How Does Azzi Fudd’s Injury Compare With UConn Kingpin Paige Bueckers?

The University of Connecticut Huskies have their campaign mired in complications. It has been the injuries that have been hurting them both literally and metaphorically. Recently they suffered a setback to their crusade when their shooting guard Azzi Fudd suffered an injury during practice.

Fudd became the victim of a non-contact knee injury, damaging her medial meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee as she attempted a jump shot. The meniscus helps in stabilizing the knee. She was sidelined for the rest of the season and that did affect the hopeful fans who were eyeing the national championship this season. However, this is not the first that the Huskies’ outings have been smeared by unwanted injuries. Both Fudd and their point guard Paige Bueckers have seen their own share of struggle that has negatively impacted the UConn’s NCAA campaign.

Azzi Fudd’s Tryst with Injuries

Her first encounter with injuries happened when she was in high school. The Virginia-born tore her medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of her right knee during the finals of the U.S. under-18 3×3 championships.

The MCL prevents interior bending of the knee and is one of the major ligaments of the leg while the ACL limits the mobility of the knee joint and controls excessive motion. She then underwent two surgical treatments firstly for the MCL and secondly for the ACL. But things did not stop there.

Fudd hurt her right knee against the rival Notre Dame since a teammate fell on her. She was kept away from the game for 5 weeks and returned in the contest against the St. John’s Red Storm. Fudd potted a decent 14 points with 3 rebounds. However, she was again the victim of her destiny as she was distressed by another injury.

This time the circumstances had repeated themselves during the match against the Georgetown. Fudd was thus diverted away from the court for around 6 weeks. She made a comeback during the Big East Semi Finals against the Georgetown, smashing 10 points and 4 assists.

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Similarly, her teammate Paige Bueckers has had a string of injuries that have affected her since high school.

Paige Bueckers’ String of Complications

Bueckers’ relationship with injuries dates back to her sophomore year at the Hopkins High School. She had been suffering from an ankle injury that aggravated in January 2018 and had to be sidelined.

Nonetheless, Bueckers led her school to a 28-4 record and ended the season on a high average of 22.3 points. Despite the problems, the Minnesota-born was named the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year.

Bueckers had a troubled year even during her senior season. By the end of the season, she suffered from a stress reaction on her right leg due to overuse. The 2019 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year had to wear a boot and missed practices including the first game of the tournament. But she didn’t let it affect her for a long time, leading her school to Class 4A state championship game.

Bueckers then joined the University of Connecticut Huskies, but again got injured during her freshman year. She was laying against the Tennessee Volunteers when she sprained her ankle and had to sit out of the next game against the Georgetown. Yet that game will always be remembered for Bueckers since she potted a three-pointer with only 25 seconds to left that propelled her team to victory.

Looks like injuries have followed the 22-year-old star as she went under the knife to repair an osteochondral defect which is a focal area damage involving cartilage and piece of underlying bone. The incident surgery took place on April 30, 2021 and Bueckers had to sit out most of the offseason, only being allowed to play by October. But her gaming prowess was such that she started the sophomore year as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year.

The 2021 Naismith College Player of the Year again went through complications when she hurt her left knee while dribbling the ball during a blowout 73-54 victory against the Notre Dame. Her condition was so grave that she had to be carried by her teammates off the court. A Tibial Plateau Fracture was adjudged from the MRI and CT scans. She again had to be operated for fracture and previously not revealed meniscus tear in her left knee.

Paige had to be away for a total of 19 games that had the Huskies ousted from the top 10 in the AP Polls. They also lost to unranked teams like the Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-point guard landed on the wrong foot when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee during a pickup game on August 1, 2022. She was rested for the entire 2022-23 season. The ACL connects the thighbone and the shinbone, stabilizing the knee joint.

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Bueckers was granted an additional year of college basketball after being reshirted for the season, and she chose to ply her trade for the Huskies for another year instead of declaring for the WNBA 2023 draft. Fudd has injured her right knee this time with both her medial meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament going for a toss whereas Bueckers had injured the ACL in her left knee. Though Fudd had been ruled out, fans have kept their silverware hopes alive banking on Bueckers who can still turn the tides for her team.