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UConn women's basketball vs. Louisville: Time, TV, what to know – CT Insider
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The UConn women’s basketball team begins a stretch of three games in five days on Saturday when it hosts No. 18 Louisville at the XL Center.
The No. 17 Huskies will be looking to put together their first three-game winning streak of the season as they head into their final stretch of games before the holiday break.
UConn, which was on a break this week for academic finals, has just 10 available players following Ayanna Patterson’s season-ending knee injury and Caroline Ducharme’s continued absence from the team as she recovers from neck/back issues. The Huskies are already without Jana El Alfy (Achilles) and Azzi Fudd (knee) for the remainder of the season due to injuries.
The Huskies are coming off their second win over a top-25 ranked opponent after defeating then-No. 24 UNC on Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena. Paige Bueckers paced UConn on both ends of the floor, while also tying Maya Moore as the fastest Husky to reach 1,000 career points as she reached the milestone in 55 games.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma, left, greets Louisville head coach Jeff Walz before a game in Storrs in 2018.
Saturday’s meeting between Louisville and UConn begins a home-and-home series. The Huskies will travel to Louisville, Kentucky next season in 2024-25 (date TBD).
Louisville enters Saturday’s matchup on a six-game winning streak, most recently a 74-48 win against Morehead State on Wednesday. UConn will be the Cardinal’s second Top 25 opponent this season after previously beating then-No. 19 Ole Miss on Nov. 29, 64-58.
Graduate guard Kiki Jefferson leads Louisville with 12.1 points per game followed by senior forward Olivia Cochran with 11.6 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game.
After losing former star guard Hailey Van Lith to LSU through the transfer portal, Cardinals’ head coach Jeff Walz (17th season) rebuilt his starting lineup by picking up a handful of new players from the portal during the offseason.
Jefferson transferred to Louisville in April after playing her first four years at James Madison, where she was the 2023 Sun Belt Player of the Year. Fellow graduate starting guard Sydney Taylor played her first four years at UMass before transferring to the Cardinals also this spring.
Nina Rickards joined Louisville after four years at Florida and junior guard Jayda Curry transferred to the Cardinals after two years playing for Cal, where she was the 2022 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
UConn is 17-3 all-time against Louisville. The teams last met in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on Dec. 19, 2021, when Louisville gave UConn its first ever loss at Mohegan Sun Arena. Saturday’s game will be the Cardinal’s first trip to Hartford since 2013 (UConn won 72-58).
When: Saturday at noon
Where: XL Center
Records: UConn (6-3, 0-0 Big East) Louisville (10-1, 0-0 ACC)
TV: FOX
Radio: UConn Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WICH-Norwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Wilimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM), 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, SiriusXM-983, SXM App 973
PROBABLE STARTERS
Louisville
Player Pos. PPG
Kiki Jefferson G. 12.1
Olivia Cochran F. 11.6
Sydney Taylor G. 10.5
Nyla Harris F. 9.7
Nina Rickards G. 7.5
UConn
Player Pos. PPG
Paige Bueckers G. 19.8
Ashlynn Shade G. 6.9
Aaliyah Edwards F. 15.8
Nika Mühl G. 7.4
KK Arnold G. 7.3