The UConn and Tennessee women’s basketball programs have been powerhouses in the sport for years. UConn has won 11 national titles, the most in the sport. Tennessee is next with eight.
Their dominance has created an intense rivalry. The Lady Vols won three straight against the Huskies from 2005-07, but UConn has taken the four most recent matchups. The schools first played in 1995, with UConn leading the series 17-9, including 5-2 in NCAA tournament games and 4-0 in national title games. In the latest meeting on Jan. 26, 2023, UConn won 84-67.
Here’s the all-time series history:
UConn and Tennessee all-time series history, results
| Game No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan. 16, 1995 | Storrs, CT | UConn | 77–66 | UConn, 1-0 |
| 2 | April 2, 1995 (National championship) |
Minneapolis, MN | UConn | 70–64 | UConn, 2-0 |
| 3 | Jan. 6, 1996 | Knoxville, TN | UConn | 59–53 | UConn, 3-0 |
| 4 | March 29, 1996 (Final Four) |
Charlotte, NC | Tennessee | 88–83 | UConn, 3-1 |
| 5 | Jan. 5, 1997 | Hartford, CT | UConn | 72–57 | UConn, 4-1 |
| 6 | March 24, 1997 (Elite Eight) |
Iowa City, IA | Tennessee | 91–81 | UConn, 4-2 |
| 7 | Jan. 3, 1998 | Knoxville, TN | Tennessee | 84–69 | UConn, 4-3 |
| 8 | Jan. 10, 1999 | Storrs, CT | Tennessee | 92–81 | Tied, 4-4 |
| 9 | Jan. 8, 2000 | Knoxville, TN | UConn | 74–67 | UConn, 5-4 |
| 10 | Feb. 2, 2000 | Storrs, CT | Tennessee | 72–71 | Tied, 5-5 |
| 11 | April 2, 2000 (National championship) |
Philadelphia, PA | UConn | 71–52 | UConn, 6-5 |
| 12 | Dec. 30, 2000 | Hartford, CT | UConn | 81–76 | UConn, 7-5 |
| 13 | Feb. 1, 2001 | Knoxville, TN | Tennessee | 92–88 | UConn, 7-6 |
| 14 | Jan. 5, 2002 | Knoxville, TN | UConn | 86–72 | UConn, 8-6 |
| 15 | March 29, 2002 (Final Four) |
San Antonio, TX | UConn | 79–56 | UConn, 9-6 |
| 16 | Jan. 4, 2003 | Hartford, CT | UConn | 63–62 | UConn, 10-6 |
| 17 | April 8, 2003 (National championship) |
Atlanta, GA | UConn | 73–68 | UConn, 11-6 |
| 18 | Feb. 5, 2004 | Knoxville, TN | UConn | 81–67 | UConn, 12-6 |
| 19 | April 6, 2004 (National championship) |
New Orleans, LA | UConn | 70–61 | UConn, 13-6 |
| 20 | Jan. 8, 2005 | Hartford, CT | Tennessee | 68–67 | UConn, 13-7 |
| 21 | Jan. 7, 2006 | Knoxville, TN | Tennessee | 89–80 | UConn, 13-8 |
| 22 | Jan. 6, 2007 | Hartford, CT | Tennessee | 70–64 | UConn, 13-9 |
| 23 | Jan. 23, 2020 | Hartford, CT | UConn | 60-45 | UConn, 14-9 |
| 24 | Jan. 21, 2021 | Knoxville, TN | UConn | 67-61 | UConn, 15-9 |
| 25 | Feb. 6, 2022 | Hartford, CT | UConn | 75-56 | UConn, 16-9 |
| 26 | Jan. 26, 2023 | Knoxville, TN | UConn | 84-67 | UConn, 17-9 |
Both teams have been led by highly successful coaches. The late Pat Summitt, who finished her career with a 1,098-208 record and eight national championships, coached her final game in March 2012. UConn’s Geno Auriemma has won more than 1,000 games and has 11 NCAA tournament titles.
Auriemma is still coaching in Storrs. Kim Caldwell is in her first season as head coach at Tennessee.
We picked the all-time starting five for Tennessee women’s basketball
UConn has the longest winning streak in the series, taking six consecutive meetings from 2002 through 2004 — with two triumphs coming in the national championship games.
