UConn unveils tough non-conference schedule featuring Notre Dame and South Carolina

Update: UConn announced that a previous TBA game will be against 2015 Final Four participant Maryland on Monday, December 28.  Game time is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden as part of the Maggie Dixon Classic. The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2. It will be the first of a three-game series between the two programs and a rematch of the national semifinal in Tampa which the Huskies won, 81-58, en route to a 10^th national championship..  UConn will travel to Maryland in 2016-17 while the Terps will play at UConn during the 2017-18 season. 

---

The University of Connecticut, the defending NCAA champion, announced its non-conference schedule today. The slate includes four contests at home, five on the road, one at a neutral site and one game to be announced.

The Huskies will meet former Big East foe, Notre Dame on Dec. 5. The Irish finished the season ranked No. 2 nationally and posted a 36-3 overall record en route to winning the ACC regular season and tournament championships. Notre Dame has made four appearances in the NCAA national championship game since 2011, falling to the Huskies in 2014 and 2015.

UConn will head back to New England for the 2015 Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge on Friday, Dec. 11. The team will square-off against Florida State at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.  The Seminoles put together an outstanding year in 2014-15 and finished with a 32-5 overall record, including a 14-2 mark in the ACC.  FSU was rated No. 7 in the RPI and advanced to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskies will match up with LSU on Monday, December 21 at home.  LSU won four games against top-20 teams last season and finished the season with a 17-11 overall record, including a 10-6 mark in the SEC.  LSU’s 2014-15 season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

UConn’s final non-conference regular season matchup is scheduled for Monday, February 8 when the team travels to Columbia, S.C. for a showdown with South Carolina. The Gamecocks finished the 2014-15 season with a 34-3, shared the SEC Regular Season crown with a 15-1 league mark and won the SEC Tournament.  The Gamecocks finished the season ranked No. 4 in the RPI and advanced to their first Final Four in school history.

Game times, home game locations and television information will be released at a later date. Schedule in a nutshell:

• Four home games
• Five away games
• Two games at a neutral site
• Nine games against 2015 NCAA Tournament Teams
• Five games against teams that advanced to at least the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament
• Three games against teams that advanced to the 2015 Final Four
• Seven games against teams ranked in the top-35 of the 2015 RPI

November
Mon. 2 Lubbock Christian (exhibition)
Sun. 8 Vanguard (exhibition)
Mon. 16 at Ohio State
Mon. 23 Kansas State
Sat. 28 Nebraska
Mon. 30 at Chattanooga

December
Wed. 2 at DePaul
Sat. 5 Notre Dame – Jimmy V Classic
Wed. 9 at Colgate
Fri. 11 vs. Florida State – Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge
Mon. 21 LSU
Mo. 28 Maryland – Maggie Dixon Classic

February
Mon. 8 at South Carolina