UConn's women's basketball team is the Big East preseason favorite, and junior Sarah Strong was unanimously chosen as the conference's preseason player of the year in awards announced Oct. 1.
The Huskies received 10 first-place votes following a 20-0 conference season in 2025-26. They won the regular-season and tournament championships and reached the program's 25th NCAA Final Four, according to UConn's announcement.
Senior KK Arnold and sophomore Blanca Quinonez were unanimous preseason All-Big East selections. Freshman Olivia Vukosa was unanimously named preseason freshman of the year, and senior Ashlynn Shade received honorable mention.
Strong led UConn in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals last season. Arnold averaged 4.6 assists and 2.8 steals per game, while Quinonez averaged 10.7 points as a freshman.
UConn's next scheduled appearance is an exhibition against Syracuse at Mohegan Sun on Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m. The conference selections come before either team has played its 2026-27 regular-season opener.
The university also announced an upcoming nationally televised conference game on Oct. 1. UConn will face Seton Hall at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, in the third Coretta Scott King Classic on Jan. 18, 2027.
That Martin Luther King Jr. Day game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on FOX, after a noon matchup between UCLA and Oklahoma. Tickets for the event are scheduled to go on sale Oct. 2 at noon. Organizers say the event will include youth and community programming alongside the basketball games.
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