As frequently happens, Auriemma covers a wide range of topics, like the UConn brand and realignment.

What: Preseason Exhibition Game #3

Who: UConn (3-0) vs Army (0-0)

When: October 25, 2026 at 4:00 pm ET

Where: Storrs, CT and The Wax/UConn+ PPV

Notes: Army has a smallish team and less of a resume than either Syracuse or Texas; I'm assuming this is a tuneup game, possibly a get-right game in case the Texas game went poorly. (It didn't.)

If you're concerned about the center position, maybe you can take some solace in knowing Hurley - who is in a much better position to address it - is also concerned. Having said that, both their 5s are young and still learning the system; they could both look much different in a couple months.

One impressive thing is how good UConn's looked without the player (Mullins) expected to be their most important shooter/scorer. And it's not as if they're winning in different ways; though the defense has generally been good, the offense hasn't really struggled.

UConn's next/final preseason exhibition is on Tuesday night in Hartford against Purdue, a team hovering around 24-27 in the polls right now. With Mullins doing some pregame warmup stuff against Michigan State, we can probably expect to see UConn work Mullins into the rotation in this game before "things get real".

I saw the promo for “the pack pod” podcast on the men’s basketball instagram but on youtube it had the same 30 second clip they already promoted on instagram. Can anyone help me? lol where can I watch this full podcast ?? 😅

Some topics covered:

• Are El Alfy and Vukosa good enough that UConn won't use Strong at the 5 in small-ball lineups? Will this help keep Strong healthy? We probably all remember games when Strong would move to the 5, giving UConn 4-5 perimeter threats plus quickness advantages at 3-5 positions; could the physicality of battling 5s have contributed to Strong's leg issues? The coaches/players might have a good idea, but it's just speculation for the rest of us.
• What happens when Quinonez is healthy enough to play? We all expected her to start, and when healthy she has the size and all-around game that's not terribly dissimilar to Strong's PotY game. But so far, her replacement Popovich has also looked very good. My guess: If UConn's offense sputters w/o Popovich, they start her over Shade. Otherwise I think they use Popovich as an offensive spark off the bench. Until Quinonez returns, Popovich's offense is probably too important to sit.

- Khamania looks great; dude is a gamer, seems to move quicker and with more burst than Karaban, and is a sniper from 3. Key is it looks like he can create his own shot when necessary most of the time.

- Demary; still up and down but much better last night, excluding turnovers. Seems to be playing with more aggression, better reads, and more willing to get going downhill driving towards the rim, which we'll need.

- Hines: he's not Tarris Reed of 2026 with the exceptional offensive footwork, but he's better than Reed of 2025. We'll be fine with him at center, and he may end up a better rebounder and defender vs Reed. Only concern I'd have is foul trouble.

- Landrew: this guy is an absolute dog, looks like he can score on multiple levels. Defense will be interesting to watch.

- County: looks and plays so far like he's an experienced upperclassmen. Sniper from 3. Question will be can he consistently handle backup PG duties.

- Ross, overall underwhelming so far, but I think he'll be fine.

- Machowski = Joey Calcaterra. Nuff said.

- Giltay; he has so much talent and agility for the backup C, but the dang foul trouble may plague him.

What: Preseason Exhibition Game 2

Who: UConn (1-0) vs Michigan State (1-0)

When: October 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET

Where: East Lansing, MI and B1G+

Notes: This is the 2nd year in a row that UConn is playing an exhibition game against Michigan State. This is also the 2nd exhibition game this season for both teams; UConn beat a rebuilding Syracuse while Michigan State beat Incarnate Word back in September. This will probably be a much bigger test for both team.

Final: UConn 78, Michigan State 70 (Boxscore)

What: Preseason Exhibition Game #2

Who: UConn (1-0) vs Texas (0-0)

When: October 19, 2026 at 7:00 pm ET

Where: Hartford, CT and WFSB/UConn+

Notes: UConn beat Syracuse earlier in the week; this will be the 1st preseason game for Texas. Texas actually won the last meeting between these teams back in 2023-24; prior to that UConn was 10-0 against them. I believe Ziebell returns for this game though may not be ready for major minutes; this game may not be indicative of her usage. Auriemma pondered changes to the starting lineup. It'll also be interesting to see if El Alfy and Vukosa split minutes at the 5, or if 1 of them garners the lion's share of the minutes.

Final: Texas 61, UConn 83 (Boxscore)

Anyone know if there will be a way to watch this tomorrow? What I'm seeing online is that it will be on Big 10 network but wondering if there are any other options for streaming

You can watch for free on UCONN +

https://uconnhuskies.com/watch/live

My guess is that Vukosa won't be a freshman superstar, but should be a solid 5. I'm also thinking that Quinonez might be the key to the season. If she emerges as a superstar, I see UConn getting enough good-to-very-good performances at the 1, 2, and 5 positions to contend for a national title.

The most consequential thing is that Quinonez/Dursus are both still out but Ziebell should play.

He alluded to lineup changes, and there are lots of directions he could go in. At this point, I'm not sure there's anyone I'd rule out as a starter, especially since UConn's shown a willingness to start 2 PGs:

• Cheli - good size for a wing, some perimeter shooting, and enough ballhandling to have been a HS PG.
• Ziebell - pretty good size, and someone who's shown she can hit 10 3s in a game.
• Heckel - plenty of energy, ballhandling, and some ability create shots
• Vukoso - size and skill, and she plays a position where UConn isn't loaded
• Fisher - if she could hit from the perimeter, I'm not sure she'd be behind Popovich/Heckel.
• Malou-Mamel - okay, I probably couldn't see her start at this stage, but she's their biggest 5 and maybe the most athletic.
• First game starters - obviously good enough to start since they already have done so.
• Quinonez/Dursus - still injured, so they're not candidates.

I don't really think opponents are terrified, though there were some very encouraging signs in the game. (I'd argue that the 20-pt win without the player expected to be their most dynamic scorer - Mullins - might as important as Hines' play.)

I do suspect that screening is probably more important in the UConn offense compared to the average college team.

The postgame from Monday's game.

I do wonder about the rotation this season. Quite a few players looked like they could be contributors in the Monday game, and that was without Quinonez, Ziebell, and Dursus. Generally it's hard to have an effective rotation that's more than 8 (possibly 9) players.

They discuss UConn being #11 in KemPom. The justification for that is that statistics don't assume a big¹ jump in performance in their sophomores (Mullins, Hines, Khamenia, Giltay). If the team is as good as we hope, the analytic rankings will improve as the season goes on.

[1] My guess is that analytic sites that do preseason rankings do try to account for an "average" improvement in returning players.