There are still months remaining in the women’s college basketball offseason, but a new campaign will be here before we know it. The first major sign that the 2025-26 season is fast approaching came this week when teams began releasing their nonconference schedules.
The reigning national champion UConn Huskies announced their nonconference matchups Friday. As expected, Geno Auriemma has lined up a number of marquee opponents for his squad ahead of, and during, what figures to once again be an uncompetitive Big East schedule.
UConn will hit the court for the first time Oct. 13 in an exhibition game against Boston College, and will begin regular season action Nov. 4 against Louisville. That game will be played at Ramstein Airbase in Germany as the Armed Forces Classic.
Six of the Huskies’ nonconference games will come against teams ranked in the top 25 of CBS Sports’ way-too-early power rankings, which came out in April after the conclusion of last season. And that does not include USC, which lost a lot of talent and will be without Juju Watkins, but could still be a top 25 team. However, UConn will not play any of the other main pre-season title contenders, such as South Carolina, UCLA, Texas or LSU.
Here’s a look at the Huskies’ full schedule:
- Oct 13 vs. Boston College (Exhibition) — Uncasville, CT
- Oct. 26 vs. South Connecticut State University (Exhibition) — TBA
- Nov. 4 vs. Louisville — Germany
- Nov. 9 vs. Florida State — Storrs, CT
- Nov. 12 vs. Loyola (IL) — TBA
- Nov. 16 vs. Ohio State — Hartford, CT
- Nov. 21 vs. Michigan (Basketball HOF Women’s Showcase) — Uncasville, CT
- Nov. 23 vs. Utah (Basketball HOF Women’s Showcase) — Uncasville, CT
- Dec. 3 at South Florida
- Dec. 13 at USC
- Dec. 20 vs. Iowa (Women’s Champions Classic) — Brooklyn, NY
- Jan. 19 vs. Notre Dame — Storrs, CT
- Feb. 1 vs. Tennessee — Hartford, CT
Now let’s take a closer look at the three most anticipated matchups:
Nov. 4 vs. Louisville
Since his arrival nearly two decades ago, Jeff Walz has turned Louisville into one of the most solid and consistent programs in the country. The Cardinals lost seven players from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, including two of their three leading scorers, Jayda Curry and Olivia Cochran, but made some nice moves in the transfer portal. Notably, Skylar Jones arrived from Arizona and Laura Ziegler made the leap from St. Joseph’s where she averaged a double-double.
The season opener will be a good test for both teams. Can UConn pick up where they left off without Paige Bueckers? And will this new-look Louisville group have what it takes to compete against the elite teams? We’ll soon find out. Plus, there will be extra intrigue with the game set to be played on an Air Force base.
Jan. 19 vs. Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish were ranked No. 1 in the country at one point last season before melting down in March. The bad times continued even after their Sweet 16 exit against TCU. There was a mass exodus from South Bend, as Sonia Citron, Maddy Westbeld and Liatu King went to the WNBA and Olivia Miles, Kate Koval and Kylee Watson all transferred. Coach Niele Ivey managed to do some work in the portal, and Naismith Player of the Year candidate Hannah Hidalgo remains, but there are all sorts of questions about this Notre Dame team heading into this season.
There’s a chance we get to mid-January and this matchup isn’t all that interesting because Notre Dame isn’t all that good. Even so, this is a game everyone will have circled. The two programs have built a real rivalry over the last decade or so, and Notre Dame has won the last three meetings. UConn will be eager to get some revenge.
Feb. 1 vs. Tennessee
UConn vs. Tennessee was once one of the best rivalries in all of sports, let alone women’s college basketball. But after Tennessee’s win over UConn in 2007, the two programs didn’t play each other again until 2020. By then, the Lady Vols were no longer on the Huskies’ level. It wasn’t until last year that the rivalry returned in any meaningful sense. Tennessee stunned UConn in Knoxville last February, handing the eventual national champions what would be their final loss of the season. Kim Caldwell, in her first season in charge of the Lady Vols, became the first Tennssee coach to beat UConn since Pat Summitt.
This season’s matchup should be excellent. The rivalry will return to Connecticut, though the game will be played in Hartford instead of in Storrs. Tennessee brought back three of its top-four leading scorers, and added Janiah Barker and Nya Robertson in the transfer portal. The Lady Vols hope to improve on last season’s Sweet 16 trip and have the talent do so. This could be one of the best games of the entire season.