There’s a 50% chance that the 2026 Naismith Trophy winner plays for the UConn women’s basketball team.
Sophomore forward Sarah Strong and redshirt senior guard Azzi Fudd were both named finalists for the prestigious national player of the year honor Wednesday, adding the nod to their ever-growing list of accolades. Both players are also on the national ballot for the Wooden Award and were named a first team All-American by both the Associated Press and U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
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Seven Huskies have won the Naismith Trophy all-time: Rebecca Lobo (1995), Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003, ’04), Maya Moore (2009, ’11), Tina Charles (2010), Breanna Stewart (2014, ’15, ’16) and Paige Bueckers (2021). If Strong wins, she would also be just the seventh underclassman to win the award since it was established in 1983.
UCLA center Lauren Better and Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes join Strong and Fudd as Naismith Trophy finalists. Betts was previously a finalist for the honor in 2025.
Strong was also named a finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, and she could become the second player ever to win both awards joining South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston in 2022. Betts, Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo and West Virginia’s Jordan Harrison are also finalists for the defensive honor.
Strong is averaging 18.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks in 2025-26, leading undefeated UConn in every major statistic except assists — where she is second by 0.6 per game to starting point guard KK Arnold. The sophomore forward is also remarkably efficient, currently shooting 60% from the field, 42.7% from 3-point range and 85% at the free throw line. She leads the country in defensive rating and defensive win shares, and she ranks seventh nationally in steals.
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Fudd is having the best and healthiest year of her career in her redshirt senior season averaging 17.8 points, three assists and 2.5 steals per games. She is on the verge of 50/40/90 shooting splits currently hitting 49.5% from the field, 45.4% from 3-point range and 95.1% at the free throw line. Her 3-point percentage ranks fifth nationally, and she leads the country in made 3-pointers with 113.
On top of her offensive production, Fudd ranks fourth nationally in defensive win shares and 10th in defensive rating.
Auriemma, Ralph named Coach of the Year finalists
UConn coach Geno Auriemma was also named a finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year on Wednesday. He has won the award eight times in his 41-year career, most recently in 2017.
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Auriemma has led the Huskies to a 36-0 record and a sixth consecutive Big East Tournament title in 2025-26, which marked the 31st conference tournament championship of his career. The team is currently in the midst of a 52-game winning streak, the fifth-longest in NCAA women’s basketball history.
Auriemma is joined on the list of finalist by former UConn star Shea Ralph, the head coach at Vanderbilt. 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 coach at UConn from 2008-21, helping the program to an additional six national titles.
Since Ralph was hired in 2021, Vanderbilt has appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments and had its winningest season since 2007 this year. The Commodores finished second in the SEC in the regular season, their highest placement since 2009.
