UConn basketball opens its 2026-27 regular season with a Hartford doubleheader on Monday, November 2, 2026, at PeoplesBank Arena. The women’s team hosts Cornell at 5 p.m., and the men’s team hosts Gardner-Webb at 9 p.m. Both games air on Peacock and NBC Sports Network and on the UConn Sports Network radio broadcast, according to UConn Athletics.
The opener comes eight days after the women finished an unbeaten preseason, and one day before Election Day in Connecticut. Here is what Hartford-area fans need to know.
UConn women’s basketball: a tough November
The Huskies won all three exhibition games. They beat Syracuse 88-60 at Mohegan Sun Arena on October 12, Texas 83-61 at PeoplesBank Arena on October 19, and Army 86-50 at Gampel Pavilion on October 25.
After Cornell, the November schedule turns hard fast:
- Thursday, Nov. 5: at Michigan, Ann Arbor, 6:30 p.m., FS1
- Sunday, Nov. 8: Iowa, Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, 2 p.m., FS1
- Thursday, Nov. 12: at Ohio State, 6:30 p.m., FS1
- Sunday, Nov. 15: at Louisville, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
- Friday, Nov. 20: Seton Hall, PeoplesBank Arena, 8 p.m., Peacock (Big East opener)
- Tuesday, Nov. 24: South Carolina, Mohegan Sun Arena, 8 p.m., FS1
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Duke at TD Garden in Boston, 7 p.m., FOX
UConn says 10 of its non-conference opponents played in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and finished in the top 25 of the final NET rankings, including South Carolina, LSU, Michigan, Duke and Louisville. The women play eight home games in Hartford this season: Texas (preseason), Cornell, Seton Hall, Tennessee, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence and St. John’s. The 2027 Big East women’s tournament returns to Mohegan Sun Arena March 5-8.
UConn men’s basketball: national runner-up returns
Dan Hurley’s team reached the 2026 national championship game, losing 69-63 to Michigan on April 6 in Indianapolis, according to UConn’s schedule release. The rematch comes quickly: UConn plays Michigan on Friday, November 6, at TD Garden in Boston at 8 p.m. on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.
The men beat Syracuse 72-52 in an exhibition on October 13 and won 78-70 at Michigan State on October 20. They close the preseason against Purdue at PeoplesBank Arena on Tuesday, October 27, at 7 p.m., on WFSB locally and UConn+ pay-per-view.
The rest of the men’s November slate:
- Monday, Nov. 9: Wagner, Gampel Pavilion, 7 p.m., truTV
- Friday, Nov. 13: Ohio State, PeoplesBank Arena, 7:30 p.m., TNT
- Wednesday, Nov. 18: at Arizona, Tucson, 9 p.m., FS1
- Wednesday, Nov. 25: Duke at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, 7 p.m., Prime
- Monday, Nov. 30: Rider, Gampel Pavilion, 6:30 p.m., FS1
UConn plays 12 non-conference games, including seven against teams that finished 2025-26 in the KenPom top 25.
Two UConn games in Boston
Both programs come to TD Garden in November: the men on November 6 against Michigan and the women on November 28 against Duke. That gives Huskies fans in Massachusetts two chances to see UConn without driving to Connecticut. For more college hockey and basketball coverage, see our Boston college hockey roundup and the latest on Boston College women’s hockey.
Getting to PeoplesBank Arena
PeoplesBank Arena is in downtown Hartford. Fans coming by train can ride CTrail Hartford Line or Amtrak trains between New Haven and Springfield to Hartford Union Station, where the Hartford Line says a free DASH shuttle is available. Fans heading to the polls the next day can check our Connecticut early voting guide.
Sources
- UConn Athletics: 2026-27 Women’s Basketball Media Center: exhibition results and game times and TV for the full schedule.
- UConn Athletics: UConn’s 2026-27 Complete Schedule, Home Designations Announced: Hartford home games, NCAA and NET details, and Big East tournament dates.
- UConn Athletics: 2026-27 Men’s Basketball Schedule: men’s exhibition results, venues, tip times and TV.
- UConn Athletics: UConn Announces 2026-27 Non-Conference Schedule: the 2026 title game result and KenPom count.
Additional sources
- Hartford Line: Travel Connections: the DASH shuttle and other links from Hartford Union Station.
- UConn Athletics: Women’s game center, Cornell and men’s game center, Gardner-Webb: live stats on game night.
- Wikimedia Commons: XL Center: photo credit and license.
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