For the first time since 2017, the UConn women’s basketball team has two first-team All-Americans on the same roster.
Sophomore forward Sarah Strong and redshirt senior guard Azzi Fudd were both named first team All-Americans by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association on Tuesday after leading the Huskies to a 34-0 record entering the NCAA Tournament. This is the first first-team honor for both players and the first All-American nod of Fudd’s career. Strong was a third-team selection as a freshman in 2025.
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Fudd and Strong are the first pair of teammates named to the USBWA first team since 2020, when Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard earned first team honors. The last time UConn had multiple USBWA first-team selections was with Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson, who led the team to an undefeated regular season in 2017.
Strong, the Big East Player of the Year, has been one of the most versatile players in college basketball this season, averaging 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks. She leads the undefeated No. 1 Huskies in every major statistic except assists, where she is second by 0.7 per game to starting point guard KK Arnold.
The sophomore forward is also remarkably efficient, currently shooting 60.1% from the field, 42.7% from 3-point range and 87.3% at the free throw line. She leads the country in defensive rating and defensive win shares, and she is tied for sixth nationally in steals.
Strong is on the Naismith Trophy late-season team, the Wooden Award national ballot, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year late-season team and is a finalist for the Katrina McClain Award given to the nation’s best power forward. She was also the Most Outstanding Player of the Big East Tournament.
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Fudd is in the midst of the best and healthiest year of her career. The redshirt senior hasn’t missed a single game and averages 17.7 points, three assists and 2.5 steals per game, all of which are career highs. She is on the verge of 50/40/90 shooting splits currently hitting 48.9% from the field, 44.6% from 3-point range and 95.1% at the free throw line. Her 3-point percentage ranks seventh nationally and is the highest of any player with at least 90 makes from beyond the arc.
On top of her offensive production, Fudd ranks fourth nationally in defensive win shares and 10th in defensive rating.
The redshirt senior made the Naismith Trophy late-season team, the Wooden Award national ballot, and she is a finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award given to the top shooting guard in the country. She is also a finalist for the AAU Sullivan Award.
On top of the All-Americans, the USBWA also announced Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph as its National Coach of the Year on Tuesday. Ralph played for UConn from 1996-2001 and was a first-team All-American in her junior season, leading the Huskies to the 2000 NCAA championship as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Ralph also spent 13 years as an assistant under coach Geno Auriemma from 2008-21, helping UConn to an additional six national titles.
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Since Ralph was hired at Vanderbilt in 2021, the program has appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments and had its winningest season since 2007 this year. The Commodores finished second in the SEC during the regular season, their highest placement since 2009. Vanderbilt earned the 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament in No. 1 seed UConn’s Fort Worth 1 regional.
The Huskies kick off the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Saturday against 16-seed UT San Antonio at Gampel Pavilion at 3 p.m.. The game will air on ABC.
Breaking down UConn women’s basketball’s path to repeat national title in 2026 NCAA Tournament
2026 USBWA All-Americans
First team: Lauren Betts, UCLA; Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt; Azzi Fudd, UConn; Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame; Sarah Strong, UConn
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Second team: Madison Booker, Texas; Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State; Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Joyce Edwards, South Carolina; Olivia Miles, TCU
Third team: Raegan Beers, Oklahoma; Toby Fournier, Duke; Rori Harmon, Texas; Flau’jae Johnson, LSU; Olivia Olson, Michigan; Kiki Rice, UCLA
