South Carolina and UConn Rematch Tops Early Women's College Basketball Schedule

Women's college basketball fans do not have to wait for March Madness to see top teams collide. The nonconference schedule in November and December is packed with matchups between ranked programs, several of them rematches from last season's postseason.

The most anticipated game is set for Nov. 24, when preseason No. 1 South Carolina meets second-ranked UConn at Mohegan Sun, two days before Thanksgiving. The teams last met in the Final Four. That game is remembered for UConn coach Geno Auriemma's outburst in the handshake line, where he yelled at South Carolina's Dawn Staley. The two coaches appear to have patched things up publicly since, but there is little doubt that plenty of eyes will be on the handshakes before and after the rematch.

Another early highlight is a doubleheader in Paris featuring four ranked teams. It will be played a day after Villanova and No. 13 Notre Dame open their seasons in a men's and women's doubleheader in Rome. This is the fourth straight year that a women's game will be held in Paris, and the second time South Carolina has been involved.

JuJu Watkins also returns to the national stage when Southern California travels across the country to face the Gamecocks in Greenville, South Carolina. Watkins won the AP Player of the Year award as a sophomore, then tore her ACL in the NCAA Tournament and missed all of last year while recovering. She is described as raring to go.

After Thanksgiving, Duke and UConn will meet in Boston, where Duke coach Kara Lawson spent a season as an assistant with the NBA's Celtics before taking the Blue Devils job. UConn has won the last 11 meetings between the schools, though they have not played since the 2023-24 season.

The annual ACC/SEC Challenge brings another standout pairing, with Hannah Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish visiting Mikayla Blakes and the Commodores. It is a rematch of last season's Sweet 16 game, which Notre Dame won 67-64. Hidalgo was dominant in that victory, finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and seven assists.

Later, South Carolina, Southern California, Duke, Texas, UCLA and Notre Dame will gather in Las Vegas for the second annual Players Era tournament. The first night features a national championship rematch between UCLA and South Carolina, along with Duke against Texas and Notre Dame against USC. That last game will showcase two of the country's top players, Watkins and Hidalgo, each leading their team.

The second night includes a Final Four rematch between Texas and UCLA. Notre Dame will face South Carolina, and Duke will play USC in the other two games.