The UConn women’s basketball team will face its usual slate of challenging opponents during non-conference play, including six teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25. From brand new series to long-standing rivalries, here are six matchups that stand out:
Nov. 4 vs. No. 20 Louisville, ESPN
UConn’s new-look roster faces a big test to open the season with a ranked matchup against Louisville on ESPN. The Huskies have historically dominated the series with a 20-3 record all-time against the Cardinals, but they’ve lost twice to Louisville since 2019. The Cardinals returned just one starter from 2024-25, but they picked up three transfers headlined by former star St. Joseph’s forward Laura Ziegler, and they have a strong young core after bringing in the No. 6-ranked recruiting class in 2024. This game was originally scheduled to be played at Ramstein Air Base in Germany as part of ESPN’s Armed Forces Classic, but will now take place at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
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Nov. 16 vs. Ohio State, Peacock
The new home-and-home series with Ohio State offers a revenge game for the Huskies’ upperclassmen. Four current players were on the team when the Buckeyes pulled off a stunning victory to eliminate them in the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. That loss ended a 14-year streak of Final Four appearances for the Huskies, and it remains their only exit before the Elite Eight since 2005. Ohio State is unranked in the preseason AP poll, but the team brings back two of its three leading scorers from last year and added former Boston College standout T’yana Todd from the transfer portal.
Dec. 13 at No. 18 USC, FOX
UConn’s trip to Los Angeles is by far the biggest road game on its schedule. The Huskies have eliminated the Trojans from the past two NCAA Tournaments in the Elite Eight, but USC won their regular-season meeting in Hartford last year. The absence of superstar JuJu Watkins due to an ACL tear takes some shine off of the marquee matchup, but USC still has plenty of talent. The Trojans added Jazzy Davidson, the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, and they signed a pair of key veteran transfers in Georgia Tech’s leading scorer Kara Dunn and UCLA point guard Londynn Jones.
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Dec. 20 vs. No. 21 Iowa, FOX
This matchup is another chance to heal an old wound for the reigning national champions. Iowa eliminated UConn in a heartbreaker from the 2024 Final Four, and though now-WNBA star Caitlin Clark is no longer on the roster, the Hawkeyes are still anchored by forward Hannah Stuelke who was the leading scorer in that game with 23 points. The Huskies haven’t lost a regular-season game against Iowa since 1990, and this year’s meeting comes with the extra stakes of a network TV audience and the Barclays Center crowd as part of the Women’s Champions Classic.
Jan. 19 vs. No. 15 Notre Dame, FOX
UConn has lost three straight meetings in the rivalry, and the last time Notre Dame came to Storrs in January 2024, it delivered UConn its first home loss in the series since 2013. This year’s matchup provides a perfect opportunity for revenge. After a late-season meltdown and early NCAA Tournament exit, the Irish lost almost their entire 2024-25 roster with three graduating seniors and four players entering the transfer portal. All-American Hannah Hidalgo is the only returning starter, but the junior guard does have a history of career performances against the Huskies.
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Feb. 1 vs. No. 8 Tennessee, FOX
UConn had dominated nearly every meeting since the historic rivalry was resurrected in 2020 after a 13-year drought, but Tennessee pulled off a huge upset last season when it beat the Huskies 80-76 in Knoxville for its first win in the series since 2007. The Lady Vols got even better in 2025-26, bringing in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country and a pair of big-name transfers in UCLA’s Janiah Barker and LSU’s Jersey Wolfenbarger. Tennessee will be battle-tested when it comes to Hartford in the middle of SEC play, and it could be the first top-10 meeting in the series since 2022.
Season schedule
Nov. 4: Louisville at U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., 5:30 p.m., ESPN
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Nov. 9: Florida State (GP), 4:30 p.m., FS1
Nov. 12: Loyola Chicago (GP), 7:30 p.m., truTV
Nov. 16: Ohio State (PBA), noon, Peacock
Nov. 21: Michigan (Mohegan Sun), 8 p.m., FOX
Nov. 23: Utah (Mohegan Sun), 2:30 p.m., FS1
Nov. 30: at Xavier, 2:30 p.m., FS1
Dec. 2: at South Florida, 5 p.m., ESPN2
Dec. 7: DePaul (GP), 1 p.m., FS1
Dec. 13: at USC, 5:30 p.m., FOX
Dec. 17: Marquette (PBA), 7 p.m., Peacock
Dec. 20: Iowa (Barclays Center), 1 p.m., FOX
Dec. 28: at Butler, 4 p.m., TNT/truTV
Dec. 31: at Providence, 3 p.m., Peacock
Jan. 3: Seton Hall (PBA), noon, FS1
Jan. 7: St. John’s (PBA), 7:30 p.m., truTV
Jan. 11: at Creighton, 2 p.m., truTV
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Jan. 15: Villanova (GP), 7 p.m., FS1
Jan. 19: Notre Dame (GP), 5 p.m., FOX
Jan. 22: at Georgetown, 7:30 p.m., TNT/truTV
Jan. 25: at Seton Hall, noon, Peacock
Jan. 28: Xavier (GP), 8 p.m., Peacock
Feb. 1: Tennessee (PBA), noon, FOX
Feb. 4: at DePaul, 8 p.m., truTV
Feb. 7: vs. Butler (PBA), noon, FS1
Feb. 11: Creighton (GP), 7 p.m., Peacock
Feb. 14: at Marquette, 1 p.m., FS1
Feb. 18: at Villanova, 7 p.m., Peacock
Feb. 22: Providence (GP), noon, FS1
Feb. 26: Georgetown (PBA), 7:30 p.m., TNT/truTV
March 1: at St. John’s, time TBA, TNT/truTV
