Given the manner in which she shot 3-point field goals Sunday, like the simplicity involved was akin to breathing, the temptation currently is to name freshman Azzi Fudd as the most coveted asset of the UConn women's basketball team.

There's something else the eighth-ranked Huskies have, though — they were elevated from the No. 10 spot after the Sunday demolishing of then-No. 7 Tennessee — that coach Geno Auriemma very much appreciates.

Options.

"I think they've tried to stay pretty positive throughout all this," said Auriemma, whose team has suffered through injuries, bouts with COVID and oddities such as its plane-ride home from Creighton last week taking a detour to Albany. "It's been obviously very challenging and they've had to roll with it in a lot of different ways. And there was a time, I think, when it was 'Are we ever gonna see the other side of this?'

"But with each person that came back, the feeling just got better and better and (Sunday) was probably the best where everyone ... if we can get accomplished what we got accomplished today knowing that Caroline (Ducharme) and Paige (Bueckers) weren't there to play, I think that's a lot of confidence going forward."

UConn (15-4 overall, 9-0 Big East) takes on Villanova (15-6, 9-3) on Wednesday (7 p.m., SNY) at the XL Center (SNY).

Bueckers, the 2021 national player of the year, was injured on Dec. 5, suffering a left tibial plateau fracture and undergoing surgery. Auriemma said she's recovering on schedule and moving around at times without the brace on her left knee.

In addition, the Huskies lost junior Aubrey Griffin for the season (back) and have missed Nika Muhl (right foot), Fudd (right foot), Christyn Williams (COVID), Dorka Juhasz (right foot) and Ducharme (head) at various times. Only seniors Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Evina Westbrook and sophomore Aaliyah Edwards have played in all 19 games.

On Sunday, there were contributions across the board.

Fudd finished with a career-high 25 points, shooting 7-for-9 from 3-point range, and Edwards and Westbrook had 14 points each. Nelson-Ododa blocked three shots and Muhl had five assists and brought a brand of toughness Auriemma so admires.

UConn toppled Tennessee 75-56, tying the top rebounding team in the nation on the boards at 38-all.

"I feel like when anything is just kind of thrown at us, because of everything we've been through, it's kind of like, 'OK.' We're just used to adjusting," Westbrook said. "It's kind of just second nature to us to adjust. It's kind of weird thinking of everyone being back because we haven't had that since the Bahamas maybe (Nov. 20-22). But we're definitely excited and we're going to get there."

"It's going to be really scary and scary for our opponents," Fudd said. "Because we're going to be a nasty team with everyone healthy."

Auriemma explained last week that the nuances of having more players allows the Huskies to play more pressure defense for longer spurts and, with more reliable shooters from the outside, it takes the pressure off Nelson-Ododa inside.

He said it could be a problem if everyone returning wanted to play the same number of minutes and take the same number of shots, but that's not the case.

"If that was the case I'd be a little bit, 'Oh, man, this is going to be a real chore to figure this out,'" Auriemma said. "Paige is the kind of kid where if we do get her back sooner rather than later, she doesn't care if she takes any shots. So that's one more distributor, one more smart decision-maker, one more good defender.

"Caroline will just keep being Caroline. She's found her niche; she's found her role. And then you can kind of play it by ear every game. If somebody's got it going, let's go with them. Like Azzi today. Another day it might be somebody else. ... We could be a good team in March."

v.fulkerson@theday.com