Back in November 2020, Azzi Fudd was the No. 1-ranked prospect in the country and had offers from numerous major programs. She eventually chose UConn for a number of reasons, not least of which was the opportunity to play with her good friend, Paige Bueckers.
As it turns out, Bueckers wasn’t just hoping Fudd would decide to come to Storrs. Rather, Bueckers was actively recruiting Fudd with a unique method: a highlight tape of her own passes. Fudd detailed the start of their friendship and the successful recruiting pitch in a GQ story about Bueckers published Tuesday:
“She can get a bucket literally whenever she wants,” says Fudd, who entered UConn the year after Bueckers, “but she always wants to make sure everyone’s involved and we’re playing team basketball.” Fudd and Bueckers first met when they were both trying out for point guard on the USA Basketball U16 team. “I was like, Okay, I don’t have anything to worry about. This little white girl? I’ll make the team over her,” Fudd says. They both ended up making the team, but, Fudd says, “She was a lot better than I thought she was.”
They’ve been best friends ever since. “This is so on brand for Paige, but she made a little highlight video of herself from her high school games, passing to her teammates and giving them wide-open shots,” Fudd says. “She presented it to my family and was like, ‘You see all these open shots I’m giving to my teammates? That’s going to be Azzi [if] she comes to UConn and plays with me.’ ”
The video is actually still up on Bueckers’ Hudl page, and it gives an early look at the playmaking skills that have made her one of the most versatile players in the country.
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Due to extensive injury problems for both of them — most notably, Bueckers missed the entire 2022-23 season with a torn ACL, while Fudd missed all but two games of the 2023-24 season with her own ACL tear — the duo had only played 17 games together coming into this season.
Even with some more minor injuries for both, they’ve already surpassed that total this season (21 games together) and the results have been terrific. The No. 5-ranked Huskies are 26-3, and those three defeats, which came by a combined 17 points, were all against top-20 teams.
Earlier this month, they went to South Carolina and destroyed the reigning champion Gamecocks by 29 points to cement their status as a true title contender. Fudd went off for 28 points in that win, while Bueckers dished out 10 assists, four of which went to Fudd.
Finally, the backcourt partnership Bueckers envisioned all those years ago when she was putting her audiovisual skills to work has become a reality.
No. 5 UConn is undefeated in Big East play, but the Huskies have their toughest conference challenge coming up as they host No. 22 Creighton on Thursday. The game is set for 7 p.m. ET and will air on CBS Sports Network.
This will be a battle between the top teams in the Big East, and Creighton will be fighting to potentially share the Big East regular-season title.
The Huskies are 26-3 overall and 16-0 in conference play. They are coming off an 86-47 victory against Butler, but their statement win this season happened a week earlier with a dominant victory over South Carolina.
UConn’s Paige Bueckers made highlight tape of her own passes to recruit Azzi Fudd to Huskies Jack Maloney UConn’s Paige Bueckers made highlight tape of her own passes to recruit Azzi Fudd to Huskies Creighton is 23-4 overall and 15-1 in the Big East. The Bluejays have won 14 out of their last 15 and are currently riding a seven-game winning streak. Their one conference loss was against UConn on Jan. 25.
Here is what you need to know ahead of Thursday’s top-25 matchup:
Where to watch No. 22 Creighton vs. No. 5 UConn When: Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. ET Where: XL Center — Hartford, Connecticut TV: CBS Sports Network Streaming: fubo (follow for free)
Last meeting These teams have met 10 times since 2014 and UConn has won every game. Their closest matchup was a 62-60 UConn win in 2023.
Their last meeting was on Jan. 25 in Nebraska, and the Huskies won 72-61 behind a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds from freshman Sarah Strong, who added four blocks and five steals. Paige Bueckers was also a top contributor with 22 points, with 19 of those coming in the second half.
UConn only led by two points at the end of the first quarter, but the Huskies pulled away in the second by outscoring Creighton 18-6. The Bluejays struggled to take care of the ball and allowed their opponents 17 points off 18 turnovers. UConn also won the battle in the paint, 36-24.
Creighton had four players reach double figures, led by Morgan Maly and Molly Mogensen with 14 points each. They also combined for 16 rebounds. Brooke Littrell added 12 points in just 18 minutes off the bench. Meanwhile, Lauren Jensen added 11 points and seven rebounds.
UConn has dominated the Big East UConn is the most successful program in Big East history and is once again the team to beat this season. A win against Creighton would help the Huskies outright win the Big East regular-season title.
The Huskies have won four consecutive Big East regular-season titles and four tournament trophies since rejoining the conference in 2020. In total, UConn has 23 regular-season titles and has won the championship a record 22 times. Geno Auriemma’s team has not lost a conference game since falling to St. John’s 69-64 on Feb. 21, 2023.
The Huskies own the conference’s top scoring margin while averaging 81.4 points and limiting opponents to just 52 points per contest. Bueckers leads the team with 18.7 points and 4.8 assists per game. However, Strong has also become a key part of the team during her freshman season with 15.9 points and eight rebounds per contest.
Azzi Fudd is the team’s third scoring weapon with 13 points per game, and she is playing some of her best basketball in February. Injuries have limited her college basketball career, but she truly locked in against St. John’s earlier this month and put up a career-high 34 points. She followed that performance with 28 points against South Carolina.
Creighton has been on the rise If the Bluejays pull an upset Thursday, Creighton could share the Big East regular-season title with UConn — if they secure another victory against Villanova on Sunday. Although Jim Flanery’s team hasn’t faced the same strength of schedule as UConn, the Bluejays have gotten better as the season has progressed.
The Bluejays were ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, but dropped out after losing their season opener to South Dakota State. They suffered a second loss less than a week later at the hands of then-No. 10 Kansas State. Creighton shook off that shaky start and reentered the rankings at No. 24 on Feb. 10.
Creighton’s biggest win this season was an 80-74 victory against then-No. 21 Nebraska, a Big Ten opponent, on Nov. 22.
The Bluejays have the second-best scoring offense in the Big East, averaging 69.6 points per contest. The team is led by Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly, who are scoring 18.3 and 17.5 points per game, respectively. Their defense is third in the conference, right behind Marquette, as they hold opponents to 61.6 points per game.
No. 5 UConn has two more games until the Big East Tournament, and it could outright win the conference regular-season title with a win against Creighton on Thursday. As the Huskies get ready to enter the postseason, there is no better time to evaluate whether they have what it takes to make another deep run in March.
UConn has made 15 Final Fours in the last 16 years, but nothing is guaranteed in March and the Huskies have not won a national championship since 2016. It’s also worth noting the Huskies struggle with inconsistency in the frontcourt, and overall the team has had a few lackluster performances.
UConn, Paige Bueckers vs. Creighton: Where to watch, tip time, TV channel, live stream for Big East clash Isabel Gonzalez UConn, Paige Bueckers vs. Creighton: Where to watch, tip time, TV channel, live stream for Big East clash That being said, Geno Auriemma’s team played to its elite potential on both sides of the court in the 87-58 win against reigning national champion South Carolina on Feb. 16. If that was a preview of what we can expect in the NCAA Tournament, then in the words of CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein: “buy stock now.”
Buy or sell: Is Sarah Strong the Freshman of the Year? Buy. Since the beginning of the season, the freshman forward — who ranked as the No. 1 recruit in her class — has established herself as a key part of the roster with her versatility and productivity. Strong is the team’s second-leading scorer behind Paige Bueckers with 15.9 points per game while shooting an efficient 57.4% from the field. She also leads the team in rebounds, steals and blocks.
Strong’s biggest competition is Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes. Earlier this month, Blakes set a new NCAA freshman record with 55 points in the Commodores’ 98-88 win over Auburn. That was her second 50+ point game this season, as she also dropped 53 against Florida.
Blakes is making history, but if we take into consideration how players have impacted their team in wins and losses, Strong comes out ahead. Vanderbilt made the AP Top 25 for the first time in 11 years late January, but the Commodores dropped out of the rankings after only two weeks while struggling with SEC competition. They have lost five out of six games in February.
Buy or sell: Is the UConn frontcourt reliable? Hold. This might seem like a cop-out answer, but this is an area in which the Huskies have shown potential but haven’t been consistent the whole season.
Strong is a solid player, but overall the frontcourt lacks experience and has been inconsistent. Ice Brady, who is currently out with a shoulder injury, is the only one who came into the season having played real college basketball minutes as a redshirt sophomore.
Although Brady was a starter at the beginning of the season, Auriemma shook things up in late December and gave redshirt freshman Jana El Alfy her debut in the starting lineup.
After UConn’s 72-70 loss to USC in December, Auriemma talked about the importance of post players stepping up to take pressure off the guards. El Alfy has had some solid performances, including a 17-point, 11-rebound outing against Boston University. She was also a spark for the Huskies with much-needed aggressive post play early in the South Carolina game.
The Huskies were able to beat the Gamecocks by being the aggressors and winning the rebounding battle 48-29. They also tied South Carolina 36-36 in the paint, an area Dawn Staley’s team was expected to have the edge.
Buy or sell: Is Paige Bueckers the national Player of the Year? Sell. This one is in part because of the competition she is facing. The top candidates right now are Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, USC’s JuJu Watkins and UCLA’s Lauren Betts.
It is also tricky to figure out how to evaluate a player like Bueckers. The 6-foot guard is in the top 40 in the nation in scoring with 18.7 points per game while shooting 53.3% from the field. Bueckers also creates opportunities for her teammates and leads the nation in assist to turnover ratio. In addition, Bueckers’ game became more complete last year when she leveled up her defense.
Bueckers is a very impactful player on both sides of the court and her leadership is essential to the Huskies. However, sometimes she is not aggressive or selfish enough for the results to show up on the box score. That is not necessarily a bad thing because she does make her teammates better and is a key part of why the Huskies have the best scoring margin in the country.
Bueckers doesn’t always take all the shots she could, and is actually No. 117 nationally in shot attempts this season. Meanwhile, guards like Watkins and Hidalgo are in the top 15. Bueckers’ teamwork does help the Huskies, but as Auriemma himself put it, the team is better when she is more aggressive.
Buy or sell: Will Azzi Fudd keep the momentum going? Buy. It is no secret Fudd is one of the top-three key players for UConn, and the most exciting part is it feels we haven’t even seen her full potential yet.
Like Bueckers, Fudd’s career has been disrupted by injuries. When Bueckers was out with a torn ACL two seasons ago, Auriemma said Fudd was “far and away, 100% the best player on the floor.” And then Fudd got injured too, so we missed out.
Fudd played 15 games in 2022-23 and just two the following season because of a torn ACL. She made her return this season and has recently been playing some of her best basketball.
Fudd scored a career-high 34 points against St. John’s on Feb. 12, and then had a 28-point performance against South Carolina. She registered a combined 14 3-pointers in those two games.
Fun fact: Bueckers saw Fudd’s potential before she even got to UConn and made a highlight tape of her passes to help recruit her.
No. 2 UCLA is hosting No. 4 USC on Saturday for the second round of the Battle for Los Angeles and their regular-season finale. The stakes are high as the winner of this matchup will also take the Big Ten regular-season title.
The Bruins were the only undefeated team in the nation until Feb. 13, when the Trojans claimed a 71-60 win behind a superb performance by JuJu Watkins at Galen Center.
USC shocks top-ranked UCLA: JuJu Watkins delivers signature performance as Trojans rise to first in Big Ten Isabel Gonzalez USC shocks top-ranked UCLA: JuJu Watkins delivers signature performance as Trojans rise to first in Big Ten That remains UCLA’s only loss of the 2024-25 campaign. Cori Close’s group enters Saturday 28-1 with a 16-1 Big Ten record — the same conference record as the Trojans. USC is 25-2 overall with losses to Notre Dame and Iowa.
Another exciting aspect of this matchup is that Watkins and UCLA’s Lauren Betts are two of the top candidates to win national Player of the Year. They also happen to be the Big Ten Co-Players of the Week ahead of their upcoming meeting.
Here is what you need to know before Saturday’s Battle for Los Angeles:
Where to watch No. 4 USC vs. No. 2 UCLA When: Saturday at 9 p.m. ET Where: Pauley Pavilion — Los Angeles, California TV: Fox Streaming: fubo (follow for free)
Last meeting The Bruins have a 33-25 series lead over USC since 1999, but the Trojans have won the last three encounters.
JuJu Watkins lifted USC to a 71-60 win over then-No. 1 UCLA on Feb. 13 with an impressive two-way performance that included 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, eight blocks and a steal.
While it was a strong win for USC, the whole roster didn’t have a great outing. Watkins carried the Trojans offense for most of the game as she scored all 14 points for them in the second quarter. Late in the third, no other USC player had more than five points.
Lauren Betts led UCLA’s efforts with 18 points, but she really had to work for it and was just 2 of 4 in the first half.
JuJu Watkins doing it all for USC Watkins is one of the nation’s top-three scorers with an average of 24.2 points per game. She also contributes 6.9 rebounds per contest and leads her team in assists and steals.
The truth is the guard has had her ups and downs this season and went through a month-long offensive slump before the win against UCLA. However, even when she is struggling, Watkins typically figures out how to get the job done — whether it’s by passing, contributing on defense or getting to the free throw line.
Watkins is still only a sophomore, but her impact has helped resurrect the program. This is USC’s second consecutive season with at least 23 wins, and the Trojans’ 25-2 record is their best through 27 games since the 1982-83 season, when they finished 31-2.
UCLA’s Lauren Betts dominating inside The 6-foot-7 center is a key reason why the Bruins are having the best season in program history. They earned their first ever No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll in December and stayed there 12 weeks before losing to USC.
Betts is solid on both sides of the court and is almost averaging a double-double with 20 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. She is also in the top five nationally in blocks per contest (2.8).
UCLA picked up a 30-point win against Wisconsin on Wednesday, and Betts once again grabbed the spotlight. She recorded her 15th double-double of the season with 26 points and 10 rebounds while going 11 of 12 from the field.
According to Flau’Jae Johnson, the best song to describe the LSU Tigers this season is “Unstoppable” by YFN Lucci.
“I feel like we’re unstoppable, but sometimes we just get in our own way,” Johnson told CBS Sports. “A team hasn’t just beaten us. It’s been critical mistakes that we make down the stretch that allowed us to lose ball games.”
The Tigers are ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25 while in the middle of their fourth consecutive 25+ win season at 27-2. The two losses came at the hands of South Carolina and Texas, both SEC opponents who were ranked in the top three at the time of their meeting.
Against the Gamecocks, the Tigers kept it competitive but allowed 22 points off 17 turnovers and registered 19 fouls. In the Texas game, LSU had a 12-point lead halfway through the third quarter, but the Tigers’ offense fell apart in the fourth.
UConn women’s basketball buy or sell: Is Sarah Strong Freshman of the Year? Can Azzi Fudd keep momentum going? Isabel Gonzalez UConn women’s basketball buy or sell: Is Sarah Strong Freshman of the Year? Can Azzi Fudd keep momentum going? Despite the losses, LSU showed a lot of potential against tough opponents. The Tigers have also proven themselves with wins against talented teams like NC State, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Johnson leads LSU with 19.3 points per game, which puts her in the top 30 nationally. She is also contributing 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. However, she is most proud of the aspects of her play style that don’t show up on the box score.
“I think I bring confidence. I think I bring energy and joy,” Johnson said. “My coaches are always like, ‘She’s always smiling, she’s always energetic. She’s always giving everybody else energy.’ The points and all that is OK, but when you can get momentum, I think that’s the best part of what I do for my team.”
Morrow, Williams stepping up alongside Johnson Senior forward Aneesah Morrow is another star for the Tigers and has established herself as a double-double machine while averaging 17.9 points and 14.3 rebounds per game. She is the key reason why LSU is one of the best rebounding teams in the country.
There is also sophomore guard Mikaylah Williams, who averages 17.1 points and a team-best 3.1 assists per contest. Johnson said she is one of the players who doesn’t get talked about enough.
“I don’t think that [Williams] gets a lot of the praise that she deserves,” Johnson said. “Me and Aneesah are such big figures and we lead the team in scoring, but she does so much more for the team. She plays 1 through 4, and I don’t think people understand how important she is to our system and everything she does.”
The Tigers have two more regular-season games remaining before the SEC Tournament. They have a road game against No. 20 Alabama on Thursday and host Ole Miss three days later.
Johnson working toward basketball, rap goals The SEC is one of the toughest conferences this season, and we are in a key part of the schedule for teams looking to make some noise in March. Johnson has been putting in the work on the court, and yet she is also finding time to balance a rap career and business endeavors.
Johnson has worked with artists such as Lil Wayne, who is featured in her song “Came Out a Beast.” She said one of her goals next season will be to mix both basketball and music by writing her team’s walkout song.
A business major, Johnson has put her eventual degree to work already with multiple NIL deals. Her latest deal is with Invisalign.
“I don’t take it for granted. I’m grateful to have the opportunities,” Johnson said. “It’s not everyday that you get to work with these companies. And I’m a business woman at the same time… it’s so fun for me. I think it’s an honor. “
Johnson has her plate full, but it hasn’t affected her performance on the court — and Mulkey has been very supportive of it all.
“I love Coach Mulkey. She really embraces it,” Johnson said. “She was the first person to embrace me being a rapper and me being a basketball player at the same time. In a lot of my recruitment, they wanted me to choose. But she was like, ‘No, you can do both.’ She really supports all things NIL, and all things us really.”
No. 3 Notre Dame suffered a second consecutive loss on Thursday as it fell at home to No. 24 Florida State, 86-81. This is the first time the Fighting Irish have lost back-to-back ACC games since 2021.
The Irish won their first 15 conference games before falling in double overtime to No. 9 NC State on Sunday. And because of these two losses, Notre Dame’s chances to win the ACC regular season title have taken a massive hit.
Both Notre Dame and NC State have 15-2 records in conference play, but the Wolfpack hold the tiebreaker over the Irish because of their head-to-head win and can now clinch the conference’s regular season crown with a win over SMU this weekend. Meanwhile, Notre Dame will have to take care of business at home vs. No. 25 Louisville while hoping the Mustangs can play spoiler for NC State. A third consecutive Notre Dame loss would also clinch the ACC for NC State.
Women’s college basketball Power Rankings: Texas remains No. 1 after another dominant defensive effort Isabel Gonzalez Women’s college basketball Power Rankings: Texas remains No. 1 after another dominant defensive effort Florida State overcomes 15-point deficit For this situation to play out, a significant comeback from Florida State was necessary. After the loss to the Wolfpack, Notre Dame started strong against FSU. The Irish jumped out to a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter and pushed the advantage to 15 early in the second. That turned out to be the high point of their evening.
The Seminoles responded with a 19-3 run to take the lead, and save for a 10-second period in the middle of the third quarter, never trailed again.
This game was not without drama, though. After the Seminoles built a double-digit lead heading into the fourth, the Irish opened the final frame on a 9-0 run to get within one. Some teams may have folded on the road at that point, but Seminoles star Ta’Niya Latson would not let that happen.
Latson, who is leading the country in scoring at 26.2 points per game, got off to a brutal start on Thursday, but came up clutch down the stretch. She scored 13 of the final 15 points for the Seminoles by slicing to the basket time and again against the Fighting Irish’s helpless defenders, and finished with 23 points, five rebounds and nine assists.
In the victory, Latson became the second Florida State player to score 2,000 career points and became the third player in ACC history to reach the 2,000-point mark in just three seasons.
The Seminoles also got 22 points and 17 rebounds from Makayla Timpson, who powered their first-half comeback and kept the team afloat until Latson’s late-game takeover.
A disastrous result for Notre Dame For Notre Dame, this could be a disastrous defeat on a number of levels. In addition to the ACC championship implications, Notre Dame’s NCAA Tournament seeding is at stake.
Notre Dame was ranked No. 4 in the latest NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee top-16 ranking, which was released on Thursday. That means that prior to tip off, they were penciled in as the final No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
A little over two weeks ago, USC handed then-No. 1 ranked UCLA its first defeat of the season thanks almost entirely to a historic performance from JuJu Watkins. The star sophomore went off for 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and eight blocks to become the first Division I player in the last 20 years to have a 35-point, five-assist, five-block game.
On Saturday (9 p.m. ET, streaming on fubo), the now-No. 2 Bruins and No. 4 Trojans will meet for a rematch at Pauley Pavilion with the Big Ten regular season title, and potentially a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, on the line. Both teams are 16-1 in conference play and will be eager to earn a trophy in their first season in this re-shaped conference.
As UCLA looks for a measure of revenge at home, their primary focus will be slowing down Watkins. That’s easier said than done against a player with her level of talent, but it’s not impossible. Ahead of Saturday, let’s take a closer look at the first matchup between these teams and what the Bruins might be able to do better.
Protecting the paint Perhaps the biggest key when defending Watkins is keeping her out of the paint. With her size and touch around the basket, it’s pretty much game over once she gets inside. For the season, the 6-foot-2 Watkins is shooting an incredible 75.8% at the rim, which ranks in the 95th percentile in the country. She’s also drawn 191 personal fouls, which is sixth among all Division I players.
To their credit, the Bruins actually did a good job on that front in the first meeting. Their perimeter defenders were physical and moved their feet, and the 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts was a major deterrent. Only six of Watkins’ 26 field goal attempts came in the paint, and of those only three were at the rim, per CBB Analytics. And while she did get to the line for 10 free throws, that was mostly the result of the Bruins fouling her on jump shots.
If there’s a weakness for Watkins right now, it’s her jumpshooting, which can be extremely streaky. She’s shooting 33.7% from behind the arc this season, a decent mark, but one that’s been buoyed by two huge games — a 9-of-10 effort against Cal Baptist and the first matchup against UCLA, when she went 6 of 9. In her other 25 appearances, Watkins is at 28% from downtown. On mid-range attempts, Watkins hasn’t been much better this season at 35%.
Walling off the paint and turning Watkins into a shooter is the scouting report, and the Bruins followed it well back on Feb. 13. It just didn’t matter. Watkins made tough shot after tough shot, particularly in the first half.
If UCLA can force Watkins into these same type of jumpers on Saturday, the percentages would say Watkins won’t be as successful.
Limiting transition opportunities Watkins is a wizard in transition, which is where she’s gotten just under a third of her offensive possessions. On such opportunities, she’s scoring 1.112 points per possession and shooting 53.7%. She’s too big, too athletic and too smart to slow down in the open court.
Because of the Trojans’ poor overall outside shooting — 32.8% as a team, which ranks 120th in the country — there’s often little space for Watkins to operate in the halfcourt. But when they can get out and run, they are electric.
For the first three quarters of the first matchup, the Bruins had done a solid job limiting the Trojans’ transition opportunities. That all changed in the fourth quarter, however, which is how Watkins and Co. broke the game open. Watkins either scored or assisted on four fast-break baskets in the fourth quarter, which led the nine points — more than the Bruins scored as a whole in the final frame.
If UCLA can keep this game in the halfcourt by limiting live ball turnovers and having good floor balance on offense, they have the defensive personnel to make life difficult for Watkins and USC.
Forcing the ball out of her hands One of the more interesting aspects of UCLA’s defensive game plan a few weeks ago was that they trusted their perimeter defenders to guard Watkins one-on-one. They showed plenty of help, and Betts was always waiting under the basket, but they didn’t trap Watkins to make her give it up, as we’ve seen some other teams do this season.
To be fair, the Bruins have a number of strong defenders and they were doing a solid job defending Watkins. But sometimes, the only way to prevent the truly elite, big-game players from scoring is to take the ball out of their hands.
Back on Feb. 13, Watkins had 12 of the Trojans’ 21 field goals, and the rest of the team was 9 of 37 from the field. If Watkins starts feeling it again on Saturday, it will be interesting to see if the Bruins try to make someone else beat them.
At 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, the NCAA Tournament selection committee had its second and final top 16 reveal of the year.
These reveals provide valuable insights into how the committee views the nation’s best teams. In a hectic season, the top 16 reveal represents clarity.
So, naturally, four of the top 12 teams lost by the end of the night.
One of the biggest surprises from the reveal was South Carolina falling to a No. 2 seed as the fifth-ranked team overall.
The Gamecocks have been a No. 1 seed in four straight NCAA Tournaments and eight of the last 10. They entered Thursday tied with Texas for the most Quad-1 wins in the country (11), but clearly the margin of their defeat against UConn was a major data point, as Dawn Staley’s team was dropped below both USC and Notre Dame.
However, after Notre Dame fell at home to Florida State, it’s likely South Carolina is back on the No. 1 line. USC should be equally delighted to put a bit of room between themselves and the Irish, who won their head-to-head meeting earlier in the season.
With only UCLA and Texas appearing to be safely No. 1 seeds, perhaps UConn has a fighting chance at one of those remaining two spots after all. It’s worth mentioning they came in at No. 6 overall in the reveal, ahead of LSU even before the Tigers’ overtime loss at Alabama.
UConn would certainly have to win the Big East Tournament, and even then it seems unlikely. But if UCLA and Texas win their respective conference tournaments, that means guaranteed losses for USC and South Carolina that could make things interesting.
It’s also notable Notre Dame faces a tough challenge against Louisville in their regular-season finale and will likely enter the ACC Tournament as the league’s No. 2 seed behind NC State.
Oh, would you look at the date — we’re just hours away from March! Each of the power conferences end regular season play this weekend, meaning we’re officially in the final push to Selection Sunday.
Want a No. 1 seed? Looking to host? Just trying to guarantee a spot in the field. The time is now, my friends. The ball’s in your court.
No. 1 seeds
UCLA (27-1, 16-1 Big Ten): NET 5, SOS 15 UCLA should be just about guaranteed a No. 1 seed at this point, but the Bruins have a chance to make it official and get revenge on their rival USC on Saturday.
The Bruins have won 10 straight home games against ranked teams dating back to 2023, including a 15-point win over South Carolina this past November. The mission will be simple: stop JuJu Watkins from having another all-time performance.
*Texas (28-2, 14-1 SEC): NET 3, SOS 3 There are only two power conference teams in the country with an active winning streak of more than six games, and both hail from the Lone Star State. Baylor has won nine straight, while Texas has won 12 in a row.
Ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time since 2004, the Longhorns can lock up their second consecutive NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed on Sunday with a home win against a sub-.500 Florida team.
*USC (25-2, 16-1 Big Ten): NET 6, SOS 11 Just four teams in the country have at least nine Quad-1 wins this season, and they’re all No. 1 seeds in these projections. In fact, no other team has more than six.
That would suggest the No. 1 seeds are fairly definitive, but the committee has shown us that isn’t the case. USC would remain a No. 1 seed with a loss against UCLA, but there would be a lot more pressure on the Trojans in the Big Ten Tournament.
South Carolina (26-3, 14-1 SEC): NET 2, SOS 1 One could still reasonably argue South Carolina has the best overall resume in the nation. Yes, the Gamecocks have three losses. But they also have a ridiculous nine wins against teams in the top 20 of the NET rankings. UCLA, for example, has three.
South Carolina’s No. 1 seed hopes may still come down to winning the SEC Tournament, making it even crazier the top seed in that event might come down to a literal coin flip with Texas.
No. 2 seeds
Notre Dame (24-4, 15-2 ACC): NET 4, SOS 6 Last season, Notre Dame had an insane run up to Selection Sunday, winning five straight games against AP Top 25 teams from Leap Day through the ACC Tournament. Can the Irish rebound from back-to-back losses to have a similar run this time around?
The path starts against Louisville, a team Notre Dame has won three straight against, including an 18-point win on Feb. 2 when Hannah Hidalgo led the way with 34 points.
*UConn (27-3, 17-0 Big East): NET 1, SOS 38 The Huskies clinched a 12th straight outright conference regular-season title on Thursday with a 72-53 win over Creighton, their closest Big East competition.
UConn women’s basketball buy or sell: Is Sarah Strong Freshman of the Year? Can Azzi Fudd keep momentum going? Isabel Gonzalez UConn women’s basketball buy or sell: Is Sarah Strong Freshman of the Year? Can Azzi Fudd keep momentum going? UConn is 17-0 in Big East play, winning those games by an average of 34.1 points per game. At home, they’ve combined to beat eight opponents by 317 points across 320 minutes of game action. Marquette needs a win at UConn on Sunday to stay in the at-large conversation. Good luck.
LSU (27-3, 12-3 SEC): NET 10, SOS 36 Flau’jae Johnson scored just six points on 2 of 12 shooting in LSU’s overtime loss at Alabama, her fewest in a game since December 2023. She showed leadership on X by taking responsibility for the loss, but LSU’s free throw shooting was just as costly.
In the fourth quarter and overtime, the Tigers shot just 5 of 11 from the line. Still, there’s no shame in losing to Alabama, and LSU remains firmly a No. 2 seed.
*NC State (23-5, 15-2 ACC): NET 19, SOS 13 With just three games left on the ACC schedule, NC State was two games out of first place in the conference. They halved the deficit in a game-of-the-year contender, beating then-No. 1 Notre Dame at home in double overtime.
Now, following another win plus an Irish loss against Florida State, the Wolfpack just need to beat bottom-dweller SMU for the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. Along with 2021-22, this would be NC State’s second regular-season title in the last 35 seasons.
UConn guard Azzi Fudd remains undecided on declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft, her father told CT Insider on Friday. Fudd will participate in the team’s senior day celebration on Sunday before and after their matchup with Marquette just in case, but she has an extra year of eligibility and could return to school for the 2025-26 season.
“Her motto all year is staying present in what’s happening right now,” Tim Fudd, Azzi’s father, told CT Insider. “… It’s not a priority at this point in time to focus on that when they have an opportunity to do some really good things.
“It’s bittersweet for me. That’s probably the best word. … I think, unfortunately, if this was the end, it’s sad to say that UConn probably didn’t see the best of Azzi and the best of her game is still yet to come, which is going to be something quite, quite awesome to see.”
Fudd, who was the No. 1 recruit in the country when she committed to UConn back in 2020, has been hampered by injuries during her time in Storrs.
She missed 11 games in her freshman season due to a stress reaction in her foot, while a knee injury cost her 22 games in her sophomore season. Then, just two games into her junior campaign, she tore her ACL in practice and missed the remainder of the season. Add in another minor knee sprain this season and Fudd has played just 66 total games for the Huskies.
Due to her ACL injury, Fudd was able to take a medical redshirt for the 2023-24 season, which means she has an extra year of eligibility and could return to school. If Fudd, who is averaging 12.8 points per game and shooting a career-high 45.9% from 3-point range, does decide to declare for the draft this year, she is projected to be a first-round pick.
2025 WNBA Mock Draft 3.0: A new look at the first round after Sky trade No. 3 to Mystics Jack Maloney 2025 WNBA Mock Draft 3.0: A new look at the first round after Sky trade No. 3 to Mystics Ultimately, Fudd will have to weigh the potential risk and reward with each path.
Given her lengthy injury history — she also tore her ACL and MCL in high school — it may be wise to turn pro now off the back of a solid season, especially if she gets a first-round guarantee. Returning to school and struggling or getting hurt again could destroy her draft stock.
On the other hand, if Fudd returns to school, stays healthy and consistently displays the talent that made her the top recruit five years ago, she could be in the mix for a lottery selection. Plus, a new collective bargaining agreement is expected to be in place for the 2026 WNBA season, and it could bring higher salaries and more protections for rookies.
Regardless, Fudd will hope she doesn’t have to make a final decision for a while. While the WNBA has not put out an official deadline for declaring for the 2025 draft, based on last year’s rules players not competing in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament had to make a decision by April 1, while those whose team made at least the Elite Eight had up to 48 hours after their final games.
Fudd and UConn, currently ranked No. 5 in the country, hope to be competing for an NCAA championship in early April. The Huskies, who have a Division I-record 11 national championships, have not lifted the trophy since 2016, which is their longest drought since they won their first title in 1995.
It was another victory for USC over UCLA in the battle for Los Angeles, only this win came with hardware in the form of the Big Ten regular season trophy in the Trojans first year in the conference.
Behind clutch shooting, sharp passing and a meddlesome defense, No. 4 USC (27-2, 16-1) cruised a 80-67 win over No. 2 UCLA (28-2, 15-2) in the Bruins’ house Saturday night. The Trojans also defeated their crosstown rivals on Feb. 13, 71-60, giving them the season sweep and their first regular season title since 1994.
USC legend Cheryl Miller was in attendance at Pauley Pavilion and celebrated with JuJu Watkins, who lifted her team to victory with her sixth 30-point performance of the season and 20th of her career.
“It means so much just knowing the history of it all,” Watkins said during her televised postgame interview. “This is a really historic building … When we come here, we make sure we seize the opportunity.”
🏆 pic.twitter.com/79veBiRX4Y
— USC Women’s Basketball (@USCWBB) March 2, 2025 As a team, the Trojans shot 48% from the field, but it was Watkins and Kiki Iriafen (17 points) who led the way. They set the tone early with a 9-0 start and never trailed. UCLA made a serious comeback attempt in the third quarter, but the Trojans ratcheted up their defense and never allowed the Bruins to get comfortable.
Here is a closer look at how USC took down UCLA for the second time this season:
JuJu Watkins shines again Watkins’ offense was key in the first half. The Trojans entered the break with a 46-32 advantage with Watkins scoring half of those points. She went 8 of 13 in those first two quarters, including four 3-pointers. The rest of her team was 10 of 25 at halftime.
Scoring certainly helps, but Watkins is one of the top candidates to win national Player of the Year because she does a lot of impactful things on both sides of the court. Besides her 30 points, she also contributed with three rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. One of her blocks even earned her a dap from Cheryl Miller, who was sitting courtside beside her brother former Bruin Reggie Miller.
Cheryl Miller was LOVING that block from @Jujubballin pic.twitter.com/aWDCmEwTzc
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 2, 2025 Coach Lindsay Gottlieb got emotional postgame when talking about how Watkins has been so vital for the program. “This is the best player in the country and it’s because of the things you all don’t see,” she said. “The poise, the leadership. Oh my gosh, unreal.”
Kiki Iriafen’s second half performance Iriafen has been the Trojans’ second-leading scorer this season, but she only played seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. Going into intermission, she had racked up more fouls fouls (three) than points (two) to go along with two rebounds and three assists.
Despite USC having a 46-32 lead at the break, the Trojans were going to need all the star power they could get because UCLA has had some strong second-half performances this season. Iriafen stepped up when the team needed her the most and managed not to pick up another foul the rest of the way.
She finished the game with 17 points, on an efficient 8 of 13 from the field. She also contributed with nine rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Kiki Iriafen said she’ll do it all herself!!!
What a performance from her tonight. Big time to show up like this and learn from the first matchup pic.twitter.com/oDVLyk68Ul
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) March 2, 2025 Iriafen was not the only player who struggled to stay on the floor. Talia von Oelffen fouled out in the fourth quarter.
USC wins the turnover battle again The Bruins have one of the top 20 scoring offenses in the nation, and are top six in field-goal percentage. On Saturday, USC held UCLA to just 36% from the field. The second quarter was a particularly rough one for the Bruins as they had eight turnovers and just four field goals.
The Bruins average around 15 turnovers per game, but the USC defense gave them a lot of trouble. The Trojans picked up 25 points off the Bruins’ 16 turnovers. This wasn’t too surprising as a similar story in their previous meeting last month when USC scored 21 points off 20 UCLA turnovers.
UCLA coach Cori Close crumpled up the box score after the second loss to USC.
“It’s a very weird dichotomy… we have a team that’s lost two games all year and… we have a lot to be proud of. And at the same time, I’m really angry. We let each other down today.” pic.twitter.com/90VsR29zfu
— Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) March 2, 2025 During her postgame press conference, UCLA coach Cori Close talked about the disappointment of knowing her team can be the most efficient team in the Big Ten, but turnovers really hurt them.
“Just really pissed off we didn’t show up and do our jobs. Credit to USC — they were tougher,” Close said. “They were tougher, and did their jobs. We weren’t tough, and we didn’t do our jobs. We’re going to have to do some real hard looks in the mirror.”
