Huskies to compete in Women’s Champions Classic

UConn women’s basketball’s Geno Auriemma is no stranger to scheduling early, tough, nonconference games for his teams.

With the help of Fox, Auriemma has one such matchup locked down for the foreseeable future — and it helps that it’s just a quick bus trip away.

UConn announced Thursday morning that it will compete in the inaugural Women’s Champions Classic, a new earlyseason college basketball showcase created by HS&E and Fox Sports. The event will feature a primetime doubleheader on the Fox on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“We’re very excited to have the Women’s Champions Classic on our schedule for the foreseeable future,” Auriemma said in the release. “There’s never been a higher level of interest in women’s basketball. The Champions Classic will give fans exciting, marquee matchups early in the season.”

Per the release, initial plans for the annual event will feature UConn every year and along with a rotation of some of the most storied and topranked programs in women’s college basketball.

December’s debut of the event will also include Iowa, Louisville and Tennessee.

Specific matchups and tip times will be announced later while tickets for the event will go on sale in March.

UConn is 6-3 all-time against Iowa, 18-3 against Louisville and 17-9 against its longtime rival Tennessee.

For more information on the Women’s Champions Classic, visit womenschampionsclassic.com

When: Friday at 7 p.m.

Where: Gampel Pavilion

Records: UConn (21-5, 13-0 Big East) Georgetown (16-9, 6-8)

TV: SNY

Radio: UConn Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WICH-Norwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Willimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM), Fox Sports 97.9 FM Hartford, SiriusXM-983, SXM App 973

KEEP AN EYE ON

Senior salute: UConn hosts Georgetown in Storrs in one of its most anticipated home games of the seasons: Senior Night.

The No. 15-ranked Huskies will honor its four seniors Paige Bueckers, Aaliyah Edwards, Aubrey Griffin and Nika Mühl following the game. And before the game, the program will play both the Canadian and Croatian national anthems to honor Edwards and Mühl.

While all four of the “seniors” (Bueckers is a redshirt junior in athletic terms and Griffin is a fifth-year graduate student) have remaining collegiate eligibility available, none have publicly stated whether they will utilize the extra year (or years, in Bueckers case) or if they’ll declare for the WNBA Draft. Players have until their final game of the season in March or April to make the decision official.

Bueckers has, however, hinted that she may return to Storrs next season. The 2021 National Player of the Year not only wants to win the NCAA championship, but also play at least one full year with close friend and teammate Azzi Fudd (out this year due to knee injury).

UConn will also honor its senior student managers Ashanti Bolling, Ainsley Dupuis, Colleen Koch and Georgia Mikan Friday. Rebuilding momentum: The Huskies are looking to continue their winning momentum following Wednesday’s victory at Xavier after falling at top-ranked South Carolina on Sunday.

Friday’s game will not only help UConn’s starters continue to get rest but will help the team prepare for its final ranked opponent of the regular season. The Huskies host No. 20 Creighton Monday at noon in Hartford for their final test of the regular season.

Following Friday, UConn will have just five regular-season Big East games left before the conference tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in March. The Huskies’ final home game on campus is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 28 against Villanova when the program will celebrate Pride Night.

Some history: The Huskies last met the Hoyas in Washington D.C. on January 7, coming away with an 8355 win in their first game without Griffin after she suffered a seasonending ACL injury. The game was physical and fast-paced as both teams got into foul trouble early. All five UConn’s starters finished in double figures, led by Edwards with 18 points and six rebounds.

Georgetown has gone 4-6, including a recent 62-47 loss to Villanova, since then and is currently tied with Seton Hall for sixth place (6-8) in the Big East standings.

However, the Hoyas are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They lead the conference in scoring defense, limiting teams to an average of 53.9 points per game, and in field goal percent defense, holding opponents to just 36.7 percent from the floor. Georgetown is also second with 4.0 blocks per game.

UConn leads the all-time series against Georgetown 53-6. The last time the Hoyas defeated the Huskies was on Feb. 27, 1993, winning 64-62 in Storrs.

PROBABLE STARTERS GEORGETOWN Pos. Player

Kelsey Ransom Graceann Bennett Alex Cowan Victoria Rivera Ariel Jenkins

Player UCONN

Paige Bueckers Ashlynn Shade Aaliyah Edwards Nika Mühl KK Arnold

G F G G C

Pos.

G G F G G

PPG

13.8 9.8 6.6 6.3 3.5

PPG

20.0 11.4 17.7 7.0 9.0

— Maggie Vanoni