KEEP AN EYE ON

Rivalry renewed: It was once the most heated rivalry in women’s college basketball. They were former Big East foes and took turns spoiling each other’s postseason runs — the two have faced each other seven times across both the national title game and Final Four.

After playing each other at least once every season from 1996-2019, UConn and Notre Dame reignited their rivalry in 2021, but the teams are vastly different than what they once were. The Irish remain in the process of reforming the program after Muffet McGraw’s retirement, while UConn has learned how to master pivoting after suffering injury after injury over the past year and a half.

UConn will travel to Indiana in the teams’ second meeting of their most recent home-and-home series (the rivalry was renewed for alternate home and away games starting in the 202021 season and will go through 2023-24).

The trip to South Bend marks the fourth Top-10 ranked opponent for UConn within the last three weeks.

The Huskies defeated Notre Dame 73-54 on Dec. 5, 2021 in a game that marked the first major hurdle for UConn last season. However, in the final minute, star point guard Paige Bueckers went down with a knee injury while bringing the ball upcourt unguarded.

Bueckers had to be carried to the bench and needed help exiting the court. Doctors diagnosed her with a tibial plateau fracture. She had surgery about a week later and sat out 19 games rehabbing before returning in time for the postseason.

This year’s trip to Indiana is also a homecoming for UConn freshman Ayanna Patterson, who grew up just an hour away from the South Bend campus in Fort Wayne.

Likely no Dorka: Forward Dorka Juhász sat out Friday’s game against Providence after getting a splint on her left broken thumb. Juhász suffered the injury during UConn’s game against Texas on Nov. 14 and was initially reported to miss just three games. Providence marked Game No. 4 as UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Friday night that despite Juhász returning to basketball workouts, she “probably” wouldn’t play Sunday at Notre Dame.