UConn and Iowa are two of the most recognizable brands in women’s college basketball, but the Huskies and Hawkeyes haven’t played each other all that often.
That will change next season when the two programs begin a home-and-home series. Iowa will travel to UConn for a non-conference game Nov. 8. The Huskies will travel to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City in the 2027-28 season.
UConn hasn’t played a game at Iowa in more than two decades, last visiting Carver-Hawkeye in 1999.
The Huskies are 7-4 all-time against the Hawkeyes, but Iowa took the last victory and it was a meaningful one. The two teams met up in the 2024 Final Four in Cleveland with a Lisa Bluder-coached Iowa team taking a narrow 71-69 victory over Geno Auriemma’s Huskies.
Caitlin Clark, named the consensus National Player of the Year that season, finished with 21 points, but the end of the contest was a nailbiter.
UConn trailed by one point with nine seconds left after KK Arnold stole the ball. However, on the ensuing possession, the referees whistled Huskies forward Aaliyah Edwards for an illegal screen with 3.9 seconds remaining, handing the ball back to Iowa. Clark was fouled, hit the first free throw and missed the next, but Iowa got the rebound with 1.1 seconds to go. On the second of two inbounds plays, the Hawkeyes got a pass in to clinch the win.
“I’m just frustrated with the loss” UConn’s Paige Bueckers, who finished with 17 points, said. “I mean, we can talk about officiating, but players play. Players decide the game.”
Fans will hope that these next two meetings between the Hawkeyes and Huskies are just as memorable.
UConn is coming off a year where it started 38-0 before losing in the Final Four to South Carolina. Iowa, in coach Jan Jensen’s second year, was upset on its home floor in the second round by Virginia.
Both programs return star players in the front court, with Sarah Strong back for the Huskies and Ava Heiden starring for the Hawkeyes.
UConn is piecing together an impressive non-conference slate that also features matchups with South Carolina, Duke, Michigan and Maryland.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iconic women’s basketball programs, UConn and Iowa, to begin series this season
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