UConn women’s basketball to play Louisville in 2021 Hall of Fame Showcase

UConn women’s basketball’s long-rumored neutral-site matchup with Louisville is finally official. The Huskies will taken on Jeff Walz’s Cardinals squad on Sunday, Dec. 19 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“We’re always excited to have the opportunity to play down at Mohegan Sun,” Geno Auriemma said in a release. “The Basketball Hall of Fame has put together another great Women’s Showcase this season. Our fans didn’t have an opportunity to see this team in person last season, so I think it’ll be a great experience for them and for our players.”

“We are extremely excited to play UConn in the 2021 Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena,” Walz said. “Our experience at Mohegan Sun last year was first class and it’s an honor to participate in this Hall of Fame event. After being unable to play UConn last season as we had hoped, we are thrilled we are able to continue our rivalry.”

Back in November 2019, Walz announced his team would play the Huskies in the Never Forget Classic during the 2020-21 season on a radio show, though UConn quickly made it known that no contracts for the game were signed.

This past year, the Huskies were supposed to play Louisville in “Bubbleville” at Mohegan Sun in early December but the meeting never happened after UConn shut down for 10 days due to a positive COVID test within the program.

At long last, the Huskies and Cardinals are set to meet on the hardwood for the first time since the 2019 Elite Eight when UConn advanced to its 12th consecutive Final Four with an 80-73 victory. Overall, the Huskies have won 17 of 19 matchups against Louisville.

UConn’s non-conference schedule is still coming together after the pandemic created a myriad of issues last season. The Huskies are confirmed to play Notre Dame and Texas at home with road trips to Oregon and South Carolina. They will also play in the Battle 4 Atlantis from Nov. 20-22 along with the newly-announced game against Louisville.

UConn was originally scheduled to head to Little Rock for Christyn Williams’ homecoming, though Auriemma hinted it was unlikely to happen when the team faced the Arkansas Razorbacks in January. The Huskies were also reported to have a series with Maryland that would be played in 2020-21 and 2021-22, though no official announcement was ever made.