– UConn and South Carolina renew their storied rivalry as Hall of Famers Auriemma and Staley lead their teams into the 2026 Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase –
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced that perennial powerhouses UConn and South Carolina, winners of eight of the last 12 national championships, will headline the 13th annual Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on November 24, 2026, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The matchup features two Hall of Fame head coaches (Geno Auriemma of UConn and Dawn Staley of South Carolina) and marks a rematch of the 2025 NCAA Championship Game, where the Huskies defeated the Gamecocks in Tampa to capture their 12th national title.
“Coach Auriemma and Coach Staley have not only built championship programs but have also helped elevate women’s basketball to new heights,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “Having two Hall of Famers leading their teams in this marquee matchup perfectly represents our mission to honor the past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future of basketball.”
Tickets for the 2026 Women’s Showcase will go on sale next September.
“Our longstanding relationships with both the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and UConn have brought countless unforgettable moments to Mohegan Sun Arena, and that tradition continues next fall with a marquee matchup between UConn and South Carolina, two of the powerhouse programs in all of women’s college basketball,” said Jeff Hamilton, President & GM of Mohegan Sun.
Additional Women’s Showcase matchups, game times, broadcast and credential information will be announced at a later date. For more information, please visit hoophall.com.
About Mohegan Sun Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena, one of the busiest sports and entertainment venues in the world today, was awarded the 2024 Newsweek Readers’ Choice award for “Best Casino with Live Entertainment in America”. Mohegan Sun Arena was also named “Best Casino/Resort Venue of the Year” at the 35th Annual Pollstar Awards. In 2021, the 10,000-seat Arena also received its first “#1 Indoor Arena” ranking for its size in the world from Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena is consistently recognized among the top five venues in the United States, and also in 2021 was named “Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency during the pandemic. In recent years, the “Most Beloved Venue in America” has also been named the “World’s Best Casino Venue,” by Best of Hartford Magazine, and is a seven-time national award winner for “Arena of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music Awards and G2E Las Vegas. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 150 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallU.
