Azzi Fudd Says 'It's Going to Be Weird' Playing Without Paige Bueckers at UConn

UConn star Azzi Fudd is still growing into her role as one of the grizzled veterans on the Huskies heading into the 2025-26 season.

In an appearance on Good Game with Sarah Spain, which is produced by iHeartPodcasts, Fudd also reflected on the departure of Paige Bueckers.

"It's weird being the oldest. I don't know," she said. "I feel old. Freshmen are coming in, they're 17, and I'm like, ugh. They're talking about all the high school slang and brain rot. We're not that [far] apart, but it feels like it. It's going to be weird not having [Paige], obviously. But it's going to be fun, and I'm super excited for what this year is going to hold for me."

Fudd is approaching her fifth year at UConn, and players with that kind of experience at just one school are becoming increasingly rare thanks to an era of unlimited transfers.

The Virginia native is also one of just three seniors on the Huskies. Head coach Geno Auriemma is counting on a lot of underclassmen to defend his program's national championship.

When it comes to Bueckers, Fudd built a bond that goes beyond the typical teammate dynamic. Fudd was referred to as Bueckers' "D1 girlfriend" during an interview with WAG Talk at WNBA All-Star Weekend, seemingly confirming their relationship.

Fudd was eligible to enter the 2025 WNBA draft alongside Bueckers but chose to exhaust her college eligibility.

As a fourth-year senior, she averaged 13.6 points and shot 43.6 percent from beyond the arc. She had 24 points in UConn's dominant title-winning victory over South Carolina.

Assuming the 5'11" guard stays healthy and gets a slight bump to her production with Bueckers gone, she's all but guaranteed to be a lottery pick in the 2026 draft.