Three nonleague games confirmed

Three more dates for the UConn women’s basketball team’s 2017-18 non-conference schedule have been confirmed.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that UConn and Oklahoma will play in the fourth annual Hall of Fame Women’s Holiday Showcase on Dec. 19 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

The game will be the start of a four-year, home-and-home series between the teams with the Sooners also coming to Connecticut for the 2019-20 season while the Huskies will travel to Oklahoma for games during the 201819 and 2020-21 seasons.

The teams have met 10 times with the first game set up during the 1999-2000 to serve as homecoming games for Oklahoma natives Stacy Hansmeyer and Paige Sauer. UConn has won every game in the series, including a showdown in the 2002 national championship game. UCONN » PAGE 3

DePaul announced that it will host UConn on Dec. 8 in one of six games the Blue Demons will play during the 2017-18 season at Wintrust Arena, which is set to open in the fall. The teams have played 14 times since 2006 with the Huskies winning every game.

Texas released its nonconference schedule on Wednesday. The Longhorns will host UConn on Jan. 15. Six of the previous meetings between the teams have taken place in the NCAA tournament.

It was previously announced that UConn will open the 2017-18 season playing Ohio State on Nov. 12 at Nationwide Arena, the site of the 2018 Women’s Division I Final Four.

UConn will have three straight games out West later in November facing UCLA (date not announced), will meet Michigan State in Eugene, Oregon as part of a tournament honoring Nike founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday and will play at Nevada on Nov. 28 in a homecoming game for All-American Gabby Williams.

UConn will also host California, Louisville, Maryland and Notre Dame and has a game at reigning national champion South Carolina. The Huskies have set up a game in Toronto against Duquesne as a chance for Kia Nurse to play a game close to her Hamilton, Ontario home. Although the date has not been officially announced, Duquesne coach Dan Burt has been on the record as stating that the game will be played on Dec. 22.

The list of home and away conference opponents figure to be announced after the American Athletic Conference spring meetings come to a close on June 1. With Wichita State joining the conference, a new scheduling grid will need to be installed.

UConn returns four starters, including three All-Americans off a team that was undefeated before an overtime loss to Mississippi State in the Final Four. The Huskies will also have 6-foot-6 former Duke star Azura’ Stevens, former Kentucky forward Batouly Camara and a highly-touted recruiting class led by national high school player of the year Megan Walker.