Post by bulkey on Jun 3, 2021 9:58:57 GMT -5
UConn is already scheduled to play:
Louisville, Notre Dame, Texas, Oregon, South Carolina, and the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The free part of Dan Connolly's UConn weekly suggests these possible additions to UConn's OOC schedule
Iowa
If this past season was any indication, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark are going to be two of the biggest names in college basketball for the new few seasons. While we got the first meeting between the two in the Sweet Sixteen this year, Bueckers vs. Clark is going to be an extremely marketable game and should happen each of the next three seasons.
LSU
With Kim Mulkey now in charge in Baton Rouge, LSU should fill the spot that Baylor has previously owned on UConn’s schedule. Though she has a fairly sizable rebuild in front of her, Mulkey dominates on the transfer market, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Tigers re-enter the national scene quickly. At the very least, LSU should give the Huskies the type of tough, physical test they won’t get from many other teams in the county.
Princeton
Coached by former UConn forward Carla Berube, Princeton went 26-1 during her first year at the helm in 2019-20 before the pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers, along with the rest of the Ivy League, didn’t play this past season either.
While Berube has a lot to prove in her second year in Princeton — especially after losing Bella Alarie, the No. 6 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft — she built one of the top programs in Division III at Tufts and seems to have a strong foundation in place.
Quinnipiac
The two teams were supposed to open this past season against each other in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge at Mohegan Sun before a member of UConn’s program tested positive for COVID-19.
Quinnipiac has clearly established itself as the second-best program in Connecticut and though that’s still a long way off from UConn — the Huskies beat the Bobcats by 25 in the NCAA Tournament a few years ago — they’re still a quality mid-major opponent.
Although last year’s game was scheduled for Mohegan Sun Arena, a home-and-home series would be fun, especially when the Huskies would go to play in the 3,570-seat People’s United Center. Considering UConn played road games at the University of Hartford and Colgate in the last decade, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Stanford
Stanford is the reigning national champion and primed to be the top challengers to the Huskies over the next few seasons with a core that includes Anna Wilson (2021 Pac-12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year), Cameron Brink (2021 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team), Haley Jones (2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player), Lexie Hull (2021 Final Four All-Tournament Team) and Lauren Betts (the No. 1 player in the class of 2022).
The two teams have battled in the past and any regular season matchup could prove to be an early preview of the Final Four or national championship.
Tennessee
Though the rivalry will never be what it was between 1995-2008, UConn-Tennessee is a game that should be on the schedule every year. This past season’s meeting was a thriller that featured a game-sealing 3-pointer from Paige Bueckers in the final minute. The Vols should only get better under Kellie Harper, too.
Even though it is no longer a battle for supremacy in the sport, UConn-Tennessee is still synonymous with women’s basketball and the last two meetings have drawn as much media hype and attention than any other regular season matchup in recent memory (aside from when the Huskies won their 100th straight game in 2017). Any women’s basketball game that puts that much of a spotlight on the sport should be played as much as possible.
USF
UConn has rarely played competitive games against USF — the Huskies are 29-0 all-time against the Bulls with only one meeting decided by single-digits. But Geno Auriemma and USF head coach Jose Fernandez are close friends and a yearly trip to Tampa would once again allow a large contingent of UConn fans to see the team in person.
Vanderbilt
Although UConn and Vanderbilt don’t share much history (they’ve met just eight times with the Huskies winning six), it would a matchup of master vs. apprentice with former assistant Shea Ralph now in charge in Nashville. A potential series with the Commodores would be better a few years from now after Ralph has some time to build up the program which would give Vanderbilt a chance to be competitive and serve as a good resume booster for UConn.
Louisville, Notre Dame, Texas, Oregon, South Carolina, and the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The free part of Dan Connolly's UConn weekly suggests these possible additions to UConn's OOC schedule
Iowa
If this past season was any indication, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark are going to be two of the biggest names in college basketball for the new few seasons. While we got the first meeting between the two in the Sweet Sixteen this year, Bueckers vs. Clark is going to be an extremely marketable game and should happen each of the next three seasons.
LSU
With Kim Mulkey now in charge in Baton Rouge, LSU should fill the spot that Baylor has previously owned on UConn’s schedule. Though she has a fairly sizable rebuild in front of her, Mulkey dominates on the transfer market, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Tigers re-enter the national scene quickly. At the very least, LSU should give the Huskies the type of tough, physical test they won’t get from many other teams in the county.
Princeton
Coached by former UConn forward Carla Berube, Princeton went 26-1 during her first year at the helm in 2019-20 before the pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers, along with the rest of the Ivy League, didn’t play this past season either.
While Berube has a lot to prove in her second year in Princeton — especially after losing Bella Alarie, the No. 6 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft — she built one of the top programs in Division III at Tufts and seems to have a strong foundation in place.
Quinnipiac
The two teams were supposed to open this past season against each other in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge at Mohegan Sun before a member of UConn’s program tested positive for COVID-19.
Quinnipiac has clearly established itself as the second-best program in Connecticut and though that’s still a long way off from UConn — the Huskies beat the Bobcats by 25 in the NCAA Tournament a few years ago — they’re still a quality mid-major opponent.
Although last year’s game was scheduled for Mohegan Sun Arena, a home-and-home series would be fun, especially when the Huskies would go to play in the 3,570-seat People’s United Center. Considering UConn played road games at the University of Hartford and Colgate in the last decade, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Stanford
Stanford is the reigning national champion and primed to be the top challengers to the Huskies over the next few seasons with a core that includes Anna Wilson (2021 Pac-12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year), Cameron Brink (2021 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team), Haley Jones (2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player), Lexie Hull (2021 Final Four All-Tournament Team) and Lauren Betts (the No. 1 player in the class of 2022).
The two teams have battled in the past and any regular season matchup could prove to be an early preview of the Final Four or national championship.
Tennessee
Though the rivalry will never be what it was between 1995-2008, UConn-Tennessee is a game that should be on the schedule every year. This past season’s meeting was a thriller that featured a game-sealing 3-pointer from Paige Bueckers in the final minute. The Vols should only get better under Kellie Harper, too.
Even though it is no longer a battle for supremacy in the sport, UConn-Tennessee is still synonymous with women’s basketball and the last two meetings have drawn as much media hype and attention than any other regular season matchup in recent memory (aside from when the Huskies won their 100th straight game in 2017). Any women’s basketball game that puts that much of a spotlight on the sport should be played as much as possible.
USF
UConn has rarely played competitive games against USF — the Huskies are 29-0 all-time against the Bulls with only one meeting decided by single-digits. But Geno Auriemma and USF head coach Jose Fernandez are close friends and a yearly trip to Tampa would once again allow a large contingent of UConn fans to see the team in person.
Vanderbilt
Although UConn and Vanderbilt don’t share much history (they’ve met just eight times with the Huskies winning six), it would a matchup of master vs. apprentice with former assistant Shea Ralph now in charge in Nashville. A potential series with the Commodores would be better a few years from now after Ralph has some time to build up the program which would give Vanderbilt a chance to be competitive and serve as a good resume booster for UConn.
