UConn highlights on the 2020 WNBA schedule

On Thursday, the WNBA released its 2020 schedule. This season, which will tip off on Friday, May 15th, will feature an extended 36-game schedule despite a one month break for the Tokyo Olympics and a new in-season tournament.

Free agency for the WNBA starts on February 1st, so rosters for the 2020 season are far from final. But as things currently stand, here’s some of the UConn highlights on the schedule.

Stars slated to return

Seattle Storm teammates Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart both missed the 2019 season with injuries while Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) played in just six games. All three have been named to USA Basketball’s winter college tour roster, so they’ll make take the court against UConn on January 27th. Provided the injury gods are kinder to the WNBA this year, they can all be expected to return to court in the league on opening weekend. Seattle opens their season at home on Friday May 15th, before heading to Phoenix on Sunday for an opening weekend face-off between two of UConn’s all-time best guards.

As for Maya Moore, there’s been no news on whether the former UConn great and WNBA MVP will return to the league. Moore took last season off from the league, and has not returned to the court or announced if she plans to since.

Connecticut homecomings

The Connecticut Sun currently have just one former Husky, Morgan Tuck, on their roster. But, their schedule offers plenty of chances to see your favorite UConn stars back on a Connecticut court.

In just the first week of the season, six former Huskies could return home. The Sun host the Liberty in their opener, who have Tina Charles, Kia Nurse and Bria Hartley on their roster. The Liberty also got a huge arena upgrade in the off-season, so you can also see Charles, Nurse and Hartley all season at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. For the Sun’s second game, the Chicago Sky come to town with Stefanie Dolson, Gabby Williams and Katie Lou Samuelson.

Other homecoming highlights include Stewart, Bird and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis on June 5th, Tiffany Hayes and Renee Montgomery on July 8th, Napheesa Collier on August 16th and Taurasi on August 27th.

Former teammate matchups

Opening night, recent UConn duo Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier will be on opposite ends of the court when Minnesota visits Chicago on May 15th. Samuelson’s current teammate and Collier’s former teammate Gabby Williams will also be in that matchup. Kia Nurse and Morgan Tuck will also play against eachother on opening weekend (May 16th) and, as mentioned before, Bird and Taurasi in Sunday’s matchup.

Further into the season, Stewart and Tuck will face off in Connecticut on June 5th, as well as at Seattle on May 27th and September 11th. The third member of the “Big Three”, Moriah Jefferson, is currently on the Dallas Wings roster despite not playing last season with an injury. If Jefferson is healthy, we’ll also get to see her play against her former teammates.