UConn announced its 2026-27 non-conference schedule on Monday, and the slate is packed with marquee matchups. The Huskies, who have won 12 national championships, will face South Carolina, Tennessee and Notre Dame as part of a schedule that includes 10 opponents from the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
The season begins Nov. 2 at home against Cornell, but the first major spotlight game comes Nov. 24 against South Carolina at the Hall of Fame Showcase. UConn and South Carolina have built one of the sport's biggest modern rivalries, and the teams last met in the Final Four.
From there, the schedule stays heavy. UConn will play Duke in Boston on Nov. 28, Maryland in Brooklyn on Dec. 5 and Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend on Dec. 9. The Huskies will then face Tennessee on Dec. 12 at a to-be-announced location before closing the stretch against LSU in Nashville on Dec. 20.
What the schedule says about UConn
The non-conference slate gives UConn a chance to test itself early and often against teams that should provide immediate tournament-level competition. Four of UConn's non-conference games will be at neutral sites, adding another layer of challenge to a schedule already built around familiar heavyweight programs.
There is also recent history behind several of these matchups. Tennessee beat UConn in Knoxville on Feb. 6, 2025, during Kim Caldwell's first season as head coach, and UConn beat Notre Dame twice in 2026, once in Storrs and once in the Elite Eight in Fort Worth. UConn and South Carolina also last met in the Final Four, keeping that series firmly in the national spotlight.
UConn returns reigning National Player of the Year Sarah Strong, giving Geno Auriemma another centerpiece as the Huskies move into a season that will ask a lot from them before the calendar even reaches January. With South Carolina, Tennessee and Notre Dame all on the schedule, the Huskies will not have to wait long to learn where they stand.
