Once again, the UConn Huskies are cutting no corners with an incredibly arduous non-conference schedule

UConn women’s basketball announced their non-conference schedule Monday morning, starting some early conversations about which teams could take down the Huskies before they likely undefeated, yet again, in in-conference Big East play.

Per usual, UConn didn’t skimp on their schedule.

The Huskies’ trek begins in early October with three exhibition games: against Syracuse in the Hall of Fame Series (Oct. 12), against Texas (Oct. 19) and against Army (Oct. 25). All three exhibitions will be in Connecticut, with the Syracuse game being played at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville and the other two in Storrs.

When the calendar flips to November and the regular season begins, head coach Geno Auriemma will let his squad warm up against Cornell (Nov. 2) before taking their first road trip to Michigan (Nov. 5), who are fresh off their first Elite 8 trip since 2022 and are returning all five of their leading scorers. The Wolverines will be hungry to prove themselves a Final Four contender, and will be an early challenge for the Huskies.

From there, UConn will play perennial contender Iowa at home (Nov. 8), then Ohio State (Nov. 12) and Louisville (Nov. 15) on the road. Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge is campaigning for an All-American First Team placement after finding herself on the Second Team as a sophomore, despite averaging 23.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Upset in the second round of this past NCAA Tournament by Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame (another UConn non-conference opponent), they too will be looking for a statement win.

On November 24th, we’ll see the rematch we’ve all been waiting for: South Carolina (Nov. 24).

The game, part of the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase, will be played at Mohegan Sun, and will likely be teeming with intensity after the fireworks that erupted at the end of the 2026 Final Four matchup, where harsh words and harsher feelings ensued between Auriemma and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.

Both teams could very well enter Mohegan Sun undefeated, but only one team can leave with that same claim. The basketball world will have their eyes on Connecticut in late November.

Just four days after playing South Carolina, UConn will host Duke in TD Garden in Boston (Nov. 24). Head coach Kara Lawson has been building something special at Duke, and added the fourth-ranked recruiting class, per ESPN, this offseason. Two top-20 recruits and two more top-50 recruits are coming to Durham, headlined by top point guard recruit Autumn Fleary.

Although we won’t know how much Lawson’s youth will contribute, I coached Fleary this past year in her final high school season and I had to give her a shoutout. Some more firepower will always be welcomed for Duke, and freshman contributions could easily elevate a team that lost two of their top three scorers to graduation.

When December begins, UConn will get a quick break against UNLV (Dec. 2) before finding themselves in another March Madness-esque stretch of games. After facing Maryland at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (Dec. 5) and heading to South Bend to play Notre Dame (Dec. 9), the Huskies will host Tennessee (Dec. 12) and, finally, meet LSU in Nashville as part of the espnW Invitational (Dec. 20).

Maryland and Tennessee have been up-and-down in recent years, and it’s hard to judge whether or not they can present a credible challenge to Sarah Strong and the Huskies. My gut tells me no, especially a Tennessee team that has seen significant roster turnover.

Notre Dame and LSU, however, will absolutely have enough firepower to give UConn a scare—at the very least. The Fighting Irish struggled to keep up with UConn last season, although they certainly did better in the NCAA Tournament than in non-conference play, but they too added a top-five recruiting class and two solid transfers. Hidalgo will still be the centerpiece of the Irish on both sides of the court, but they hope to have more help around her compared to last season.

LSU will give UConn one last challenge before they sink into the mediocrity of Big East play, and head coach Kim Mulkey will finally face Auriemma for the first time since taking over in Baton Rouge.

LSU hasn’t played UConn in 10 years—and hasn’t beat them in 19 years. While the Tigers lost two starters, Mulkey added some intriguing international talent in 6-foot-3 Spanish forward Noa Morro and 6-foot-5 Russian center Anna Minaeva. With MiLaysia Fulwiley and Mikaylah Williams at the top of their game, LSU could be a real candidate to upset the Huskies in their final non-conference game.

In the comments, predict UConn’s non-conference record. Can they again go undefeated against elite competition? Or, do you expect them to get tripped up a time or two? And, which game are you most excited about it?