"I hope I'm right": Geno Auriemma sure on Azzi Fudd escaping "worst case scenario" after injury scare vs. Louisville

UConn coach Geno Auriemma addressed Azzi Fudd's injury scare with media after the senior went down in the third quarter against Louisville on Saturday. Fudd went back to the locker room and appeared to be in some pain, but Auriemma is optimistic it's not serious.

"We'll know more when we get back. I hope I'm right — but it's not that worst-case scenario that we've seen so many times before," he said."

He also spoke about the play in which Fudd hit the floor.

"Kind of like she got herself in an awkward situation," he said. "Somebody fell on her, something. So, she was walking around. She was fine. It didn't look like a worst-case scenario, let's put it that way. That we were all crossing our fingers and hoping."

Azzi Fudd injury scare a nervous moment for fans

The moment carried significant weight as Azzi Fudd had only recently made her comeback after spending a year sidelined due to a torn ACL in November 2023. For UConn fans, watching her go down again was a nerve-wracking sight.

The star guard returned to the court soon after going down and appeared to be in good spirits while on the sideline, although she didn't check back into the game. Auriemma greeted her on the sidelines with a warm embrace, both of them sharing a smile.

Despite the injury scare, the No. 2 Huskies secured a commanding 85-52 win over the No. 22 Louisville Cardinals during the Women's Champions Classic in Brooklyn, New York.

Although Huskies superstar Paige Bueckers had an underwhelming offensive outing, UConn capitalized on its depth and dominated the frontcourt, with freshman Sarah Strong playing a key role.

Despite her early departure, Azzi Fudd also produced a solid performance, finishing with 18 points on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. She's averaging 10.0 points per game on 50.0% shooting this season.

The Huskies next travel to Indiana to go up against Hannah Hidalgo and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday.