A blockbuster women's college basketball game is officially on the calendar.

According to ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo, speaking on A Touch More, the podcast hosted by Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, LSU will face UConn during the 2026–27 season.

LSU and UConn will meet for the first time in nearly a decade in Nashville, likely at the Bridgestone Arena. The two programs have faced each other eight times, with UConn winning seven of those games.

LSU has won just one of those meetings, in the Elite Eight of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. This time, however, the context is very different.

Kim Mulkey will be entering her fifth season as LSU’s head coach, and the game will mark her first matchup against Geno Auriemma since taking over in Baton Rouge. The Tigers won the 2023 national championship and have reached the Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons.

The head coach is also nearing her 900th career win. She and Auriemma now hold two of the three highest winning percentages in the history of women’s college basketball. And the two coaches are no strangers, though.

Kim Mulkey was the Head Coach at Baylor Before

Back when Mulkey was the head coach at Baylor, she faced Auriemma nine times. The Huskies defeated Baylor twice in the NCAA Tournament, including their most recent postseason matchup in the 2021 Elite Eight.

Overall, UConn holds a slight 5–4 edge in the all-time series against Baylor. That history may suggest dominance, but next season’s rosters will look different. Azzi Fudd is expected to declare for the WNBA Draft, opening the door for new faces to shape the rivalry. So stay tuned! 

Written by

Yashika Dutta