Takeaways from the 2022 Connecticut Sun schedule

The WNBA’s move to a 36-game schedule in a World Cup year leads to a jam-packed schedule for the Sun, who will need to make the most out of their light early-season schedule before some difficult trips out west, including series matches at Las Vegas in May/June, at Minnesota in July, and at Phoenix in August. 

The Sun will begin the regular season as the first game of a doubleheader on Day 2 of WNBA action against the New York Liberty at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. They’ll then get an extended break – seven days – before their second game of the season – the home opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 14.

The Sun began the 2021 regular season with its first nine games played in 19 days and had already completed a third of its road games before June. The Sun have another busy start to its 2022 schedule, but play five teams who finished below .500 last season in its first eight games of the year. 

Ten days after facing the Liberty to open the season, Connecticut will travel back to Barclays Center for its third game on Tuesday, May 17. The Sun play nine games total in May during a 24-day span, which includes a midweek series at home against Dallas in late May and a home-and-home matchup against the Fever the weekend before that.

From May 20 to June 10, the Sun play 11 games in 21 days, which includes their first true test of the season as Connecticut makes its first west coast trip at the end of May for a grueling week. The team will visit Las Vegas for an away series against the Aces on Tuesday, May 31 and Thursday, June 2, followed by a flight to Phoenix for a game 24 hours later on Friday, June 3. The road trip wraps with a visit to Seattle on Sunday, June 5th for an afternoon tip-off against the Storm in a Commissioner’s Cup rematch. 

After four straight games on the road (the team’s longest all season), the Sun are rewarded with its first of two four-game homestands (the longest home stretch all season) from Wednesday, June 8 to Friday, June 17. During that span, Connecticut will meet reigning champs Chicago Sky for the first time all season on Friday, June 10 for a semi-finals rematch, followed by the Sun’s first meeting with the Dream on Wednesday, June 15. 

The Sun won’t play the Minnesota Lynx until after the All-Star break in an away series at the Target Center on Friday, July 22 and Sunday, July 24 before hosting its final four-game homestand with games against Seattle, Chicago, and a series against the Mercury at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Sun will close out the regular season with games at Chicago and an away series against the Sparks before finishing the season at home against the Lynx for a Sunday afternoon showdown. 

Notes, Numbers, & Observations

• The Sun have already released some of their theme nights for 2022: 20th Anniversary Celebration on May 14 against the Los Angeles Sparks; PRIDE on June 10 against the Chicago Sky; Change Can’t Wait and 50th Anniversary of Title IX celebration on June 22 against New York; Camp Day on July 19 against the Liberty; the Connecticut Sun’s Women of Inspiration celebration on Aug. 4 against the Phoenix Mercury; and Fan Appreciation Night on Aug. 14 against the Minnesota Lynx.
• The Sun will play the Liberty, Fever, and Sky four times during the regular season, and all other teams three times.
• The Sun’s longest break of the season will be eight days during the All-Star break, but they are also the only team in the league to have a full week between games 1 and 2 to open the season, which is their second longest break. They have one five-day break and two four-day breaks throughout the regular season.
• The Sun will be part of two Camp Days – one on the road at Chicago and one at home against the Liberty in June and July.
• The Sun will be the sole WNBA game on four different days throughout the season.
• The Sun played four series games last year – the first two on the road and the other two at home. The Sun will play four series games again this season, but only the first series against Dallas is at home. (In 2021, the Sun lost its first away series to Chicago without Jonquel Jones, split an away series with the Fever before the Olympic break, and won both home series in the final month of the regular season).
• The team’s back-to-back games against Las Vegas and Phoenix is the only one scheduled for the Sun, but not all teams playing games on back-to-back days will have to travel. Oddly enough, the Liberty make the same trip from Las Vegas to Phoenix for back-to-back games a month after the Sun.
• The Connecticut Sun’s video schedule announcement on social media involves puppies!

Connecticut Sun 2022 Regular Season Schedule

• Saturday, May 7 at New York Liberty *
• Saturday, May 14 vs. LA Sparks
• Tuesday, May 17 at New York Liberty
• Friday, May 20 vs. Indiana Fever *
• Sunday, May 22 at Indiana Fever *
• Tuesday, May 24 vs. Dallas Wings
• Thursday, May 26 vs. Dallas Wings
• Saturday, May 28 vs. Washington Mystics *
• Tuesday, May 31 at Las Vegas Aces
• Thursday, June 2 at Las Vegas Aces
• Friday, June 3 at Phoenix Mercury
• Sunday, June 5 at Seattle Storm
• Wednesday, June 8 vs. Indiana Fever
• Friday, June 10 vs. Chicago Sky *
• Wednesday, June 15 vs. Atlanta Dream *
• Friday, June 17 vs. Seattle Storm
• Sunday, June 19 at Washington Mystics *
• Wednesday, June 22 vs. New York *
• Sunday, June 26 at at Atlanta Dream *
• Wednesday, June 29 at Chicago Sky *
• Sunday, June 3 vs. Washington Mystics
• Tuesday, July 5 at Dallas Wings
• Sunday, July 10 – All-Star Game
• Wednesday, July 13 at Indiana Fever
• Friday, July 15 at Atlanta Dream
• Sunday, July 17 vs. Las Vegas Aces
• Tuesday, July 19 vs. New York Liberty
• Friday, July 22 at Minnesota Lynx
• Sunday, July 24 at Minnesota Lynx
• Tuesday, July 26 – Commissioner’s Cup Game  
• Thursday, July 28 vs. Seattle Storm
• Sunday, July 31 vs. Chicago Sky
• Tuesday, August 2 vs. Phoenix Mercury
• Thursday, August 4 vs. Phoenix Mercury
• Sunday, August 7 at Chicago Sky
• Tuesday, August 9 at LA Sparks
• Thursday, August 11 at LA Sparks
• Sunday, August 14 vs. Minnesota Lynx

* Commissioner’s Cup game