Breaking down the UConn women’s nonconference schedule, which features games against four top-10 opponents
The UConn women’s basketball managed to maintain a hallmark of its program despite the pandemic: scheduling a slate of tough nonconference competition well before March rolls around.
Previously scheduled matchups against Notre Dame, Virginia, Dayton, Little Rock and Maryland have been scrapped. But the No. 3 Huskies will likely face No. 6 Mississippi State in their second game of the season and then have No. 5 Louisville scheduled later that week. They’ll play four Big East games before the holidays before finishing up non-league play with road matchups at No. 4 Baylor and Tennessee and hosting No. 1 South Carolina in early February.
Here’s a rundown of how UConn’s five toughest nonconference opponents look going into the season:
Mississippi State (likely): Nov. 29 at Mohegan Sun
As part of the Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge, Mississippi State faces Maine and UConn plays Quinnipiac Nov. 28, with the winners set to face off in the championship game and the losers playing in the consolation round — meaning a UConn-Mississippi State matchup is all but guaranteed. The last time UConn played the Bulldogs was, yes, that game: the one where Morgan William hit a buzzer beater to send the Huskies home in the national semifinal.
Though former Tennessee guard McCray-Penson is new to her role as the Bulldogs’ coach, she’ll be able to lean on three returning starters in forward/center Jessika Carter, forward Rickea Jackson and point guard Myah Taylor.
Prior to the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, Mississippi State compiled a 27-6 record and fell to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament before finishing the season No. 9 in the AP rankings.
Louisville: Dec. 4 at Mohegan Sun
A late addition to the schedule, UConn will take on Louisville in this year’s Jimmy V Women’s Classic in a matchup of two top 5 teams. The Cardinals lost Jazmine Jones and Kylee Shook to the WNBA in the offseason but return reigning ACC player of the year and WBCA All-American Dana Evans.
Coach Jeff Walz believes this could be his deepest team in years. Elizabeth Balogun also returns as a starter, and Hailey Van Lith was one of three freshmen, alongside UConn’s Paige Bueckers, to make the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list for the nation’s best point guard.
Last season, Louisville finished with a 28-4 record and No. 6 ranking and were upset by Florida State in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. They last played UConn in the 2018-2019 season, beating the Huskies in a regular season matchup in Louisville before UConn avenged that loss by beating them to advance to the Final Four later in the season.
At Baylor: Jan. 7
Baylor returns six players from its 2019 national championship team. Among them: Queen Egbo and NaLyssa Smith, who’ll look to emerge as the Lady Bears’ next great frontcourt duo. Kim Mulkey’s squad also added Stanford’s DiJonai Carrington in the offseason, a grad transfer who had been considering UConn.
Baylor is still awaiting the recovery of reigning national defensive player of the year DiDi Richards, who is day-to-day with a nervous system injury after colliding with another player during practice. She is expected to return this season.
The Bears handed UConn its first loss of the season last year, a 16-point defeat that snapped the Huskies’ 98-game home win streak.
At Tennessee: Jan. 21
It’s Year 2 of the Kellie Harper era and Year 2 of the UConn-Tennessee series revival, with the Lady Vols set to host UConn on Rocky Top for the first time since 2006. In last year’s meeting, the Huskies took care of Tennessee (then ranked No. 23) with a 60-45 win. Tennessee started this season unranked but did receive votes in the preseason AP top 25 poll.
Tennessee will return major pieces from last season, including guard/forward Rennia Davis, guard/forward Rae Burrell, center Tamari Key and point guard Jordan Horston. Davis was a first-team All-SEC selection, while Horston made the conference’s All-Freshman team.
South Carolina: Feb. 8 at Gampel Pavilion
The Gamecocks return arguably their most promising player: sophomore Aliyah Boston, who last season took home the Lisa Leslie Award for top center and national freshman of the year while also being named a second-team All-American by the AP and USBWA. Expectations remain high for Boston this year, the youngest player named a preseason All-American by the AP.
Boston should have decent help around her, including classmates Brea Beal and Zia Cooke, who started all 33 games as freshmen, and top reserve Destanni Henderson.
Last season South Carolina beat the Huskies for the first time in program history, 70-52, in Columbia. The Gamecocks’ only loss of the season came in a Thanksgiving tournament and they finished the season No. 1 in the country, exactly where they’ll start this year.
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com
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