The name of the game for the UConn women’s basketball this year is “perspective,” head coach Geno Auriemma emphasized this past Saturday.
“The expectation is we should win every time we’re there, and unfortunately, you get to realize as you get older, no, you shouldn’t.” Auriemma said to the media. “And then when you do, it’s amazing.”
The Huskies are coming off a devasting 62-48 loss over the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four. The Huskies entered the Final Four in Phoenix. With a 38-0 record, many thought they would win back-to-back National Championships.
Players on the Huskies’ squad, like Sarah Strong, enter this season with a chip on their shoulder as they look to earn a ticket back to the Final Four.
To get there though, they will be put through some tests in the regular season first. Unlike last season, the Huskies have a front-loaded nonconference schedule.
Here’s a glimpse into some of the nonconference opponents they are set to face:
Michigan (Nov. 5)
For the second game of the season, the Huskies will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. for the first time to take on the Michigan Wolverines at the Crisler Center.
The last time these squads faced off against one another was last November in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase. The matchup went down to the wire, with UConn eventually taking the win, 72-69. A 31-point night for Azzi Fudd and 20-rebound night for Strong solidified the win, but it took a few hurdles to get there.
The Huskies had to fare through a second half surge from the Wolverines and only scoring four points in the third quarter. The main anchor for the Wolverines in this matchup was guard Syla Swords, who played the full 40 minutes on the hardwood, racking up 29 points. As the clock started to dwindle down, Swords cut their deficit by nailing shots from beyond the arc.
Alongside Swords, shutting down Olivia Olson was also a tough task for the Huskies. As a sophomore last season, she averaged 18.9 points per game and racked up a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Connecticut.
Lat year, Auriemma said to the media that this Michigan was one of the hardest programs he’s had to face early in the season. Now, as Swords enters her junior season and the Huskies look to iron out kinks with some of their newer players, it’s looking like history will repeat itself.
Iowa (Nov. 8)
After facing the Iowa Hawkeyes last December in the Women’s Champions Classic, UConn will take on Jan Jensen and Iowa again in Storrs this November.
This game will mark the first time the Huskies will play in Gampel Pavilion for the regular season. Last December, when these two squads went head-to-head, the Huskies defeated the Hawkeyes 90-64.
On the Hawkeyes squad this time around, the Huskies will have to look out for junior Ava Heiden, who led the squad with an average of 18 points per game last year. As a center, standing at 6-foot-4, Heiden will be a force the Huskies will need to reckon with in the paint.
With the advantage of the home crowd in Storrs and Azzi Fudd getting inducted into the Huskies of Honor, this matchup will be one fans won’t want to miss.
South Carolina (Nov. 24)
As one of the most highly anticipated matchups this season, UConn and South Carolina will face off again this November. The rivalry between these two squads will soon be renewed.
That 62-48 loss in the Final Four in Arizona took a toll on the Huskies, and now they’ll have a chance for a rematch in front of a crowd in their home state.
Florida State transfer Ta’Niya Latson led the Gamecocks in this matchup with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Gamecocks will be without Latson this year; she graduated this past spring and was drafted 20th overall by the Las Vegas Aces.
Once again, the Huskies will have to face off against Tessa Johnson and Chloe Kitts, who are entering their senior and graduate years, respectively. Kitts missed her entire 2025-26 season due to an ACL tear but is cleared to go for her Graduate year.
With the Gamecock’s size and skill, especially down low, defeating them will be a tall task to complete before the Huskies enter their Thanksgiving break.
LSU (Dec. 20)
The Huskies will return to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. this December — a familiar location for UConn. Connecticut will touch the court at Bridgestone for the first time since they defeated Notre Dame, taking their ninth National Championship back to Storrs in 2014. Now, 12 years later, they will take on Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers for the ESPNW Invitational.
UConn holds an 8-1 record against the Tigers; the last time these two squads faced off was in 2016. On LSU’s squad, the Huskies should look out for senior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, who transferred to the Tigers from South Carolina.
In her three years as a Gamecock, Fulwiley averaged 12.6 points and 3.1 rebounds a game off the bench. As the last nonconference game of 2026, LSU’s high-octane backcourt, especially around the perimeter, will be a good test for UConn before they start their Christmas break.
Kicking off the season with these star-studded matchups will make for a great test for Auriemma’s Huskies as they begin their quest for their 13th National Championship.