The UConn women’s basketball team hasn’t tasted defeat in nearly a year - and the last team to hand them one? The Tennessee Lady Volunteers.
That adds some extra spice to Sunday’s showdown at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, where the No. 1-ranked Huskies (22-0, 12-0 Big East) will face off against No. 15 Tennessee (14-4, 6-1 SEC). It’s not just a marquee matchup between two storied programs - it’s also the final nonconference test for UConn before the postseason grind begins.
Let’s set the stage: UConn enters this game riding a 38-game win streak, including 22 straight in Big East play. Since their last loss - a narrow 80-76 defeat to Tennessee on February 6, 2025 - the Huskies have rattled off a Big East championship and a national title.
They’ve been dominant, plain and simple. But Sunday offers a rare chance to measure themselves against a different kind of opponent - one that plays with SEC toughness and presents the kind of challenge UConn won’t see again until March Madness.
Head coach Geno Auriemma sees it that way, too. He’s not approaching this game as a revenge mission. He’s looking at it as a proving ground.
“These are games that fans love, players love to play in,” Auriemma said Saturday. “They’re games that give you an opportunity to compete against somebody that’s not in your league, that was an NCAA tournament team, that plays a different style from another conference. You want to do all of those things before you get to the NCAA Tournament so you can say, ‘We’ve seen that.’”
That mindset was on full display when UConn rolled past Notre Dame 85-47 back on January 19. But Auriemma isn’t about to let one big win define the season. He wants to keep testing his team, keep building, and keep pushing.
“After the Notre Dame game, I don’t think anybody was ready to cancel the rest of the season and say give them [UConn] the national championship,” he said. “I just hope we continue to play well and keep building on what we’re already doing.”
That process continues against a Tennessee team that’s more than capable of spoiling a perfect season. In last year’s meeting, the Lady Vols got the better of UConn in Knoxville.
Back then, the Huskies were ranked No. 5, Tennessee No.
- Sarah Strong led UConn with 18 points and nine boards, Paige Bueckers added 14 points and eight assists, and Azzi Fudd chipped in 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Tennessee’s Zee Spearman paced the Vols with 16.
Now, nearly a year later, the rosters are deeper, the stakes are higher, and the spotlight is even brighter.
UConn will be without freshman standout Blanca Quinonez (shoulder), but they’re getting a key piece back in Serah Williams, who missed the Xavier game with an ankle injury. That’s big, especially since Strong and Fudd will be asked to shoulder a significant load. Good news for the Huskies: they’ve got help.
Allie Ziebell just exploded for 34 points in a 97-39 rout of Xavier on Wednesday. She’s the kind of scoring threat who can change a game in a hurry - and with Bueckers orchestrating the offense, UConn has the firepower to match any style of play.
Sunday isn’t just another game on the schedule - it’s a measuring stick. For Tennessee, it’s a chance to prove last year’s win wasn’t a fluke. For UConn, it’s a chance to show just how far they’ve come since that February night in Knoxville.
And for the rest of us? It’s a glimpse of what March basketball might look like - two elite teams, one big stage, and no shortage of storylines.
Tip-off can’t come soon enough.