A date has been set for Lady Vols basketball’s road matchup with UConn, its longtime rival and the reigning national champion.
Tennessee will travel to face the Huskies on Feb. 1, 2026 at PeoplesBank Arena, which was formerly known as the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The last time the Lady Vols played at UConn, they played in the same arena.
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The road matchup is the second of a two-game home-and-home series with UConn. Tennessee beat the Huskies 80-76 last season in Knoxville, notching its first win over UConn since 2007 in Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell’s first season.
That would be the Huskies last loss of the season, though, going on to win the program’s 12th NCAA title. UConn lost three players to graduation. That included star guard Paige Bueckers, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. UConn also lost Aubrey Griffin and Kaitlyn Chen, who is also playing in the WNBA.
The Huskies return senior star Azzi Fudd, who won Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and freshman phenom Sarah Strong. They also brought in Wisconsin transfer forward Serah Williams, who was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal this offseason.
UConn leads the series 17-10, winning the first four matchups after the historic rivalry was renewed ahead of the 2019-20 season. The teams did not face off during the 2023-24 season due to scheduling conflicts.
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Before the series was renewed, the two teams hadn’t played since 2007. Tennessee won the final three matchups of the series before legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt canceled it.
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The matchup with UConn is the sixth nonconference game on the schedule for the 2025-26 season. The Lady Vols will open the season against NC State on Nov. 4 in Greensboro, North Carolina and travel to Murfreesboro on Nov. 20 to play MTSU.
Tennessee also has a trip to the West Coast with a game at UCLA on Nov. 30 and a game at Stanford on Dec. 3 in the ACC/SEC Challenge. UT will then return to the Women’s Champions Classic in Brooklyn, New York, where it will face Louisville on Dec. 20.
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Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols basketball schedule: UConn announces date for road matchup
