The good news for UConn is that the star sophomore guard Azzi Fudd, who has missed 22 total games this season because of knee injuries, is back in its lineup. Fudd was cleared to return just ahead of the conference tournament and scored 11 points in the title game. UConn will face 15th-seeded Vermont on Saturday.
“So many things have happened on and off the court this past season,” Auriemma said. “Personally and team-wise, everything, to get to this point, you want to just close that book and start a new brand-new one.”
On the other hand, Stanford is stumbling into the tournament, having lost two of its last three games. Its last loss came in the Pac-12 Conference tournament semifinals to U.C.L.A. It was the first time Stanford had not made the Pac-12 title game since 2016.
Still, Stanford, which won the national title in 2021, has the experience and talent to be one of the hardest teams to eliminate from the tournament, but late-season inconsistency makes them seem more vulnerable than they have been in years past.
“I don’t think we’re anywhere close to our ceiling,” guard Haley Jones said after the conference tournament loss. “So I think that if we’re able to get things together in these next few weeks and continue to play together and make adjustments, then…
