When March Madness begins, the UConn women’s basketball team will be battle tested.
The Huskies will be several weeks removed from their last NCAA Tournament-caliber test, but if they can hold their position near the top of the sport through their early slate of high-level nonconference opponents, they will be well positioned for the seeding they want and challenges to come.
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UConn will be pursuing its 13th national championship in this, Geno Auriemma’s 42nd year as head coach. They will be well-stocked with the talent to do it, including Sarah Strong, the national player of the year, and others who knew what it took to the the 12th title in 2025, including KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade, Jana El Alfy. Blanca Quinonez is back for a second year, and is joined by a several experienced international players that are expected to make immediate impacts.
Circle you calendars: Rematch with South Carolina headlines strong UConn women’s basketball schedule
The issue, though, is the lack of challenge posed by conference opponents. The program has won more national championships (five) than it has lost conference games (three) since 2012. They have swept the Big East, regular season and tournament, each of the last three seasons and there is no end to that dominance on the horizon. So Auriemma and his staff have scheduled a list of power-conference opponents and traditional national powers for November and December.
The schedule is so strong, in fact, we reluctantly left a game at Louisville in mid-November off our list. Put the Cardinals at No. 11. Here we have ranked the 10 biggest and most consequential games on the schedule:
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10. Nov. 12 at Ohio State
This game falls amidst a brutal 10-day stretch, with games at Michigan, home vs. Iowa, then at Ohio State and then Louisville. It will test the Huskies’ physical and mental stamina in a way it won’t be tested again until deep in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State is the only program to beat UConn before the Final Four, knocking them out in the Sweet 16 in 2023. That figures to be brought up before this game.
9. Jan. 24 at St. John’s (Madison Square Garden)
The lone conference game we’re including because in this case, the stage is the star. UConn does not often get to bring its brand to “The Mecca” of basketball, which should change in the future. The NCAA should consider a Final Four there, actually. So it will be an interesting night.
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8. Dec. 5 vs. Maryland (Barclays Center, Brooklyn)
The Huskies get to play again in an NBA Arena, against a Big Ten team with a rich history. Based on past appearances in the Women’s Championship Classic, it will be a full house, and mostly UConn fans.
7. Nov. 8 vs. Iowa (Gampel Pavilion)
Iowa, of course, is not the force it was during the Caitlin Clark era, but as the Hawkeyes try to get back into the national spotlight, they’ve been scheduling games against UConn. The Huskies won a blowout in Brooklyn last season.
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6. Nov. 28 vs., Duke (TD Garden, Boston)
Like the UConn men, the women’s team is now set to showcase itself at “Storrs North.” Duke, resurgent under Kara Lawson, the former Connecticut Sun star and recent coach of the gold medal winners at the World Cup, will bring a competitive team and that UConn-Duke thing, regardless of the sport, creates a buzz.
5. Dec. 12 vs. Tennessee (PeoplesBank Arena)
The UConn-Tennessee rivalry may not have the fire it once did, but it’s still Tennessee, still Rocky Top, still the place where Pat Summitt built one of the first dynasties in the sport. So this is probably UConn’s biggest home game, and it will draw a national audience.
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4. Dec. 20 vs. LSU (Nashville)
Another big time coaching rivalry with Kim Mulkey, who, whether at Baylor or LSU, is always assembling championship contenders. The Huskies are playing at several neutral sites, giving them a chance to keep their brand strong coast to coast, so the Nashville crowd should get a treat in the ESPNW Invitational.
3. Dec. 9 at Notre Dame (South Bend)
Before South Carolina’s rise to prominence, Notre Dame was the school that threatened UConn’s dynasty, getting the better of the Huskies quite a few times. More recently, Hannah Hidalgo has been a thorn in the Huskies’ sides, though UConn got past ND in the Elite Eight last March. Beating Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish will be bear of a task in Purcell Pavilion.
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2. Nov. 5 at Michigan (Ann Arbor)
Last November, the Wolverines came to Mohegan Sun and gave UConn its toughest test before March, raining threes to nearly overcome an early huge Huskies lead. Syla Swords hit most of those threes, and she’ll be back for the rematch at Michigan.
1. Nov. 24 vs. South Carolina (Mohegan Sun)
Well, here is one list where there should be no debate about No.1. South Carolina has become the Huskies’ fiercest rival for national prominence, they have played 17 times since 2007 and nearly always at the Final Four, or in top-five regular-season matchup. This game, at the Hall of Fame Showcase, will bring droves of national media to revisit the Auriemma-Dawn Staley argument from the last Final Four, when South Carolina swamped the Huskies and ended hope for another title and undefeated season. Both will be at the top of the rankings when the season starts. It’s going to be a heavyweight fight on every level.
