UConn and South Carolina meet in $2M Nov. 24 rematch

The 2026-27 women's college basketball season features a slate of high-stakes nonconference games before the holiday break. The centerpiece is a rematch between South Carolina and Connecticut, scheduled for Nov. 24 at the Mohegan Sun.

South Carolina enters the season as the AP preseason No. 1 team, while UConn is ranked second. This matchup revisits their Final Four meeting from last year. The previous contest ended with a heated exchange in the handshake line between UConn coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. Both coaches have appeared to reconcile since that incident.

Beyond the headliner, several other ranked teams will play in Europe. Four ranked teams will compete in a doubleheader in Paris. This event follows a men's and women's doubleheader in Rome involving Villanova and No. 13 Notre Dame. It marks the fourth consecutive year a women's game has been played in Paris and the second time the South Carolina Gamecocks have participated in the series.

JuJu Watkins will make her return to the national stage when USC travels to Greenville, South Carolina, to face the Gamecocks. Watkins won the AP Player of the Year award as a sophomore before tearing her ACL. She sat out the previous season while recovering from that injury.

Duke and UConn will meet in Boston after Thanksgiving. Duke coach Kara Lawson previously spent a season as an assistant with the NBA's Celtics before taking the Blue Devils head coaching job. UConn has won the last 11 meetings against Duke, though the teams have not played since the 2023-24 season.

The ACC/SEC challenge will feature a rematch of last season's Sweet 16 game. Notre Dame, led by Hannah Hidalgo, will visit Tennessee, led by Mikayla Blakes. The Irish won that previous matchup 67-64. Hidalgo recorded 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals, and seven assists in that victory.

The second annual Players Era tournament will take place in Las Vegas. The field includes South Carolina, Southern California, Duke, Texas, UCLA, and Notre Dame. The first night features a national championship rematch between UCLA and South Carolina. Duke will play Texas, and Notre Dame will take on USC. The second night includes a Final Four rematch between Texas and UCLA, along with games between Notre Dame and South Carolina, and Duke and USC.