To the surprise of many, UConn Huskies star Azzi Fudd has missed out on a preseason honor ahead of the 2025-26 college basketball campaign. On Tuesday, Oct. 21, UConn reporter Maggie Vanoni reported on X/Twitter that the 2025-26 AP preseason All-America team has been released. Vanoni mentioned that Fudd narrowly missed out.
The honor of being All-American was given to Fudd’s teammate, sophomore Sarah Strong, Notre Dame Fighting Irish sensation Hannah Hidalgo, UCLA Bruins stalwart Lauren Betts, Texas Longhorns standout Madison Booker, and South Carolina Gamecocks guard Ta’Niya Latson. Vanoni added that Fudd was the next highest vote-getter, just outside the top five.
News: UConn women’s basketball sophomore Sarah Strong is a preseason AP All-American
She joins Hannah Hidalgo, Lauren Betts, Madison Booker and Ta’Niya Latson on the All-American Team
Graduate guard Azzi Fudd was the top other vote getter with 11 votes
— Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) October 21, 2025
Nevertheless, Fudd, Strong, and the rest of coach Geno Auriemma’s Huskies’ focus remains on defending their national championship. They won their program’s 12th national championship and first since 2016, when they beat the South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 in this year’s national title game.
Fudd was named the 2025 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player (MOP) for her efforts. In the winner-take-all game, she put up 24 points on 9-of-17 overall shooting, five rebounds, one assist, and three steals in 38 minutes. The Arlington, Virginia, native now enters her fifth and final year of college hoops eligibility and is slated to be a top pick come the 2026 WNBA Draft.
The likes of Hidalgo’s Fighting Irish, Betts’ Bruins, Latson’s Gamecocks, and Booker’s Longhorns are all in position to challenge Fudd, Strong, and the rest of the Huskies for the 2026 NCAA championship.
Read More: “Can’t Take This Ranking Serious at All”: Fans in Disagreement as Azzi Fudd Loses Out to Lauren Betts, Awa Fam, Olivia Miles in 2026 WNBA Mock Draft
Azzi Fudd Misses Out On Being An AP Preseason All-American By Three Votes
In an article by Carter Bahns, published on CBS Sports, a chart of the votes was shown for the 2025-26 AP preseason All-America team. It was revealed that Azzi Fudd missed out on the nod by a mere three votes, as she received a total of 11 votes while Ta’Niya Latson got 14.
Lauren Betts and Hannah Hidalgo were tied for the top spot with 29 votes apiece, as Sarah Strong had 28.
Apart from Fudd, the next top vote-getters were TCU Horned Frogs transferee Olivia Miles (10), LSU Tigers veteran Flau’jae Johnson (4), and Vanderbilt Commodores spitfire scorer Mikayla Blakes (3).
Also Read: Lauren Betts Drops 1-Word Reaction As UCLA Star Gets Early Nod For Big Ten Player Of The Year Award
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