The 15 best nonconference games for 2026-27

• 

  Charlie CremeOct 29, 2026, 08:55 AM ET

  Close

  Charlie Creme projects the women's NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.

A couple of impressive nonconference victories helped the Ohio State Buckeyes get into the top 16 and host early-round games in last season's women's NCAA tournament. A slow start to the season eliminated the Duke Blue Devils from contending for a No. 1 seed and likely cost them a 2-seed. And a win over Duke in mid-November a year ago helped the West Virginia Mountaineers get a top-four seed.

Yes, the NCAA tournament's expanded 76-team field brings change to the 2026-27 women's college basketball season, but nonconference games in November and December are as important as ever when it comes to seeding. Résumé-building and jockeying for position on the national landscape begin the moment the season opens on Nov. 1.

The Players Era Championship that took place on Thanksgiving last year in Las Vegas -- and included Duke, South Carolina, the Texas Longhorns and UCLA Bruins -- once again should have some of the top nonconference games. The event has moved to just before Christmas this season, with an expanded field that includes the same four teams plus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and USC Trojans. In two days, they will play six games, and each is a potential Elite Eight/Final Four-level game.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and UConn Huskies are the top-ranked teams in the country this season and will have to earn it. Both have loaded schedules in the first two months and appear all over this list as we highlight the best games of the nonconference season that should offer some early-season excitement and have significant influence on seeding and placement for the NCAA tournament.

One note: Thanksgiving tournaments and events were left off this list. As those games draw closer, our Feast Week guide will detail where to find your favorite team over that holiday weekend.

No. 13 Notre Dame vs. Villanova

Nov. 1 (noon ET, FS1), Rome, Italy

While most of the country begins the season on either Monday or Tuesday, the Irish and Wildcats get to spend the weekend in Italy and kick things off on Sunday. Hannah Hidalgo will be the face on the marquee, but this is a great opportunity for more people to see Villanova junior guard Jasmine Bascoe, last season's Big East scoring leader, in a stand-alone game.

No. 2 UConn at No. 5 Michigan

Nov. 8 (2 p.m. ET, FS1)

This game begins a gauntlet of nonconference games for the Huskies, who will play nine ranked teams before Christmas. This is also a rematch of a game last November that UConn only won by three points, the Huskies' closest game last season until losing in the Final Four.

No. 3 USC at No. 1 South Carolina

Nov. 15 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN)

While the Gamecocks' nonconference schedule isn't quite as daunting as UConn's, it's still impressive with seven ranked teams. Then South Carolina must deal with the SEC. This will also be the first top-flight game for JuJu Watkins in her return from the knee injury that forced her to miss all last season.

No. 8 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Iowa

Nov. 15 (1 p.m. ET, FS1), Sioux City, Iowa

Get the split screens ready because this game is on at the same time as USC vs. South Carolina. It features two top-10 teams and one superstar in Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes. Iowa will have played UConn the week before, while the Commodores are getting their only real November test in this one.

No. 11 UCLA at Tennessee

Nov. 22 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

This feels like a make-or-break season for Kim Caldwell at Tennessee, and nothing says things are back on track like a win over the defending national champions. This is virtually an entirely new Bruins team, but it will be fun to check in on how the chemistry of the five key UCLA transfers, led by Addy Brown, is developing six games into the season.

No. 1 South Carolina at No. 2 UConn

Nov. 24 (8 p.m. ET, FS1), Uncasville, Connecticut, Hall of Fame Women's Showcase

Expectations remain high as the consensus Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the preseason rankings meet. These programs have played in three of the past five Final Fours, and this could be a precursor to another early-April meeting. The last time these two teams were on the court together, the game concluded with Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley exchanging heated words following South Carolina's 62-48 win in the Final Four.

No. 7 Louisville at No. 6 Texas

Dec. 2 (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2), ACC/SEC Challenge

This year's two-day ACC/SEC Challenge offers a few big-time matchups, but this one might be the most meaningful and is the highlight of Night 1. A win for either team would be paramount to contending for a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed. Texas' Madison Booker will face a wave of Cardinal defenders. This will be a good measuring stick to see how her young teammates have adjusted to the college game.

No. 1 South Carolina at No. 4 Duke

Dec. 3 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), ACC/SEC Challenge

The Blue Devils' schedule in November is less challenging than it was a year ago, when Duke started 3-6, but this is when it gets interesting. This game is five days after the Blue Devils play UConn, with UCLA, Texas and USC to follow soon after.

No. 13 Notre Dame at No. 8 Vanderbilt

Dec. 3 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN), ACC/SEC Challenge

Notre Dame's surprising trip to the Elite Eight last spring was at the expense of Vanderbilt in the regional semifinals. Hidalgo outplayed Blakes with one of her best performances of the season, scoring 31 points on 14-of-25 shooting with 11 rebounds and 10 steals.

No. 6 Texas at No. 15 TCU

Dec. 6 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

It's the battle for Lone Star State supremacy. Texas has won all 10 meetings between the two programs this century, including in the Elite Eight in 2025. This is by far the biggest game on TCU's nonconference schedule. With all the new faces for the Horned Frogs like Lara Somfai, Lanie Grant and Jadyn Wooten, this might be the time when the pieces start to fit.

No. 2 UConn at No. 13 Notre Dame

Dec. 9 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

After beating the Huskies two years in a row, the Irish were dominated by UConn, 85-47 and 70-52, in two meetings last season. The key was UConn's ability to slow down Hidalgo, who had scored 34 and 29 points in her first two encounters with the Huskies. Last season, Sarah Strong was the better player in the two games against the Irish and had more steals in those contests than Hidalgo, who led the nation last season.

No. 13 Notre Dame vs. No. 3 USC

Dec. 19 (11 p.m. ET, ESPN), Las Vegas, Nevada, Players Era Championship

All six of the Players Era games could be on this list, but let's stick to one per day. Hidalgo gets to face all three of her chief competitors for National Player of the Year in the first two months and this game concludes that run. It's Part II of Hidalgo vs. Watkins. They each scored 24 points in a Notre Dame win two years ago in Los Angeles, and Watkins went on to win NPOY.

No. 9 LSU vs. No. 2 UConn

Dec. 20 (1 p.m., ABC), Nashville, Tennessee, espnW Invitational

Before the Players Era kicks off its second day, UConn plays its final nonconference game. This game also represents the best of an upgraded slate for the Tigers, who will play Villanova and NC State in Fort Myers, Florida, over Thanksgiving weekend and visit North Carolina in the SEC/ACC Challenge. This is the first time in 10 years the two programs have played.

No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 UCLA

Dec. 20 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN), Las Vegas, Nevada, Players Era Championship

Lessons were learned when these teams met in this same event on the same court last year. Texas pushed UCLA around in an 11-point win. That never happened again. That turned out to be the Bruins' only loss in the run to the national championship, which included a 51-44 win over the Longhorns at the Final Four. They also met in an exhibition game earlier this month in which, not surprisingly, Booker led all scorers with 21 points. Texas won 81-64.

No. 21 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 UCLA

Jan. 18 (noon ET, Fox), Newark, New Jersey, Coretta Scott King Classic

This Martin Luther King Day matinée marks the final significant nonconference game of the season. This game comes at a softer part of UCLA's conference schedule, but Oklahoma will be coming off games at Tennessee and at South Carolina.