Geno Auriemma will get a second look at his 2026-27 UConn Huskies in exhibition play Monday night, this time against Texas, and he undoubtedly will hope to see improvements in a few key areas.
Start with transition defense and 3-point shooting.
In the UConn women's basketball exhibition opener last Monday against Syracuse in Uncasville, Conn., the Huskies were just 3-of-22 from long distance in the 88-60 win.
As uncharacteristic as that was of an Auriemma team, so was the transition defense, which the veteran coach criticized after the game. The most irksome span came in the second period, when Syracuse went on a 12-2 run.
“I thought the defense in transition was really bad,” Auriemma said after the game. “And they took advantage of that. They got an awful lot of points at the rim, beating us down the floor. When you play hard and you play good defense, it makes everything go well, but when you foul a lot, like we did in the second quarter, it just negates all the hard work you’re doing.”
UConn will host Texas at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Conn. Game time is 7 p.m. ET on Monday.
About Texas
UConn (38-1 in 2025-26) and Texas (35-4) both made the Final Four last season, losing in the semifinals. Like the Huskies, the Longhorns are expected to be in that national title conversation again in the 2026-27 season.
The Longhorns are led by Madison Booker, who has a lengthy resume in her first three college seasons.
Three times, Booker has been named a first-team All-American and won the award as Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year. She was named the top player in the Big 12 in 2024 and the Southeastern Conference in 2025. She has scored in double figures 100 times.
Booker led the Longhorns in scoring (18.9 points), rebounds (6.7) and minutes (32.4) per game.
Returning alongside Booker is 6-foot-4 senior center Breya Cunningham, who started 38 of Texas’ 39 games last season. She averaged 7.7 points and 5.6 rebounds over 18.9 minutes per game last season.
Texas had the top recruiting class in the nation in the Class of 2026, according to the 247Sports composite.
Among the five freshmen, Addison Bjorn, Brihanna Crittendon and Lizzy Spaight were McDonald’s All-Americans and Gatorade players of the year in their respective states.
About UConn
The Huskies can counter with their own standout freshman, Olivia Vukosa, who was the Gatorade national player of the year and a McDonald’s All-American as a senior at Christ the King in New York.
She got her introduction to major college basketball against Syracuse and came close to a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing a team-high nine rebounds in 18 minutes of play.
Vukosa was one of seven Huskies in double figures, joined by Sarah Strong (15 points), KK Arnold and Kelis Fisher (11 points each), and Kayleigh Heckel, Jana El Alfy and fellow freshman Jovana Popovic (10 points).
On the injury front, Allie Ziebell is expected to play Monday after being sidelined due to an ankle injury, Auriemma said. Blanca Quinonez (shoulder) and Marine Dursus (foot) are progressing but not yet ready to play, he added.
The Huskies will conclude the exhibition season on Oct. 25 at home at Gampel Pavilion with a game against Army at 4 p.m.
Game notes
- UConn is 10-1 all-time (in non-exhibition games) against Texas, but the Longhorns got the last one. Texas beat UConn 80-68 in the teams’ most recent meeting on Dec. 3, 2023, in Austin, Texas.
- UConn is No. 2 among NCAA programs with 1,365 wins, trailing only Tennessee. Texas is third with 1,286.
- Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma is entering his 42nd season at UConn, with Texas’ Vic Schaefer entering his seventh with the Longhorns and 22nd overall. Auriemma has an all-time record of 1,288-166, all at UConn. Schaefer is 179-40 at Texas and 480-212 overall.