The UConn women’s basketball team just dropped Texas, an absolute top-10 squad, 83-61 in an exhibition, but it’s not the win everyone’s buzzing about. Nope, it’s their unbelievably front-loaded non-conference schedule that’s got everyone looking ahead to March. This isn’t just tough, folks; it’s an unusually packed start to the season, and it could set them up for a wild ride later on.
Popovic and Strong Dominate, But the Real Test is Coming
This past Monday, in that exhibition at PeoplesBank Arena, UConn, probably hitting the No. 2 spot in the AP poll, faced off against Texas, a definite top-10 team. They were tied up at halftime! But then, Sarah Strong, last season’s national player of the year, and freshman guard Jovana Popovic just went off. UConn pulled away big time in the third quarter, outscoring Texas 19-8, and straight-up dominated the second half for that 83-61 victory. Popovic’s play? Eye-opening, yet again. She dropped 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting, added seven boards, and five assists. Strong put up 27 points on 12-for-21 shooting. Geno Auriemma’s team really looked good when it counted, proving they could gather themselves and respond. This game was a healthy exercise, bringing in serious cash and giving the squad some much-needed experience against a team with real Final Four aspirations.
This Is What “Loaded Schedule” Looks Like
No joke, UConn’s non-conference schedule is about as ambitious and creative as you can get. They’re going to finish their preseason with an exhibition against Army this Sunday at Gampel Pavilion. Then, the regular season kicks off November 2 against Cornell in Hartford. But hold up, that’s just the appetizer. The Huskies then face Michigan on the road on Nov. 5, Iowa on Nov. 8 in Storrs, Ohio State on Nov. 8 on the road, Louisville on Nov. 15 on the road, South Carolina on Nov. 24 at Mohegan, Duke on Nov. 28 in Boston, UNLV on Dec. 2 in Storrs, Maryland on Dec. 5 in Brooklyn, Notre Dame on Dec. 9 on the road, Tennessee on Dec. 12 in Hartford, and finally, LSU on Dec. 20. Yeah, you read that right. That entire gauntlet is happening before December 20th.
Why This Early Gauntlet Could Be a Double-Edged Sword for March
Here’s the kicker: usually, and ideally, a few of those monster games would be scheduled after the New Year. But not this time. After Dec. 20, with all due respect to the Big East, it’s safe to say UConn probably won’t see a genuinely competitive game until the NCAA Tournament. The setup is just not ideal. You know how it goes: the Huskies will likely cruise through conference play, riding a double-digit winning streak, dominate the Big East Tournament, and then head deep into the NCAA Tournament needing to beat the kind of elite teams they haven’t faced in months. They’ll rely on the Big East to put up any kind of a fight over the second half of the season. UConn has to hope the value of these early, brutal games doesn’t just evaporate by the time January, February, and March roll around. Next up, it’s that exhibition against Army this Sunday, then Cornell to open the regular season. Let’s see if this early fire can forge them into an unstoppable force, or if that late-season lack of challenge comes back to bite them.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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