Opponent Preview: The marquee matchups

The excitement of the UConn women’s basketball schedule is once again anchored in non-conference play. Even in a season where the slate is not quite as strong as it has been in years past, it still boasts four of the top 10 preseason teams.

A matchup in February with the reigning national champions, No. 1 South Carolina, might be the highlight. However, the December stretch of No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 8 Iowa State and No. 3 USC in the span of 10 days will be a big test for the Huskies early on.

Here’s a look at this year’s marquee matchups.

No. 6 Notre Dame (December 12th)

The backcourt duo of 2024 All-American Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles (returning after missing last season with a knee injury) highlight the 2024-25 Irish squad. Hidalgo took the country by storm in her freshman season, averaging 22.6 points per game for Notre Dame and a nation’s best 4.6 steals per game. Miles hasn’t seen game action since February 2023, but made a name for herself as one of the best point guards in her first two seasons. Sonia Citron will round out the Irish’s backcourt, yielding perhaps the toughest test the UConn guards will see all season. 

In the frontcourt, Notre Dame returns Maddy Westbeld, who may or may not be available for the meeting with the Huskies as she deals with a lingering foot injury. Notre Dame also added Liza Karlen (Marquette), a familiar opponent for the Huskies, and Liatu King, who averaged a double-double for Pitt last season.

The Huskies will look to avenge last season’s 15 point loss to the Irish at Gampel Pavilion when they hit the road for this contest.

No. 8 Iowa State (December 17th)

Iowa State might not carry the name recognition of the other three opponents on this list, but the Cyclones made a name for themselves after nearly upsetting Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year. Then-freshman center Audi Crooks exploded in the postseason, putting up a 40 point outing on 90 percent shooting from the floor in the first round against Maryland.

Iowa State was young last season, but returns all three of last season’s leading scorers including Crooks and fellow sophomore Addy Brown. Emily Ryan also opted to return for her COVID year to anchor this year’s team at the point guard position.

The two sides will face off at Mohegan Sun Arenas as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.

No. 3 USC (December 21st)

The lone true home game on this list will bring JuJu Watkins to town in a rematch of the Huskies’ Elite Eight victory this past March. The returning All-American who averaged 27.1 points per game for the Trojans in her freshman season, including putting up 29 on UConn in the regional finals, will be the focal point of this matchup. However, in addition to returning Rayah Marshall in the frontcourt, USC has retooled in the transfer portal after losing its three veteran Ivy League transfers from last year’s squad. 

Most notably, the Trojans landed the top transfer on the market this offseason in Stanford’s Kiki Iriafen. The 2024 Katrina McClain Award winner averaged 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds for the Cardinal last year. USC also picked up Oregon State transfer Talia von Oelhoffen who will bring a veteran presence to the backcourt.

Beyond those two additions, the Trojans are young. They added a class of seven freshmen, three of which are top 20 recruits. 

No. 1 South Carolina (February 16th)

UConn will once again break up conference play with a matchup against South Carolina. The Gamecocks return every player from last year’s undefeated championship team other than Kamilla Cardoso and added two top-15 recruits — but it’s worth noting that Ashlyn Watkins is currently suspended from the team.

While the Gamecocks will boast impressive depth once again, the lack of an established dominant presence in the frontcourt could leave them a bit more vulnerable than last year’s squad. That said, with this matchup coming in February, South Carolina will have had ample time to figure out how to navigate the Cardoso sized hole in the post by the time UConn sees them. 

This game, as it has in past years, will provide an excellent barometer of how the Huskies matchup with the country’s top competition ahead of the most important time of the year: March. This could easily be a top-2 matchup, as it’s slated to be in the preseason rankings, come February.