UConn announces game with Louisville, non-league slate
UConn women’s basketball’s on-again, off-again dance with Louisville is back on. Officially.
The Huskies unveiled a majority of their non-conference schedule Friday night, including a matchup with the fellow powerhouse Cardinals on Dec. 4 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
UConn will also take on South Carolina, the presumptive preseason favorite, at home, and Baylor and Tennessee on the road. Additionally, the Huskies will play Quinnipiac and either Mississippi State or Maine on Nov. 28-29 in the Hall of Fame Challenge at Mohegan.
Even with the announcement, the Huskies have room to add one more nonleague game. Dayton and Virginia, two previously scheduled opponents, will either be moved to a future season or canceled. However, the Huskies remain in discussions with Maryland and Little Rock, according to a school spokesperson.
The Huskies will also play 20 Big East games, though the conference has yet to release its schedule.
Louisville was a late addition after Notre Dame had to postpone its matchup with the Huskies to restructure its schedule due to COVID-19. Cardinals coach Jeff Walz said in May that plans to face the Huskies at the Barclays Center in New York had been scrapped due to concerns over lack of attendance and travel amid the pandemic.
However, as Hearst Connecticut Media reported on Thursday, ESPN pushed for the Huskies and Cardinals to restart discussions.
UConn is 17-2 all-time
against Louisville, including 2-0 in national championship games. The Huskies won the most recent meeting 80-72 in the 2019 Elite Eight in Albany, N.Y.
Rankings have not been released yet, but most of the Huskies’ non-conference opponents figure to be among the Top 25. For some perspective, South Carolina (1), Baylor (3), Louisville (5) and Mississippi State (6) all landed in the Top 10 of ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings, released last month. UConn was 4 and Maryland, another potential opponent, was 12.
UConn will play all its home games on campus at Gampel Pavilion this season. However, it’s unclear whether fans will be allowed to attend. Dates and times for the season will be released at a later date, as well as details on fan access and seating capacity.