UConn women’s basketball’s matchup with Notre Dame postponed

For the first time since the 2013-14 season, UConn women’s basketball and Notre Dame won’t face off in the regular season. On Monday, the school announced that the Huskies’ game against the Fighting Irish will be postponed because Notre Dame “needs to restructure its schedule” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, UConn extended its series with Notre Dame for four years through the 2023-24 season. That agreement has now been pushed back a year and will continue through the 2024-25 season. The Huskies will host in 2021-22 and 2023-24, and will make the return trip to South Bend, Indiana in 2022-23 and 2024-25.

Earlier this month, Geno Auriemma said UConn’s marquee non-conference matchups with Baylor, Notre Dame, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge at Mohegan Sun with Quinnipiac, Maine, and Mississippi State were still on. However, as conferences continue to sort out their own schedules, it’s possible more of the Huskies’ previously-scheduled non-conference games could be postponed or canceled.

As of now, UConn hasn’t released a schedule for the 2020-21 season. At the very least, we know the college basketball season will begin on Nov. 25, the Big East will play a full 20-game schedule — which is expected to start up in December — and the Huskies will play all their home games at Gampel Pavilion. It’s also likely that UConn begins the year on Nov. 28 against Quinnipiac at Mohegan Sun in the aforementioned Hall of Fame Challenge.

Over the past decade, UConn-Notre Dame became the premier rivalry in women’s college basketball. The two teams have met every season since 1996, with the Huskies holding a 38-13 edge, and have faced off in the Final Four in seven of the last 10 years. The Fighting Irish hold a 5-1 edge in national semifinals, but UConn won back-to-back national titles over Notre Dame in 2014 and 2015.

The rivalry took a big hit this offseason, though, after longtime Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw announced her retirement following a miserable 13-18 campaign. She was replaced by former player and assistant Niele Ivey.

Though it’s all subject to change — especially with the pandemic — these are UConn’s future non-conference opponents:

2021-22

Home: Notre Dame, Texas
Away: Little Rock, Maryland, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina
Neutral: Louisville (Unofficial)

2022-23

Home: None
Away: Cal, Notre Dame, Texas

2023-24

Home: Notre Dame
Away: None

2024-25

Home: None
Away: Notre Dame