylor.
• Despite her foul trouble, Edwards still had 19 points in 24 minutes, while Dorka Juhasz scored 11 points and Caroline Ducharme 10 off the bench.
• Muhl added to her UConn single-season record at UConn with 10 assists, the 12th time this season she has dished out 10 or more in a game.
MORE MIND-BOGGLING NUMBERS: It seems like every time Geno and the Huskies win an NCAA Tournament game, there are some amazing numbers to report. For instance …
• It was UConn’s 108th double-digit victory in the tournament, more than any other school ever — for men or women.
• It was also the Huskies’ 50th straight tournament win on their home court, a streak that dates to 1993.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “I’m just really, really proud of my team this year because there’s never been a UConn season like this one. For them to still get to a place where a whole bunch of other UConn teams have gotten to, I think that says a lot about these kids and how remarkable they’ve been. … It’s probably one of the more gratifying wins that I’ve had in this building. … That was pretty amazing.”
UP NEXT: The top four seeds advanced in Seattle Regional 3. While No. 2 UConn plays No. 3 Ohio State in Saturday’s first game, the nightcap will feature No. 1 Virginia Tech against No. 4 Tennessee. The winners will meet next Monday for a trip to the Final Four in Dallas.
— David Kull
Is the Monkey Off Hurley’s Back?
The Story: Fans weren’t the only ones breathing a sigh of relief at the UConn’s men run to the Sweet 16. So was Dan Hurley.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Hurley is a tortured soul when it comes to the postseason as the Huskies have had excruciatingly poor performances the last two years. NCAA Tournament losses to Maryland and New Mexico State, No. 10 and No. 12 seeds, made the fanbase antsy.
• Hurley led the Huskies into the NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites despite being a No. 4 seed, yet plenty of fans were waiting for a Hurley flameout. At Rhode Island, two NCAA Tournament appearances ended with early exits. Hurley’s NCAA Tournament record coming into this year was 2-4.
• Not advancing to the Sweet 16 has dogged Hurley — and it’s been quite unfair in our opinion. And make no mistake, Hurley hears all the criticism. When you are the UConn coach, and there’s an expectation to win at a national level, fans and media don’t want to hear about program building and patience.
• Hurley and his staff chafe at the criticism levied after losses. Luke Murray, son of Huskies superfan Bill Murray, quipped that people should “give some credit” because UConn has the No. 3 offense in the country and was top 20 in defense.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “Playing at UConn, you deal with a lot more pressure and criticism and, like, immediate meltdowns on social media when you lose. I think in the first and even second round of tournaments, it’s more of a burden to play at UConn than it is an advantage.”
WHAT DID HURLEY MEAN? When you are UConn and play in the shadows of national championships and NBA lottery picks, the pressure is on. Players were tight in the first half of both games this weekend as the Huskies trailed 39-37 against Iona at halftime and led Saint Mary’s 31-30 at the break. They turned both games into routs in the second half. Hurley’s hoping that the pressure is off Thursday against Arkansas.
WORK TO DO IN VEGAS: The Huskies have No. 9 seed Arkansas on Thursday in Las Vegas, with No. 2 seed UCLA or No. 3 seed Gonzaga waiting in the Elite Eight. The Huskies are a betting favorite against the Razorbacks and have returned to form over the past six weeks after a bizarre early January losing streak.
This is UConn’s 19th appearance in the Sweet 16, with 11 appearances in the Elite Eight and, of course, five Final Fours, with four national championships.
BOTTOM LINE: Hurley came to UConn because of the expectations. Does that make the journey more difficult? Yes. Does it hurt to lose even more considering the fanbase reaction? Yes. Lastly, is it all worth it here? If you win. There are few places like it.
— John Silver
