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2025–26 UConn Huskies women's basketball team

2025–26 UConn Huskies women's basketball
Big East regular season champions
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record28–0 (17–0 Big East)
Head coach
Associate head coachChris Dailey (41st season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHarry A. Gampel Pavilion
PeoplesBank Arena
2025–26 Big East women's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 UConn 17 – 0   1.000 28 – 0   1.000
Villanova 14 – 4   .778 21 – 6   .778
Seton Hall 12 – 5   .706 18 – 8   .692
Marquette 10 – 7   .588 16 – 10   .615
St. John's 10 – 8   .556 20 – 9   .690
Creighton 9 – 9   .500 13 – 14   .481
Providence 7 – 10   .412 14 – 14   .500
Georgetown 6 – 11   .353 13 – 13   .500
Xavier 4 – 13   .235 11 – 15   .423
Butler 3 – 14   .176 9 – 18   .333
DePaul 3 – 14   .176 6 – 22   .214
† 2026 Big East tournament winner
As of February 18, 2026
Rankings from AP poll
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, where the Huskies played home games

The 2025–26 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represent the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies will be led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 41st season at UConn, and split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on their campus in Storrs, Connecticut, and the PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut. UConn is a member of the Big East Conference, which it rejoined in the 2020-21 season. [a]

UConn returns this year as the reigning NCAA national champion. Three graduates were chosen in the 2025 WNBA draft, but the current roster returned All-American forward Sarah Strong and the national championship game's most outstanding player Azzi Fudd. Serah Williams and Kayleigh Heckel both chose to join this team via the transfer portal, and UConn had a strong recruiting year. For the first time since 2017, this year's Husky squad was ranked #1 in both preseason polls.

Previous season

Main article: 2024–25 UConn Huskies women's basketball team

The Huskies finished the 2024–25 season 37–3 and 18–0 in Big East play to finish in first place. As the first seed in the Big East tournament, they earned a bye to the quarterfinals where they dominated the tournament. They received an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament where they were the second seed in the East Region. In the first round, they faced Arkansas State. They won this matchup, 103–34, to move on to the round of 32, where they routed 10th seed South Dakota State. UConn then faced #3 seeded Oklahoma, whom they defeated 82–59, advancing to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season, and twenty-ninth overall under Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma. After defeating #1 seed USC, 78–64, the Huskies advanced to their NCAA record, twenty-fourth Final Four appearance. Carrying that momentum, they would dominate #1 UCLA, 85–51, advancing to their 13th national championship appearance, and their first since 2022. Riding with momentum, they would go on to get revenge against South Carolina, 82–59, to capture their 12th national championship, surpassing the UCLA men's basketball program for most Division I basketball championships.

Offseason

Departures

The Huskies graduated seniors Paige Bueckers, Kaitlyn Chen, and Aubrey Griffin from the 2024–25 roster. All were drafted into the Women's National Basketball Association. One undergraduate chose to enter the transfer portal after the NCAA tournament, sophomore Qadence Samuels.

UConn Departures
Name Num Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Paige Bueckers 5 G 6'0" Graduate Hopkins, MN Graduated; drafted by the WNBA's Dallas Wings. Round 1, No. 1 overall
Qadence Samuels 10 G 6'0" Sophomore Forestville, MD Transferred to NC State
Kaitlyn Chen 20 G 5'9" Graduate San Marino, CA Graduated; drafted by the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries. Round 3, No. 30 overall
Aubrey Griffin 44 G 6'1" Graduate Ossining, NY Graduated; drafted by the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. Round 3, No. 37 overall

Incoming transfers

UConn incoming transfers
Name Num Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous school
Kayleigh Heckel 9 G 5'9" Sophomore Port Chester, NY USC
Serah Williams 22 F 6'4" Senior Brooklyn, NY Wisconsin

Recruiting class

2025 recruiting class

ESPN ranked UConn's 2025 class as the sixth-best in the country.[1]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Kelis Fisher
PG 		Baltimore, MD IMG Academy 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN: 5/5 stars   (96)
Gandy Malou-Mamel
C 		Limerick, Ireland Gill St. Bernard's School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN: 4/5 stars   (92)
Overall recruit ranking:    ESPN: 6
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2025 Player Commits". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2025.

2026 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Olivia Vukoša
F 		Whitestone, New York Christ the King 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN: 5/5 stars   (98)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2025–26 UConn Huskies women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 2 KK Arnold 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr Germantown Germantown, WI
F 4 Blanca Quiñónez 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Fr   Milagro, Ecuador
G 7 Kelis Fisher 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Fr IMG Academy Baltimore, MD
C 8 Jana El-Alfy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) RS So Al Ahly SC Cairo, Egypt
G 9 Kayleigh Heckel 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) So USC Port Chester, NY
G 11 Allie Ziebell 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) So Neenah Neenah, WI
G 12 Ashlynn Shade 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Jr La Lumiere Noblesville, IN
F 21 Sarah Strong 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) So Grace Christian Fuquay-Varina, NC
F 22 Serah Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Sr Wisconsin Brooklyn, NY
G 23 Morgan Cheli 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) So Archbishop Mitty San Jose, CA
F 25 Ice Brady 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) RS Jr Cathedral Catholic San Diego, CA
G 33 Caroline Ducharme 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS Sr Noble & Greenough Milton, MA
F 34 Ayanna Patterson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS So Homestead Fort Wayne, IN
G 35 Azzi Fudd 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) RS Sr St. John's College HS Arlington, VA
F 42 Gandy Malou-Mamel 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Fr Gill St. Bernard's Limerick, Ireland
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 13, 2025*
2:00 p.m., NBCSB 		No. 1 vs. Boston College
Hall of Fame Exhibition 		W 84–67 
 20 – Fudd   5 – Tied   5 – Strong  Mohegan Sun Arena (6,012)
Uncasville, CT
October 26, 2025*
1:00 p.m., WWAX/UConn+ 		No. 1 Southern Connecticut W 105–39 
 21 – Fudd   10 – Strong   6 – Strong  PeoplesBank Arena (9,214)
Hartford, CT
Regular season
November 4, 2025*
5:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 1 vs. No. 20 Louisville
Armed Forces Classic 		W 79–66  1–0
  21 – Strong   9 – Strong   5 – Strong  Alumni Hall (3,640)
Annapolis, MD
November 9, 2025*
4:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 1 Florida State
Championship banner unveiling 		W 99–67  2–0
  23 – Fudd   9 – Strong   5 – Fudd  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,244)
Storrs, CT
November 12, 2025*
7:30 p.m., TruTV 		No. 1 Loyola–Chicago W 85–31  3–0
  11 – 2 Tied   9 – El Alfy   5 – Arnold  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,244)
Storrs, CT
November 16, 2025*
12:00 p.m., Peacock 		No. 1 Ohio State W 100–68  4–0
  29 – Strong   13 – Strong   7 – 2 Tied  PeoplesBank Arena (14,115)
Hartford, CT
November 21, 2025*
8:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 1 vs. No. 6 Michigan
Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase 		W 72–69  5–0
  31 – Fudd   20 – Strong   7 – Arnold  Mohegan Sun Arena (6,312)
Uncasville, CT
November 23, 2025*
2:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 1 vs. Utah
Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase 		W 93–41  6–0
  24 – Fudd   8 – 2 Tied   4 – 2 Tied  Mohegan Sun Arena (6,315)
Uncasville, CT
November 30, 2025
2:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 1 at Xavier W 104–39  7–0
(1–0) 		 16 – Ziebell   7 – Heckel   8 – Strong  Cintas Center (3,536)
Cincinnati, OH
December 2, 2025*
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 1 at South Florida W 85–51  8–0
  14 – Strong   10 – Strong   4 – Strong  Yuengling Center (5,863)
Tampa, FL
December 7, 2025
1:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 1 DePaul W 102–35  9–0
(2–0) 		 20 – Strong   6 – Heckel   7 – Arnold  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,244)
Storrs, CT
December 13, 2025*
5:30 p.m., FOX 		No. 1 at No. 16 USC W 79–51  10–0
  17 – Fudd   9 – Williams   6 – Arnold  Galen Center (9,035)
Los Angeles, CA
December 17, 2025
7:00 p.m., NBCSN/Peacock 		No. 1 Marquette W 89–53  11–0
(3–0) 		 22 – Strong   7 – 2 Tied   6 – Heckel  PeoplesBank Arena (12,348)
Hartford, CT
December 20, 2025*
1:30 p.m., FOX 		No. 1 vs. No. 11 Iowa
Shark Beauty Women's Champions Classic 		W 90–64  12–0
  27 – Fudd   7 – Strong   6 – Arnold  Barclays Center (10,107)
Brooklyn, NY
December 28, 2025
4:00 p.m., TNT/TruTV 		No. 1 at Butler W 94–47  13–0
(4–0) 		 15 – Strong   6 – Strong   7 – Strong  Hinkle Fieldhouse (5,626)
Indianapolis, IN
December 31, 2025
3:00 p.m., NBCSN/Peacock 		No. 1 at Providence W 90–53  14–0
(5–0) 		 18 – Fudd   7 – Strong   6 – Fudd  Amica Mutual Pavilion (5,240)
Providence, RI
January 3, 2026
12:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 1 Seton Hall W 84–48  15–0
(6–0) 		 18 – Strong   8 – Strong   5 – Arnold  PeoplesBank Arena (15,495)
Hartford, CT
January 7, 2026
7:30 p.m., TruTV 		No. 1 St. John's W 88–43  16–0
(7–0) 		 24 – Strong   3 – 4 Tied   5 – 2 Tied  PeoplesBank Arena (13,229)
Hartford, CT
January 11, 2026
2:00 p.m., TruTV 		No. 1 at Creighton W 95–54  17–0
(8–0) 		 18 – Strong   13 – Strong   6 – 2 Tied  CHI Health Center (6,372)
Omaha, NE
January 15, 2026
7:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 1 Villanova W 99–50  18–0
(9–0) 		 24 – Strong   9 – Strong   7 – Arnold  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,244)
Storrs, CT
January 19, 2026*
5:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 1 Notre Dame
Rivalry 		W 85–47  19–0
  18 – Strong   11 – Strong   5 – Arnold  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,244)
Storrs, CT
January 22, 2026
7:30 p.m., TNT/TruTV 		No. 1 at Georgetown W 83–42  20–0
(10–0) 		 25 – Strong   8 – Strong   5 – 2 Tied  CareFirst Arena (3,846)
Washington, D.C.
January 24, 2026[b]
12:00 p.m., NBCSN/Peacock 		No. 1 at Seton Hall W 92–52  21–0
(11–0) 		 17 – Strong   6 – Strong   5 – Strong  Walsh Gymnasium (1,202)
South Orange, NJ
January 28, 2026
8:00 p.m., Peacock 		No. 1 Xavier
Play4Kay Pink Game 		W 97–39  22–0
(12–0) 		 34 – Ziebell   8 – Heckel   8 – Heckel  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,244)
Storrs, CT
February 1, 2026*
12:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 1 No. 15 Tennessee
Rivalry 		W 96–66  23–0
  27 – Fudd   9 – Strong   7 – Fudd  PeoplesBank Arena (15,495)
Hartford, CT
February 4, 2026
8:00 p.m., TruTV 		No. 1 at DePaul W 86–40  24–0
(13–0) 		 25 – Fudd   6 – Strong   6 – 2 Tied  Wintrust Arena (6,277)
Chicago, IL
February 7, 2026
12:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 1 Butler W 80–48  25–0
(14–0) 		 17 – Fudd   11 – El Alfy   5 – Shade  PeoplesBank Arena (13,811)
Hartford, CT
February 11, 2026
7:00 p.m., NBCSN/Peacock 		No. 1 Creighton W 94–44  26–0
(15–0) 		 20 – Ziebell   5 – Tied   4 – Tied  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,244)
Storrs, CT
February 14, 2026
1:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 1 at Marquette W 71–56  27–0
(16–0) 		 25 – Fudd   6 – Arnold   9 – Arnold  Al McGuire Center (3,953)
Milwaukee, WI
February 18, 2026
7:00 p.m., Peacock 		No. 1 at Villanova W 83–69  28–0
(17–0) 		 25 – Fudd   12 – Strong   6 – Arnold  Finneran Pavilion (3,719)
Villanova, PA
February 22, 2026
12:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 1 Providence
Senior Day 		      Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 
Storrs, CT
February 26, 2026
7:30 p.m., TNT/TruTV 		Georgetown       PeoplesBank Arena 
Hartford, CT
March 1, 2026
7:00 p.m., TNT/TruTV 		at St. John's       Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
Big East tournament
March 7, 2026
12:00 p.m., Peacock 		(1) vs. (8/9) 
Quarterfinals 		      Mohegan Sun Arena 
Uncasville, CT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

[2]

Rankings

Main article: 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP1 (27)1 (30)1 (28)1 (30)1 (22)1 (23)1 (24)1 (25)1 (25)*1 (28)1 (32)1 (32)1 (31)1 (31)1 (31)1 (31)
Coaches1 (28)1 (29)1 (28)1 (29)1 (28)1 (28)1 (28)1 (28)1 (28)1 (28)1 (31)1 (31)1 (31)1 (31)1 (31)1 (31)

*AP did not release a week 8 poll.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ UConn had been a member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013, and one of the original women's basketball teams in that conference in 1982. The settlement of the 2013 split of the Big East Conference resulted in the so-called "Catholic 7" purchasing the "Big East" name and reorganizing as a new conference. The original conference charter was retained by the Division I FBS football schools that now operate as the American Athletic Conference. As part of the settlement, the current Big East recognizes the competitive history of the original conference in all sports that it sponsors.
  2. ^ Orginally scheduled for January 25, but was moved due to inclement weather.

References

  1. ^ Laflin, Shane. "2025 NCAA women's basketball recruiting: Top 25 class rankings". espn.com. March 25, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  2. ^ "2025-26 Women's Basketball Schedule". UConn Huskies. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
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