The Wooden Award race is heating up, and it’s already shaping up to be a dramatic showdown worthy of popcorn and courtside theatrics. Enter Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, two UConn stars whose talents could probably be seen from space. Both are gunning for the award that Caitlin Clark has kept under lock and key for two straight years, and if that’s not spicy enough, they’re also teammates. Who needs reality TV when women’s college basketball is serving up this kind of drama?
Paige’s Path to Glory: Been There, Done That, Ready for More
Let’s start with Paige Bueckers. If basketball awards had a Hall of Fame for “overachieving college athletes,” Paige’s name would already be etched in gold. She clinched the Wooden Award back in 2021 as a freshman. Yes, while most freshmen are struggling to find their classes, Paige was busy rewriting history books.
Fast forward to 2024, and Bueckers is back from a knee injury that sidelined her last season, ready to dominate like she never left. Her performance on opening night against Boston University was a nice little warm-up: 13 points, seven assists, and three rebounds. Sure, it wasn’t jaw-dropping, but when your team obliterates the competition by 54 points, you don’t need to be superhuman—just human enough to let the freshmen take a few shots.
Azzi Fudd: The Silent Assassin
Then there’s Azzi Fudd, the player who could be the quiet thorn in Paige’s side. If Bueckers is the team’s vocal leader, Fudd is the assassin lurking in the shadows, ready to steal the spotlight. Unfortunately, she sat out the opening game, but let’s not forget what she’s capable of. Azzi’s got a sniper’s precision, and when she’s on, defenses might as well start practicing their sad post-game speeches.
The Wooden Award Watch List features both Bueckers and Fudd, but let’s face it—only one can emerge victorious. Will Fudd let Bueckers hog all the glory, or will she add some fresh hardware to her own trophy shelf? Either way, UConn coach Geno Auriemma must be thrilled with this “friendly” competition, knowing he has not one but two serious contenders.
Caitlin Clark’s Shadow Looms Large
Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark is probably sitting in her new WNBA digs, sipping a celebratory smoothie and watching this saga unfold. Clark didn’t just win the Wooden Award; she won it twice, making it look like a routine errand. Bueckers and Fudd are now chasing history—and Clark’s ghost. If either of them wins in 2025, they’ll join UConn legends Breanna Stewart and Maya Moore as two-time recipients. No pressure, right?
Speaking of Stewart and Moore, their résumés are the stuff of legend. Stewart is a three-time WNBA champ, and Moore, a four-time champ, even got her jersey retired by the Minnesota Lynx. That’s the kind of elite company Bueckers and Fudd are trying to keep. Imagine the group chat: “Won another award today, how about you?”
Opening Night Mayhem: Huskies Devour Terriers
If you missed UConn’s season opener, here’s the summary: it was a massacre. The Huskies crushed Boston University 86-32, and honestly, the Terriers should demand an apology letter. By halftime, it was 60-13. Sixty. To thirteen. Even video game players would struggle to put up those numbers.
Paige casually stuffed the stat sheet, while the rest of the team played like they had something to prove—or maybe just felt bad for the fans who left early to beat traffic.
Final Thoughts: Let the Battle Begin
So, who will reign supreme? Will Paige Bueckers reclaim her throne, or will Azzi Fudd pull off the ultimate teammate betrayal by snatching the Wooden Award right from under her nose? Either way, one thing’s for sure: the 2024-25 season is going to be a wild ride.
Grab your popcorn, folks. The Wooden Award drama is just getting started.
