July 30, 2021
Battle 4 Atlantis to feature UConn, South Carolina and much more
By Tee Baker
UConn opens season against Arkansas
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The 2021 Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis bracket was released earlier this week. The tournament is scheduled to take place Nov. 20-22 in the Bahamas and is the inaugural women’s tournament, joining the men’s basketball tournament which is celebrating its tenth year as one of the premier early-season tournaments. The field includes elite women’s basketball programs, Connecticut and South Carolina, which both advanced to the Final Four last season.
UConn will play against Minnesota on Nov. 20. The Gophers, led by head coach and four-time WNBA champion Lindsay Whalen, are coming off of an 8-13 season. The two teams’ last meeting came at the 2004 Final Four during Whalen’s senior season where Connecticut won 67-58 en route to a third consecutive national championship.
South Carolina, led by Hall of Famer and USA Basketball women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley, will open against Buffalo on Saturday, Nov. 20. Staley’s squad returns all 11 members from their 2021 NCAA Final Four team and adds four top recruits and a top transfer from the ACC in Kamilla Cardoso.
Other first-round women’s games feature Oregon vs. Oklahoma and Syracuse vs. South Florida. Oregon, led by 6’7 Sedona Prince, is hoping to build on their 2020-21 Sweet Sixteen campaign. Syracuse will look to rebuild after experiencing a mass exodus of players to the transfer portal and amidst investigations into allegations of threats and bullying by head coach Quentin Hillsman.
Game start times and TV information will be released at a later date.
Connecticut to face Razorbacks in the season opener
Connecticut will open its season on Nov. 14 vs. Arkansas, which defeated the Huskies 90-87 in UConn’s only regular-season loss of the 2020-21 season.
The Arkansas contest kicks off a very competitive non-conference schedule for the 11-time champion Huskies, who welcome in Azzi Fudd, the top recruit in the 2021 class to an already-stacked line-up that includes sophomore superstar Paige Bueckers and redshirt senior Evina Westbrook. In addition to Arkansas, the Huskies will face off this season against non-conference opponents Notre Dame, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Oregon, South Carolina and Louisville.
UConn is currently pursuing an additional non-conference game for the 2021-22 season.
Written by Tee Baker
Tee has been a contributor to The Next since March Madness 2021 and is currently a contributing editor, BIG EAST beat reporter and curator of historical deep dives.
