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- UConn Sports Weekly: Absolutely Loaded Non-Con Slate
UConn Sports Weekly: Absolutely Loaded Non-Con Slate
Plus: Softball heads to the NCAA Tournament. Baseball nearing the end of the regular season.
Aman Kidwai
May 11, 2026
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Headlines
Another Stacked Non-Conference Slate
One year after playing five top-20 teams in the first 10 games last season, Dan Hurley’s squad is following it up with another gauntlet. Last week saw the announcement of UConn’s date with Duke in Las Vegas. Three more games have been announced or reported:
Michigan (November 6, TD Garden)
Ohio State (TBD, home-and-home)
Virginia (December 20, Madison Square Garden)
Those three join the Blue Devils, Kansas, Illinois, and Arizona on the Huskies' early-season schedule.
All seven of these programs fall in the top 30 of Jon Rothstein's Rothstein 45, which projects the top 45 teams next season. Five sit inside the top 10, with Illinois (No. 2), Duke (No. 3), and Michigan (No. 4), joining UConn in the top five.
This means expectations for heavy competition from the Big East are, again, limited, and also that the UConn staff expects to be highly competitive. Either way, UConn is giving the nation some of the best matchups of the entire college basketball calendar next season.
Jaye Nash Commits to UConn
Jacksonville State forward Jaye Nash visited Storrs on Tuesday before announcing his commitment on Saturday. A pass-first guard who began his career at Tulsa, Nash is the fifth transfer to join UConn in this cycle.
Elsewhere in the portal, Jacob Furphy is set to follow Luke Murray to Boston College, while Rrezon Elezaj will transfer to Appalachian State in North Carolina, leaving Uroš Paunovic as the final former Husky looking for a home.
UConn hosted 7-foot-1 big man Vuk Lazarevic, a former teammate of Junior County, for a visit on Tuesday, but on Friday he committed to Ohio State.
Adam Finkelstein joined Storrs Central to break down the program’s offseason thus far.
Football on the Board for 2027
Jason Candle and his staff have landed their first Class of 2027 commitment: WR Dae’sean Graves from Holy Cross HS in Waterbury.
Graves, who had offers from Syracuse, Wake Forest, and Liberty, is a nice way to start off the recruiting class. He was named New England Football Journal’s Class M Player of the Year for his efforts last fall.
Softball headed to NCAA Tournament, Petteys named Big East POY
Photo: Ian Bethune
For the third consecutive season, UConn softball has the Big East’s best player. Sophomore shortstop Cat Petteys slugged her way to the Big East POY Award, leading the conference in home runs (10), doubles (10), RBI (32), and total bases (74) during the regular season.
Last year’s Big East Freshman of the Year, Petteys led the Huskies to an 18-6 conference record this season and a share of the Big East regular season crown. They start the NCAA Tournament this weekend after taking down Creighton 8-3 to clinch the Big East Tournament crown and an NCAA Tournament berth.
It marked UConn’s second straight Big East title and placement in the 64-team field. Head coach Laura Valentino’s squad landed in Texas A&M’s regional alongside Arizona State and McNeese.
The 4-seed Huskies will face the Aggies, one of 12 SEC teams in the field, on Friday at 2 p.m. Since the regionals are double-elimination, UConn’s Saturday opponent is dependent on Friday’s results.
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Geno Speaks
Geno Auriemma’s confrontation with Dawn Staley in the waning seconds of UConn’s Final Four loss to South Carolina made massive headlines around the country last month. While Auriemma apologized for his actions in a statement released through the school soon after, he spoke publicly for the first time last week. Above all, he expressed regret.
“You do things in the spur of the moment sometimes, but they usually come from things that have been building up for quite some time,” he said. “You just feel like a dumbass for the way it played out. We're all human, and we all do dumb shit.”
Daniel Connolly has more on the fallout.
And as is true with any Auriemma availability, he touched on a plethora of topics. From Azzi Fudd going No. 1 overall, to her relationship with Paige Bueckers, to UCLA hoisting its first national championship trophy, Connolly lays out the best quotes over on UConn WBB Weekly.
Baseball clinches Big East Tournament spot
Jim Penders’ squad is pushing for an NCAA Tournament bid. The Huskies officially clinched a spot in the four-team conference tournament field this weekend after sweeping Seton Hall.
UConn came from behind Friday, mashed its way to a 12-run win Saturday, and polished off the three-game set Sunday behind five RBI from outfielder Chris Polemeni.
While there is still one week to play in the regular season, the Big East Tournament field is already locked in. Alongside UConn, Xavier, St. John’s, and Creighton have separated themselves far enough from the rest of the pack to guarantee a top-four finish.
The Huskies, Red Storm, and Musketeers currently sit in a three-way tie for first place in the conference, with the defending champion Bluejays just a game behind. Creighton and Xavier square off this weekend, while UConn and St. John’s host eliminated teams in Villanova and Butler. First pitch from Storrs is Thursday at 6:05 p.m.
Weekly Rewind
Baseball
How UConn’s program has evolved over Jim Penders’ 800 wins - Exploring the growth of UConn baseball as its head coach hits a major milestone.
Men's Basketball
Alex Karaban Leaves UConn on the Highest Note - Karaban flirted with the pros but ended up staying in college as long as possible. ($)
Solo Ball on the Difficult Decision to Sit - It came as a huge surprise, but the rising senior wanted to make the best decision for his long-term goals. ($)
Women’s Basketball
17 UConn players on WNBA rosters as 2026 season begins – Nine different teams feature at least one former Husky.
Apple TV’s UConn women’s basketball docuseries to premiere on Aug. 21 – The three-part production will share the story of the Huskies’ national title run in 2025.
Tina Charles announces retirement – Charles calls it a career after 14 seasons in the W.
Sarah Strong to focus on rest and recovery this summer – UConn’s star will rest this offseason for the first time in a while.
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