College basketball is back at last, and Monday is the season opener for one of its most storied women’s programs in the UConn Huskies.

The No. 2 Huskies will officially begin their 2026-27 campaign on NBC and Peacock in a showdown with Cornell at 5 p.m. ET.

The game will mark just the second meeting in the two teams’ histories and the first since the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, which UConn won 89-47.

The opener features a doubleheader with the No. 4 UConn men’s team, who will face Gardner-Webb at 9 p.m.

Find more information below on Cornell and No. 2 UConn and how to watch the game.

How to watch Cornell vs. No. 2 UConn: TV channel, livestream information

• YouTube TV: NBCSN
• Live Stream: Peacock

When is Cornell vs. No. 2 UConn? Date, tip-off time and location

• When: Monday, Nov. 2
• Tip-off time: 5 p.m. ET
• Location: PeoplesBank Arena, Hartford, Conn.

Cornell vs. No. 2 UConn NCAA college basketball game preview

Cornell

The Big Red are coming off a season in which they finished 9-18 and sixth in the Ivy League. Led by third-year head coach Emily Garner, Cornell is returning four of its top five scorers from last season, including senior Rachel Kaus, who led the team with 11.2 points per game last season and is just 225 points shy of becoming the 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 points.

UConn

Head coach Geno Auriemma is entering his 42nd season leading the No. 2 Huskies in 2026-27, and he will be in search of his 13th national championship after a disappointingly abrupt exit in March Madness last season.

The 2025-26 Huskies finished 38-1 (20-0 in the Big East), falling short of both an undefeated season and repeating as national champions after a 62-48 Final Four loss to Dawn Staley’s South Carolina.

Key returners for the Huskies include reigning National Player of the Year Sarah Strong, sophomore forward Blanca Quiñonez and senior point guard KK Arnold. All three were named to the Naismith Trophy watch list and earned preseason Big East honors. Strong averaged 20.3 points per game in UConn’s three preseason tilts.

UConn’s key departure is sharpshooter Azzi Fudd, a 2025-26 first-team All-American selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings.

Cornell vs. No. 2 UConn projected starting lineups

Cornell

The Big Red did not play any public preseason games, but are returning four players from last year’s starting lineup:

• G Paige Engels
• G Clarke Jackson
• G Kelsey Langston
• F Rachel Kaus

UConn

Here is how UConn lined up in their final preseason game against Army:

• G KK Arnold
• G Jovana Popovic
• G Ashlynn Shade
• F Sarah Strong
• C Jana El Alfy

Cornell vs. No. 2 UConn injury report

The Huskies will definitely be without sophomore standout Blanca Quiñonez to begin the season after she underwent two surgeries in the offseason, one of which was to repair a torn labrum. Quiñonez is still expected to be available in the 2026-27 season, but the program has not yet provided a return timeline for the Ecuadorian. She appeared in 31 games off the bench last season, averaging 10.7 points per contest.

Fanta in 60

NBC Broadcaster and on-air personality John Fanta will be live from Hartford at 7:30 p.m. ET with Geno Auriemma and Dan Hurley as guests in the latest episode of “Fanta in 60.”

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