Earlier this week, the world of UConn women’s basketball lost a legend. Carl Adamec, a longtime beat writer for the Manchester Journal Inquirer and CT Insider, passed away at age 68. He covered the Huskies for longer and knew more about them than anyone. Mike Anthony wrote a really great piece on Adamec, a USBWA Hall of Famer.

UConn’s non-conference schedule is nearly complete. This week, four new dates were revealed on the Huskies’ 2026-27 slate:

The NCAA increased the game limit to 32 for this season, so UConn has one more opening to fill on its non-conference schedule.

For the second straight year, UConn will hold an open practice at Sacred Heart’s Pitt Center on Sunday, Sept. 20. Tickets will cost $40 for general admission, $90 for entry in addition to a meet-and-greet and $125 for courtside seats, which include the meet-and-greet. Husky Athletic Fund members will have access to an exclusive presale on Tuesday, Aug. 18 while tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Aug. 20.

In Croatia’s final game of FIBA U18 EuroBasket, UConn freshman Olivia Vukosa set a tournament record with 46 points. She went 14-29 from the field and made 15-18 from the free throw line. She also added 18 rebounds.

Across the EuroBasket tournament, she led all players with 24.9 points and 14.3 rebounds, which earned her a spot on the All-Star Five.

UConn has never shied away from a tough non-conference schedule, but this year’s slate might be one of the hardest it’s ever put together. To steal a few stats from Adam Giardino, the Huskies will take on two of the three other teams that made the Final Four, five of the seven in the Elite Eight and eight of the 15 in the Sweet Sixteen. Currently, all but one foe earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament last year.

So which games are the best?

Not only is Syracuse projected to be one of the weakest teams on the schedule, it’s also an exhibition. In past years, this would be a closed-door scrimmage.

The Rebels missed out on the NCAA Tournament in 2026 for a second consecutive year after making the previous three. Not every game can be a heavyweight bout, so this should serve as an early-season respite for UConn.

Sure, it’s the most storied rivalry in the sport. But the Vols are coming off their worst season in modern program history and lost their entire roster to graduation or the transfer portal. It would be stunning if this game is close, especially at home.

The second exhibition on UConn’s schedule, Texas should at least be an early measuring stick. Still, the Longhorns are expected to take a step back after reaching the last two Final Fours with Rori Harmon now in the WNBA and a slew of transfer portal departures. At least they still have Madison Booker.

The Terps have fallen from their perch as a perennial top-16 team. They made a run to the Elite Eight in 2023 but have since only advanced to the regionals once in the last three tournaments. Plus, the only time Maryland has beaten UConn came during the 2022-23 season when injuries forced the Huskies to start Inês Bettencourt at point guard.

This is where the games start to get good. Iowa earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, but were upset in the second round by 10-seed Virginia. Still, the Hawkeyes are a strong program and should provide UConn with an early-season challenge.

The Buckeyes are on the rise. They feature a strong core built around rising Jaloni Cambridge and outperformed expectations to earn a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2026. This could be a potential trap game for the Huskies.

UConn actually lost the last time it traveled to Louisville back in 2019. Still, the last three meetings haven’t been competitive with the Huskies winning by an average margin of 23.3.

Hannah Hidalgo will be a senior, though UConn handled Notre Dame in two matchups last season. However, the Huskies are 0-2 in their last two trips to South Bend and haven’t beaten the Irish on their home court since 2018-19. Unlike Tennessee, there’s still some juice to this rivalry, too.

While Duke has yet to reach the Final Four under Kara Lawson, it’s not a program to take lightly. The Blue Devils have been to the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons while sweeping the ACC regular season and tournament titles this past year. They’re also routinely one of the nation’s toughest defenses, which will be something to keep an eye on considering this UConn team will have plenty of question marks on offense.

Geno Auriemma and Kim Mulkey will square off for the first time since the latter left Baylor for LSU. There haven’t been many boring games with these two on opposing sidelines.

As it stands, UConn will travel to Ann Arbor to open the season against a Michigan team that nearly knocked off the Huskies last year. The Wolverines’ talented core of rising juniors Olivia Olson, Syla Swords, Mila Holloway and Te’yala Delfosse will be a year older and better, too.

For better or for worse, this will be the biggest women’s basketball game in the country this season — largely thanks to Geno Auriemma’s outburst in the handshake line with Dawn Staley at the Final Four. How those two interact before and after the contest will be as much of a storyline as what happens on the court. The latter shouldn’t be overlooked, though. These are likely to be two of the top three teams in the country when the preseason polls come out.

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CD visited UConn West — the Golden State Valkyries, who feature four former Huskies:

A fitting tribute:

All love: