The UConn women’s basketball team added another marquee matchup to next year’s schedule on Wednesday, announcing it will face Maryland in the third annual Women’s Champions Classic at Barclays Center.
The Women’s Champions Classic began in 2024 with four teams — UConn, Iowa, Louisville and Tennessee — competing in a double-header at the New York Liberty’s home arena in Brooklyn, and the same four squads returned to the event in 2025. Next season, three new teams will join the Huskies in New York for the showcase on Dec. 5. Michigan and Iowa State will play the first matchup at 7 p.m., followed by UConn and Maryland at 9 p.m.. Both games will air on FOX.
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“It’s going to be exciting to have three new teams in the Women’s Champions Classic,” coach Geno Auriemma said in a release. “We have a history playing against Maryland, so it’s great to get that started again. Michigan and Iowa State both play a fun style of basketball. The first two Classics have been a tremendous success, and I think it’s going to continue to grow and grow each year. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
The Huskies are 2-0 in the Women’s Champions Classic. They dominated Iowa 90-64 this season on Dec. 20 and earned an 85-52 win over Louisville in 2024. The 2025 event drew more than 11,000 fans to Barclays Center, and the broadcast peaked at 860,000 viewers on FOX with an average of 617,000.
UConn last faced Maryland in Nov. 2023 and earned its largest win in series history with an 80-48 rout in College Park. The Huskies are 8-1 all time against the Terrapins with their lone loss coming during the 2022 regular season. Maryland is currently ranked No. 17 in the country and will make its 15th straight NCAA Tournament appearance this year.
The Huskies already have a loaded non-conference slate for 2026-27. They will resume their rivalry series with No. 4 South Carolina in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena on Nov. 24, and they are set to face No. 5 LSU at a showcase in Nashville. UConn will also begin a three-year series with No. 8 Duke at TD Garden in Boston on Nov. 28. On top of the neutral site matchups, the Huskies have existing home-and-home series on the schedule with No. 13 Ohio State and No. 22 Notre Dame on the road and Tennessee at home.
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