Huskies Announce Women’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule

The UConn women will be playing 13 games against non-conference
opponents this season.

STORRS - The University of Connecticut women’s basketball will play 13 games against non-conference opponents this season, including seven games against teams that advanced to the NCAA Regionals last season.

In what may very well turn out to be a twist of irony, the Huskies will open the 2017-18 campaign on Sun., Nov. 12, vs. Stanford as part of the Countdown to Columbus event at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio—the site of the 2018 Final Four.  The season-opening spectacular will include a Louisville-Ohio State match-up.  Stanford finished the 2016-17 season with a 32-6 record, and tied for second in the Pac 12 with a 15-3 mark.  The Cardinal advanced to the Final Four, and finished the season ranked 6/4 nationally.  

The Huskies' 2017-18 campaign will open vs. Stanford in Columbus, Ohio.

This year’s home opener will feature a match-up against the University of California on Fri., Nov. 17. The Bears finished a 20-14 record last season, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Maryland rounds out a challenging opening weekend at home for the Huskies on Sun., Nov. 19. The Terps finished last year ranked No. 4/8, winning the Big 10 regular season and tournament championships en route to a 32-3 record.  UConn is 6-0 all-time against Maryland, and looked to be on a 2017 NCAA Tournament collision course with the third-seeded Terps before they bowed out to Oregon, the tourney’s No. 7 seed, in the NCAA Regional semifinals.

Then it’s “Go West, Young Huskies,” as Connecticut heads to sunny Los Angeles for a match-up with UCLA on Tues., Nov. 21.  The Bruins had a 25-9 overall record last season, including a 13-5 mark in the Pac 12.  UCLA finished the year ranked 15/13 nationally and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Regional semifinals before eventually succumbing to UConn in Bridgeport.

The Huskies will remain “road warriors” over the Thanksgiving holiday, squaring-off against Michigan State on Sat., Nov. 25 in Eugene, Ore., as part of a doubleheader at Matthew Knight Arena on the University of Oregon campus.  The event, entitled “NIKE/PK 80” is being held in honor of NIKE founder Phil Knight’s 80th  birthday.  The Spartans were 21-12 last season, earning a bid to The Dance before bowing to Arizona State in the first round.

Gabby Williams will get a chance to play before her
hometown fans when the Huskies travel to the
University of Nevada on Nov. 28.

The West Coast swing is capped with a homecoming game for Gabby Williams against the University of Nevada on Tues., Nov. 28.  Williams hails from Sparks, Nev.—a 10-minute drive from campus.  The Wolfpack finished last season with an 11-19 overall record and were 5-13 in Mountain West Conference play.

The annual contest against Notre Dame—one of the most anticipated games of the regular season—is scheduled for Sun., Dec. 3. The Huskies have won 35 of the 46 games in the series, including the last six showdowns.  The Irish finished the 2016-17 campaign ranked No. 2/5 nationally with a 33-4 overall record, winning the ACC regular season and tournament championships before advancing to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament.  

Then it’s on to the Windy City where UConn will square-off against another former Big East rival, DePaul, on Fri., Dec. 8.  The Blue Demons finished the 2016-17 season with a 27-8 overall record and finished the season ranked No. 19/18, advancing to the second round of the NCAAs.

The Huskies will then return to the Nutmeg State for a matchup against Oklahoma on Tues., Dec. 19, in the Naismith Hall of Fame Women’s Holiday Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.  The Sooners, who were 23-10, 13-5 last season, finished the campaign ranked No. 23/21 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  UConn and OU have played 10 times since 1999, with the Huskies going a perfect 10-0 in those contests.

Next up for Connecticut is a homecoming game for Hamilton, Ontario native Kia Nurse vs. Duquesne in Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Center (formerly known as Maple Leaf Gardens).  The Dukes, who UConn defeated in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, finished the season with an 18-16 overall record and an 8-8 mark in the Atlantic 10.

The Huskies will square-off against Texas in Austin, Tex., on Mon., Jan. 15, marking the first time UConn will have played on Martin Luther King Day since 2013.  The Longhorns finished last season ranked No. 14 nationally (25-9, 15-3), and advanced to the regional semifinals.

No season would be complete without a game vs. Louisville.
This year, the Huskies will play the Cardinals on Feb. 12

The penultimate non-conference game of the 2017-18 campaign will be against defending national champion South Carolina on Thurs., Feb. 1 in Columbia, S.C.  The Huskies and Gamecocks are no strangers, as Connecticut captured its 100th consecutive win against the South Carolina on Feb. 13 last season, before eventually extending that record streak to 111-straight victories.  The Gamecock’s national title was their first, and they finished the 2016-17 season with a 33-4 overall record. 

The final piece of the non-conference schedule will be a match-up with traditional rival Louisville, who Connecticut met for the national championship in both 2009 and 2013. The Huskies have not met the Cardinals, who finished last season ranked No. 12/13, since the 2014 American Athletic Conference Championship final. That game saw Connecticut improve its all-time record against Louisville to 16-1. The Cardinals finished the 2016-17 campaign with a 29-8 overall record, and advanced to the NCAA Regional semifinals. This year’s game vs. the Cardinals will be played on Mon., Feb. 12.

The new 16-game American schedule format features home-and-home contests against East Carolina, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, and USF. The Huskies will play one game on the road vs. UCF and Cincinnati, and will play Houston and Memphis at home only. The fourth annual American Athletic Conference Tournament will be held on March 3-6 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.

Unlisted game times and television information will be announced at a later date.

Key Husky Non-Conference Schedule Notes:

• 13 total games
• Four home games
• Five away games
• Four game at a neutral site
• 11 games against 2017 NCAA Tournament teams
• Seven games against teams that advanced to the 2017 NCAA regional semifinal
• Two games against teams that advanced to the 2017 NCAA regional final
• Seven games against teams rated in the Top-17 of the final 2017 RPI
• 10 games against teams rated in the Top-42 of the final 2017 RPI
• Six games against teams ranked in the Top-15 of the final 2017 AP Poll
• Eight games against teams ranked in the Top-25 of the final 2017 AP Poll
• Two games against teams ranked in the Top-three of the final 2017 AP Poll
• Five games against teams that won either conference regular-season or tournament title
• Eight games televised nationally, including four on ESPN

—Staff Reports