UConn tips off the 2025-26 season against Louisville on Nov. 4.

The No. 1 UConn women's basketball team began its title defense against Louisville on Tuesday. And the Huskies are picking up right where they left off.

The Huskies, who are ranked No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports women's basketball coaches poll, are looking to repeat as champions for the first time since 2015-2016. The Huskies are 43-8 all-time in season openers and have won 29 in a row and looking good for their 30th.

Senior guard Azzi Fudd, sophomore sensation Sarah Strong (WBCA Freshman of the Year), in addition to KK Arnold, Jana El-Alfy and Ice Brady return from their championship squad. As if the program wasn't already loaded, the Huskies added transfers Serah Williams (Wisconsin), Kayleigh Heckel (USC) and incoming freshmen Kelis Fisher, Gandy Malou-Mamel and Blanca Quinonez.

COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Top 10 storylines to watch this season

AZZI FUDD embraces the hard as she leads UConn into her final season

Here's everything you need to know about the Armed Forces Classic between UConn and Louisville:

End of 3Q: UConn 61, Louisville 40

Louisville and UConn both scored 17 points in the third quarter, but the Cardinals are trailing by 21.

Four Huskies have reached double-digits, including Sarah Strong (15 points), KK Arnold (13 points), Azzi Fudd (12 points) and sophomore transfer Kayleigh Heckel (10 points). Despite having a 21-point lead, the Huskies are struggling to get much going from the 3-point line and are 4-of-23 from beyond the arc.

Skylar Jones is the only player from Louisville to reach double-digits with 11 points off the bench. Laura Ziegler added seven points and has accounted for 16 of Louisville's 35 total rebounds.

Kayleigh Heckel stats

Sophmore guard Kayleigh Heckel transferred to UConn following one season at USC, where she averaged 6.1 points, 1.9 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 34 games (seven starts) during her freshman campaign. Heckel is up to 12 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in her first game in a Huskies uniform on Tuesday vs. Louisville.

Halftime: UConn 44, Louisville 23

UConn sophomore forward Sarah Strong came alive in the second quarter, dropping 11 of her 13 points to give the Huskies a 21-point lead over Louisville at halftime. Strong rounded out her stat line with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. KK Arnold added 13 points in the first half and Azzi Fudd is up to eight points.

The Huskies have been dominant through two quarters. UConn is not only shooting 48.7% from the field compared to 26.5% for Louisville, the Huskies have an advantage in rebounds (27-20), fast break points (11-5) and in the paint (28-8).

Imari Berry and Skylar Jones have a team-high six points each for Louisville.

End of Q1: UConn 25, Louisville 9

UConn junior guard KK Arnold scored nine points in the first quarter, single handedly tying Louisville team after 10 minutes of play. Arnold went 4-of-4 from the field including a 3-pointer. Azzi Fudd added eight points with a pair of 3-pointers. The Huskies are shooting a red-hot 55% from the field and 37.5% from the 3-point line.

Louisville is looking to find its offensive rhythm. The team was held to a dismal 3-of-18 from field (16.7%) and 1-of-6 from the 3-point line. Skylar Jones and Reyna Scott each scored three points off the bench in the first quarter. The Cardinals also gave up four turnovers for eight points.

What time is UConn vs. Louisville?

The UConn Huskies open the season against the Louisville Cardinals on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Alumni Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Paige Bueckers in the building

The Huskies are playing their first game without Paige Bueckers since 2020, but she was spotted in the crowd at Alumni Hall in Maryland to cheer on her former team. Bueckers finished her career at UConn with 2,439 points, the third-most in program history.

“Definitely weird and definitely a surreal feeling of just being in a different position and watching from a different perspective," Bueckers told ESPN's Holly Rowe during the broadcast. "Not being yelled at when a UConn game is on. So it’s all different vibes, but I'm very happy to be here and very excited to watch."

Huskies jump to early 8-0 lead

We're underway at the U.S. Naval Academy. UConn appeared to pick up right where they left off and got off to a hot start. The Huskies jumped to a 8-0 lead over Louisville, led by a pair of 3-pointers from KK Arnold and Azzi Fudd. The Huskies are 2-for-3 from the 3-point line, while the Cardinals are 0-of-3 from the field and 0-of-2 from 3. Louisville needs to settle in and take better care of the ball. Five of the Huskies eight points come from turnovers.

UConn vs. Louisville score: TV, streaming for Game 4

  • Date: Tuesday, Nov. 4
  • Time: 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT)
  • Location: U.S, Naval Academy's Alumni Hall (Annapolis, Maryland)
  • TV: ESPN
  • Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited

UConn Huskies starting lineup

Head coach: Geno Auriemma

  • (2) KK Arnold
  • (12) Ashlynn Shade
  • (21) Sarah Strong
  • (22) Serah Williams
  • (35) Azzi Fudd

Louisville Cardinals starting lineup

Head coach: Jeff Walz

  • (0) Laura Ziegler
  • (2) Imari Berry
  • (4) Mackenly Randolph
  • (11) Elif Istanbulluoglu
  • (22) Tajianna Roberts

Check out UConn's championship rings

The "Power of Friendship" lifted the UConn women's basketball team to the program's 12th national championship in April and the phrase has been commemorated forever in the team's new bling.

Nearly seven months after the Huskies defeated South Carolina 82-59 in the 2025 NCAA championship game to win the university's first title since 2016, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers returned to Storrs, Connecticut, to receive the first national championship ring of her career alongside former teammates.

"The power of friendship ... is the reason that we did win it," said Bueckers, who helped design the ring alongside Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme. "We just went off of straight vibes and we stuck together through it all."

MORE: Paige Bueckers helped design UConn's championship rings

UConn women's basketball roster

# NAME POS EXP HT HOMETOWN
2 KK Arnold G Jr. 5' 9" Germantown, WI
4 Blanca Quinonez F Fr. 6' 2" Milagro
7 Kelis Fisher G Fr. 5' 9" Baltimore, MD
8 Jana El Alfy C Soph. 6' 5" Cairo
9 Kayleigh Heckel G Soph. 5' 9" Port Chester, NY
11 Allie Ziebell G Soph. 6' 0" Neenah, WI
12 Ashlynn Shade G Jr. 5' 10" Noblesville, IN
21 Sarah Strong F Soph. 6' 2" Durham, NC
22 Serah Williams F Sr. 6' 4" Brooklyn, NY
23 Morgan Cheli G Soph. 6' 2" Los Altos, CA
25 Ice Brady F Jr. 6' 3" San Diego, CA
33 Caroline Ducharme G Sr. 6' 2" Milton, MA
34 Ayanna Patterson F Soph. 6' 2" Fort Wayne, IN
35 Azzi Fudd G Sr. 5' 11" Arlington, VA
42 Gandy Malou-Mamel C Fr. 6' 5" Limerick

Azzi Fudd embraces the hard as she leads UConn into her final season

Azzi Fudd opted to return for her fifth and final year of eligibility to unlock her full potential, at the advice of UConn coach Geno Auriemma. The appreciation of embracing the opportunity highlights Fudd’s maturity as a redshirt senior preparing to step into a leadership role for UConn.

The Huskies, who are ranked No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports women's basketball coaches poll to start the season for the first time since 2017, are looking to repeat as champion. After the departure of three-time All-American guard Paige Bueckers, the Huskies will rely on Fudd, a quiet and introverted star, to take over.

"Everything about this year is going to be a challenge. I knew that going in," Fudd said. "I’m excited about what else I can add, what else I can learn. Whether that’s specifically on the court with my ball handling, bringing the ball up, or its leadership. I think this year has been all about embracing the hard." Read Cydney's full story here.

Preseason women's college basketball rankings

The defending champion Connecticut Huskies took the No. 1 spot in the initial USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, released on Thursday, Oct. 23. UConn may have lost Paige Bueckers to the WNBA, but does return Azzi Fudd and other stars as it looks to become the first repeat champion since winning four straight from 2013-16.

However, the path for UConn will once again feature Dawn Staley and South Carolina, which comes in No. 2. The Gamecocks added firepower with Florida State transfer Ta'Niya Latson, who led the NCAA with 25.2 points per game last season.

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

  1. UConn (28)
  2. South Carolina (3)
  3. Texas
  4. UCLA
  5. LSU
  6. Duke
  7. Oklahoma
  8. North Carolina State
  9. Tennessee
  10. Maryland
  11. North Carolina
  12. TCU
  13. Notre Dame
  14. Mississippi
  15. Michigan
  16. Southern California
  17. Iowa State
  18. Baylor
  19. Louisville
  20. Kentucky
  21. Vanderbilt
  22. Oklahoma State
  23. Iowa
  24. Ohio State
  25. Kansas State

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UConn vs. Louisville women's basketball live updates, score for top 25 showdown

Reporting by Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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