Dallas Wings could choose Azzi Fudd in WNBA Draft
As Dallas weighs options for top pick in WNBA Draft, USA TODAY’s Meghan Hall breaks down how UConn’s Azzi Fudd could help the Wings shine.
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The South Florida Bulls are 4-0 at home to start the season, but will have the tough task of protecting home court against the defending champion UConn Huskies women’s basketball team.
The No. 1 Huskies (7-0) look to continue their undefeated streak against South Florida (5-3) on Tuesday at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida, the same city where UConn won it’s 12th national championship in April.
Both teams are coming off dominant wins. UConn set a season-high in the team’s 104-39 win over Xavier to open up Big East play on Sunday. Six different UConn players reached double-digits in the win and the Huskies shot 50% from beyond the arc (18-of-36), marking a new season high. Five of those 3-pointers came from sophomore reserve Allie Ziebel, highlighting UConn’s depth at the guard position.
South Florida is coming off a 90-58 win over New Orleans on Sunday, led by 21 points from sophomore guard Raina Tomasicka off the bench. Senior guard Edyn Battle leads the Bulls in scoring this season, averaging 14.2 points per game.
UConn is 34-0 all-time against South Florida.
Here’s everything you need to know about Tuesday’s matchup:
What time is UConn vs. Louisville?
The UConn Huskies travel to Tampa, Florida to take on the South Florida Bulls on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 5:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. PT) ET at the Yuengling Center.
UConn vs. South Florida: TV, streaming
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 2
- Time: 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT)
- Location: Yuengling Center (Tampa, Florida)
- TV: ESPN2
- Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited
End of Q1: UConn 29, South Florida 10
It’s raining 3-pointers in Tampa, Florida. Two days after UConn shot 50% from beyond the arc in the team’s 104-39 win over Xavier, the Huskies opened Tuesday’s game against South Florida shooting 5-of-8 (63%) from the 3-point line and 65% from the field. Blanca Quinonez (eight points) and Ashlynn Shade (six points) have each made two 3-pointers, while Sarah Strong (five points) made the other. Azzi Fudd added eight points.
The Bulls have not made a shot from beyond the arc (0-of-3) and are shooting a dismal 23% from the field. The Huskies pressure has also resulted in five Bulls turnovers. L’or Mputu has a team-high six points.
UConn has early lead after perfect start
UConn came out on a mission against South Florida on Tuesday. Ashlynn Shade got the Huskies on the board with a 3-pointer, one of four consecutive buckets made by the Huskies to build a quick 10-0 lead.
The Huskies started out 4-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the 3-point line, while the Bulls opened 0-of-3 from the field and 0-of-1 from 3. South Florida responded with a jolt of their own to come within eight points with 4:58 remaining in the first quarter.
UConn’s Azzi Fudd leads all scorers with six points in five minutes.
South Florida is already up to three turnovers.
UConn Huskies starting lineup
Head coach: Geno Auriemma
South Florida Bulls starting lineup
Head coach: Michele Woods-Baxter (interim)
UConn women’s basketball roster
#NAMEPOSEXPHTHOMETOWN2KK ArnoldGJr.5′ 9″Germantown, WI4Blanca QuinonezFFr.6′ 2″Milagro7Kelis FisherGFr.5′ 9″Baltimore, MD8Jana El AlfyCSoph.6′ 5″Cairo9Kayleigh HeckelGSoph.5′ 9″Port Chester, NY11Allie ZiebellGSoph.6′ 0″Neenah, WI12Ashlynn ShadeGJr.5′ 10″Noblesville, IN21Sarah StrongFSoph.6′ 2″Durham, NC22Serah WilliamsFSr.6′ 4″Brooklyn, NY23Morgan CheliGSoph.6′ 2″Los Altos, CA25Ice BradyFJr.6′ 3″San Diego, CA33Caroline DucharmeGSr.6′ 2″Milton, MA34Ayanna PattersonFSoph.6′ 2″Fort Wayne, IN35Azzi FuddGSr.5′ 11″Arlington, VA42Gandy Malou-MamelCFr.6′ 5″Limerick
UConn women’s basketball TV schedule
Here’s a look at the Huskies’ upcoming schedule:
DATEOPPONENTTIME (ET)CHANNELSun, Dec 7vs. DePaul1:00 PMFS1Sat, Dec 13@ No. 16 USC5:30 PMFOXWed, Dec 17vs. Marquette7:00 PMPeacockSat, Dec 20vs. No. 12 Iowa1:00 PMFOXSun, Dec 28@Butler4:00 PMTNT
South Florida women’s basketball roster
2026 WNBA mock draft: UConn’s Azzi Fudd vaults to No. 1 spot
When the 2026 WNBA draft kicks off on Monday, April 13, 2026, all eyes will turn to the Dallas Wings, who own the No. 1 overall pick. Unlike last year, when it was widely known Paige Bueckers was going to be the top pick, there isn’t a consensus No. 1 pick for 2026.
Will it be Spain center Awa Fam? Will it be UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd? Could TCU Horned Frogs guard Olivia Miles or UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts be the choice? Or will it be a selection that sends shockwaves through the basketball landscape? Check out Meghan Hall’s 2026 WNBA mock draft here.
From facing to fueling UConn: Kayleigh Heckel’s seamless transition
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. That may not be exactly how sophomore Kayleigh Heckel ended up playing for No. 1-ranked UConn, but it is true that she finished her freshman season at USC with a loss to the team she ended up joining after entering the transfer portal.
“My last game at USC was against UConn,” Heckel said in a video posted by UConn prior to the season. “The stakes were high, was the Elite Eight game, so excited to to be on this side now.”
Heckel is fitting right in with the Huskies, averaging 6.4 points, 1.9 assists and 2.1 steals through seven games. She brings energy off the bench to a backcourt led by Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold. Read full story here.
South Florida longtime head coach hired by Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings hired longtime University of South Florida head coach Jose Fernandez in October. Fernandez spent 25 seasons at the helm of the Bulls women’s basketball team before transitioning to the WNBA and will be succeed by interim head coach Michele Woods-Baxter at South Florida.
Fernandez will take over a Wings team that finished 10-34 last season, tied for last place in the WNBA standings with the Chicago Sky, despite a sensational Rookie of the Year campaign from the Wings 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. Bueckers averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 47.4% from the floor, 33.1% from the 3-point line and 88.8% from the free throw line.
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