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BIG EAST WBB Minute: Four Teams Prep for Tournament Action

Fudd, Strong Named AP First Team All-Americans
UConn’s duo of Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong earned AP All-America First Team honors, announced Wednesday. They were also named USBWA First Team All-Americans earlier in the week. Sarah Strong, the BIG EAST Player and Defensive Player, leads the Huskies, averaging 18.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. Strong was also named National Player of the Year by ESPN and The Athletic. She is a finalist for the 2026 Wade Trophy and the McClain Award, along with being listed on the Wooden Award National Ballot. Fudd, the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year, is averaging a career-high 17.7 points on a .489/.446/.951 shooting split. Fudd is an AAU Sullivan Award finalist, a Myers Drysdale Award finalist, and is on the Wooden Award Ballot.

Huskies in the NCAA Tournament
* UConn will serve as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face No. 16 seed UTSA in the Fort Worth Regional 1 on Saturday in Storrs, Conn. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on ABC. 
* This is the 15th time the Huskies have been selected as the overall No. 1 seed, and the first time since 2018. * The team will compete in its 37th-straight NCAA Tournament, entering undefeated for the 10th time in program history. 
* UConn has advanced to 24 NCAA Final Fours. 
* The Huskies have won a record 12 National Championships and are 142-24 all-time in the Tournament.

Nova in the NCAA Tournament
* Villanova earned the No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament Sacramento Regional 2 and will face No. 7 Texas Tech on Friday, March 20, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU in Baton Rouge, La. 
* It marks the 22nd time in the last 25 seasons that the Wildcats are advancing to national postseason play. 
* It’s the team’s first appearance since the 2023 season, when the Wildcats reached the Sweet 16.
* The team received its third NCAA bid under head coach Denise Dillon. 
* Jasmine Bascoe leads the Wildcats, averaging 18.8 points and 4.8 assists. Bascoe (first team), Brynn McCurry (second team) and Kennedy Henry (defensive/freshman) all received league honors for Villanova. 

St. John’s, Seton Hall in the WBIT
Seton Hall will welcome No. 4 Missouri, while St. John’s will take a short trip to No. 4 Columbia in the first round. All first-round games are slated for Thursday, March 19, on ESPN+. Seton Hall is coming off a 62-48 loss to Villanova in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals. The Pirates are 1-2 in the WBIT, while St. John’s will make its second appearance in the event. In the tournament's inaugural season in 2024, St. John's defeated Florida, 79-60, on March 21 behind a 37-point performance from Unique Drake before falling in the WBIT Second Round at Toledo, 72-71. Meanwhile, the Pirates are the only team in the country to participate in all three tournaments, defeating Quinnipiac last season.