Opponent preview: Everyone else

The Huskies 2024-25 schedule features four marquee opponents and handful of NCAA Tournament caliber teams. The rest is filled mostly with Big East play and a few less competitive non-conference matchups to ease a young squad into the season.

Boston University (November 7th)

One of two Patriot League teams on UConn’s schedule, Boston University serves its purpose as a local team to open the season against. With no threat of an upset, the Huskies will get a chance to shake off some of the nerves in a real game as opposed to exhibition action. The Terriers were picked to finish fifth in the conference this season, but did receive two first place votes.

USF (November 10th)

A former AAC foe, USF isn’t the team it used to be when it was the Huskies’ best opponent in conference play. The Bulls were 19-14 last season and missed the NCAA Tournament, but they are the preseason favorite in the American this year. Romi Levy was also named the preseason conference player of the year after leading South Florida with 14.7 points per game last season.

FDU (November 20th)

More notable than the opponent, this is the game where UConn is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey at the helm of the program. Assuming there are no hiccups when the Huskies head down to Greensboro to play North Carolina, Auriemma will take the all-time college basketball wins record in this game. FDU is the unanimous preseason favorite in the NEC this season.

Oregon State (November 25th)

What should have been a top-10 game this season is now relegated to the everyone else tier of opponents thanks to the dissolution of the Pac-12. The Beavers lost all the key players from last year’s squad to the transfer portal in their transition to the WCC. While Scott Rueck is still at the helm, it’s likely to be a down year as Oregon State learns to navigate its new recruiting world outside the Power Five.

Holy Cross (December 3rd)

The second Patriot League team on the Huskies’ schedule, Holy Cross provides an opportunity for a tune up before entering a tough December stretch with the likes of Notre Dame, Iowa State and USC. The Crusaders represented the Patriot League in the NCAA Tournament last year but were picked sixth in this year’s preseason poll.

They’re a program in transition, too. Former head coach Maureen Magarity stepped down in August, so Candice Green will serve as the interim for the entire campaign.

Georgetown (December 15th, January 11th)

Georgetown made a surprise run to the Big East Tournament finals last season, landing interim head coach Darnell Haney the full-time promotion. The Hoyas return two of their top three scorers from last season, including Kelsey Ransom for her fifth year. Georgetown was picked to finish fifth in the Big East Preseason Poll.

Providence (December 29th, February 9th)

Providence was picked to finish third in the Big East Preseason Poll behind UConn and Creighton. That’s a big leap for the Friars from their ninth place finish last season, which reflects some big losses from around the league. Olivia Olsen and Grace Efosa were selected to the preseason all-conference team.

Marquette (January 1st, March 2nd)

Speaking of losses, Megan Duffy might be the biggest in the Big East this offseason after she was hired to replace Kenny Brooks (now at Kentucky) as the head coach of Virginia Tech. Duffy’s departure, combined with the graduation of several key players and Liza Karlen’s transfer to Notre Dame, leaves Marquette second to last in the preseason poll.

Villanova (January 5th, January 22nd)

Villanova also suffered big losses this offseason at the hands of the transfer portal. Lucy Olsen, who ranked fourth nationally in scoring last year, will play for Iowa this season while Christina Dalce departed for Maryland. Those two have been the core of this Wildcats team since Siegrist moved on to the WNBA and they can’t be replaced in one offseason. Villanova does return some veteran presence in Kaitlyn Orihel and Maddie Burke.

Xavier (January 8th)

The Huskies will only see the Musketeers once this season, which works out well as they were picked to finish last in the Big East. Xavier won just one game last season and none in league play.

St. John’s (January 15th, February 12th)

Picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll, St. John’s lost its two leading scorers, Unique Drake and Jillian Archer, from last season. The Red Storm do return third leading scorer, Ber’Nyah Mayo, who was named to the All-Big East Preseason Team.

Seton Hall (January 19th, February 19th)

Seton Hall also lost its top two scorers from last year’s roster but return Amari Wright, who ranked in the top one percent nationally for assists per game last season. The Pirates have also reloaded in the transfer market, most notably adding Maryland’s Faith Masonius. Seton Hall was selected to finish seventh in the preseason poll.

DePaul (January 29th)

Picked to finish ninth in the preseason standings, DePaul is another squad that’s a good fit to have only once on the schedule. The Blue Demons haven’t looked the same since Aneesah Morrow transferred to LSU and won just four games in league play last season.

Butler (February 2nd, February 22nd)

Perhaps one of the few Big East teams on this list trending upward, Austin Parkinson seems to have this team making strides in the right direction. The Bulldogs were picked to finish eighth in the league this season after winning six Big East games last season (a large improvement from zero just two years prior) and returning eight players from last year’s team.