The No. 2 UConn Huskies visit the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. ET from the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the regular-season opener for Michigan.
UConn went 38-1 last season and lost to South Carolina in the Final Four. Michigan will be without starting point guard Mila Holloway, who is out indefinitely with a left lower-leg injury.
Below are the details on how to watch.
How to Watch UConn vs. Michigan
- When: Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, MI
- TV: FS1
- Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One
Players To Watch
The reigning national player of the year averaged 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season and shot 58.2 percent from the field. She also made 40.4 percent of her 3-point attempts.
Strong averaged 20.3 points across UConn’s three preseason games. Michigan’s guard-heavy lineup has to find a way to stay with a 6-foot-2 forward who scores inside and out, and she also creates for teammates. Olson’s 18.9 points per game last season means Michigan will try to answer, so how the Wolverines choose to guard Strong sets the tone for that scoring duel.
KK Arnold averaged 4.6 assists per game for UConn last season while starting all 38 games she played. The senior point guard shot 54.4 percent from the field and averaged 6.9 points.
Michigan is breaking in Dallas Loughridge at point guard, so Arnold’s pressure on the ball could shape the game. UConn held all three of its preseason opponents to 61 points or fewer. Arnold also made 33.3 percent of her 3-point attempts last season and scored as many as 18 points in a game. Against a Michigan backcourt still settling its point guard, her 4.6 assists and on-ball defense are the early stress test.
Michigan’s leading scorer averaged 18.9 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and started all 35 games. She was a first-team All-Big Ten pick as a sophomore.
Olson shot 46.8 percent from the field but 30.5 percent from 3-point range, so getting to the basket is where she does her best work. She also averaged 2.5 assists in 31.1 minutes per game. She scored as many as 31 points in a game. Strong’s 58.2 percent shooting inside and out forces Michigan to lean on Olson’s drives, because settling for her 30.5 percent three-point look is a losing bet against UConn.
Syla Swords averaged 14.6 points and 4.2 rebounds for Michigan last season while starting all 34 games she played. The junior guard is playing without the protective mask she wore throughout 2025-26 after breaking her nose.
Swords often handled the ball when Holloway sat last season, and she averaged 2.4 assists. She made 34.0 percent of her 3-point attempts, played 34.0 minutes per game and scored as many as 29 points in a game. With Loughridge new at the point, her 34.0 minutes and secondary-ballhandling will decide how often Michigan can keep Arnold from dictating the tempo.
