UConn women’s basketball releases 2021-22 nonconference schedule
The college basketball season is right around the corner, and thanks to Thursday’s release of the UConn women’s basketball nonconference schedule, you can now mark you calendars with the Huskies’ biggest games of the 2021-22 season.
The slate features meetings against six teams who were ranked in last season’s final Associated Press poll (No. 6 South Carolina, No. 8 Louisville, No. 9 UCLA, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 15 Arkansas, No. 23 Oregon).
“I think this team is young and has a lot of energy,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “We want them to compete against the top teams in the country. We have a lot of players who haven’t experienced what it is to play in front of a crowd at UConn, so we’re hopeful and excited that will happen this season.”
After an exhibition on Nov. 7 against Fort Hays State, the Huskies will open their 2021-22 campaign by hosting Arkansas, which handed UConn its sole regular-season loss last season.
UConn will travel down to the Bahamas for the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis women’s tournament, opening against Minnesota before facing either Syracuse or USF. There’s a good chance they’ll take on South Carolina, who’s on the other side of the bracket alongside Oregon, Buffalo and Oklahoma, in the championship game.
December will feature games against Notre Dame (Dec. 5), where Auriemma will face off against second-year head coach Niele Ivey for the first time, Georgia Tech (Dec. 9), UCLA (Dec. 11) in the Never Forget Tribute Classic honoring the victims of 9/11 and Louisville (Dec. 19) in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.
The Georgia Tech and Oregon (Jan. 17) road trips will serve as homecoming games for seniors Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Evina Westbrook.
The Huskies then will travel to Columbia to square off against South Carolina (Jan. 27), who will likely be one of the top squads in the country after returning a stacked roster, adding transfer Kamilla Cardoso and bringing in espnW’s top-ranked recruiting class. UConn will close nonconference play at home on Feb. 6 against historic rival Tennessee.
UConn’s Big East schedule, which will feature 20 league games, is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
UConn women 2021-22 non-conference schedule
Nov. 7 vs. Fort Hays State (exhibition)
Nov. 14 vs. Arkansas
Nov. 20-22 at Battle 4 Atlantis (Minnesota, USF/Syracuse, TBD)
Dec. 5 vs. Notre Dame
Dec. 9 at Georgia Tech (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)
Dec. 11 vs. UCLA (Never Forget Tribute Classic, Prudential Center, ABC, 1 p.m.)
Dec. 19 vs. Louisville (Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase, Mohegan Sun Arena, ESPN, 3:30 p.m.)
Jan. 17 at Oregon
Jan. 27 at South Carolina (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Feb. 6 vs. Tennessee
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com
