UConn women’s basketball announces full non-conference schedule

UConn women’s basketball’s non-conference schedule is officially set. On Tuesday, the team announced it will play South Carolina on Feb. 8 at Gampel Pavilion, stamping the final date on the Huskies’ out of conference slate.

In mid-October, UConn revealed their non-conference opponents for the upcoming season but didn’t include dates for half of the expected matchups until now.

According to the announcement, the Huskies will open the season on Nov. 28 against Quinnipiac as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge being played at Mohegan Sun. The next day, they will face either Maine or Mississippi State, depending on game results.

The following weekend, Geno Auriemma’s squad will return to Mohegan Sun to battle the Louisville Cardinals, a late addition to the schedule after Notre Dame postponed its yearly meeting with the Huskies.

After that, UConn will begin Big East play and only face conference opponents in the month of December, before hitting the road to face Baylor on Jan. 7. Two weeks later, the Huskies will travel to Knoxville to tangle with Tennessee on Jan. 21. UConn will close out its non-conference schedule against South Carolina on Feb. 8 in a game that will undoubtedly be must-see TV.

Though the Huskies could add another date to their calendar if they wanted, Auriemma indicated that isn’t likely.

Overall, the Huskies’ non-conference slate is one of the toughest in the nation. Four of their six projected opponents are ranked in ESPN’s way-too-early top 25, including South Carolina (No. 1), Baylor (No. 3), Louisville (No. 5) and Mississippi State (No. 6). The other two teams aren’t too shabby either, with Tennessee spending time around the top 25 last season and Quinnipiac maintaining its standing as a quality mid-major.

As of now, the Big East has only announced the first four games on each team’s schedule. UConn will open conference play on Dec. 6 at Seton Hall before back-to-back home games — its first two of the season — against Xavier and Butler. The Huskies then travel to Villanova for their final game before the holidays. After the break, the Big East will resume play on Dec. 30, though that schedule has yet to be released.

On Monday, UConn announced fan attendance at basketball games will be restricted to family and friends of players and coaches following a decision from state health officials. The Huskies will also play all of their home games at Gampel Pavilion this season instead of splitting time with the XL Center in Hartford as part of precautionary measures relating to the pandemic.

Here’s UConn’s full schedule so far:

Nov. 28: Quinnipiac (HOF Challenge at Mohegan Sun)

Nov. 29: Maine/Mississippi State (HOF Challenge)

Dec. 4: Louisville (at Mohegan Sun)

Dec. 6: at Seton Hall

Dec. 15: Butler

Dec. 19: Xavier

Dec. 22: at Villanova

Jan. 7: at Baylor

Jan. 21: at Tennessee

Feb. 8: South Carolina