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UConn Women's Basketball: The Biggest Question For Huskies Heading into Season
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- UConn Women's Basketball: The Biggest Question For Huskies Heading into Season
After a perfect 3-0 exhibition season, the UConn Huskies women's basketball team will open up the 2026-27 regular season on Monday night (5 p.m. ET) against Cornell at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford.
After a perfect regular season a year ago and a 38-1 record overall, the Huskies seem primed for another big season, even after taking on an incredibly difficult non-conference schedule.
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And while this team has answers almost everywhere you look, there are two big questions for this group heading into Monday.
What's the health status of Blanca Quinonez?
Look, I have a basketball-related "biggest question" to match the headline to this article coming momentarily, but we can't gloss over this. We just can't.
Quinonez was the Big East Rookie of the Year a season ago and the Big East's Sixth Woman of the Year. She's a preseason All-Conference selection and on the national watch list for the Small Forward of the Year.
She's incredibly valuable to this team, and she'll create a dynamic front court with Sarah Strong - once she's playing.
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Quinonez had two surgeries in the offseason and didn't play at all in the preseason. Though she appears close to a return , she's just a "possibility" for the opener. UConn might not need her to beat Cornell, but they need her to beat the likes of Michigan, who they play in the early going. They'd like her to have some game reps under her belt before they do.
This team can't be at its best without her playing.
OK, the biggest question (non-injury)
Where is the 3-point shooting going to come from, at least consistently?
Azzi Fudd was arguably the best shooter in the country, and she left for the WNBA. So, who helps step up and fill that void?
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Strong can shoot the three-ball, but she's best suited to be bullying people in the lane. This team is built around Strong and Quinonez, as well as KK Arnold's ability to drive inside the lane.
Connecticut Huskies guard Kayleigh Heckel (9) shoots over South Carolina Gamecocks guard Maddy McDaniel (1) during their NCAA Women's Final Four semifinal game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 3, 2026. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
UConn will get some perimeter looks as team's focus on stopping all of that, and I trust it can hit open jumpers, but what about when the opponent's get better and the defenses don't have to pour all their resources into stopping the paint?
Can Allie Ziebell, Ashlynn Shade, Kayleigh Heckel and Jovana Popovic step up and bury outside shots that are met with more resistance?
Outside of injury, that's the biggest question for Auriemma moving forward.
