We are back for the second leg of UConn men’s basketball’s schedule preview. Last time we previewed the first four buy games, along with the three that they’ll play at the Maui Invitational. Today, we’ll hit on their last four out-of-conference games, along with their first three Big East opponents, ordered alphabetically. Let’s dive back into it.
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MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
Fresh off of a nice, relaxing (not so much) week in Hawaii, the Huskies will feel the brisk winter wind as they head to Hartford to play UMES. Fans might remember the sloppy performance the Huskies had in this game back in 2021-22, as Connecticut only managed to eke out a 9-point victory over the lowly Hawks. This one should look different. UMES projects to be one of the worst teams in college basketball, coming off a season where they were in KenPom’s bottom 15. Probably for the better, the roster has seen a lot of turnover, but they have few players who have made an impact anywhere at the D1 level. This will be a nice break.
BAYLOR
On the complete other end of the spectrum is Baylor. Coming to Gampel Pavilion for the Big East-Big 12 battle, the Bears are stacked. Scott Drew’s squad has an argument to enter the preseason as the top team in the land, thanks to a great mix of transfers, returners and recruits. V.J. Edgecombe is the headliner, as the No. 4 prospect from the class of 2024. He, along with Duke transfer Jeremy Roach will look to get a signature road win in Storrs, while Samson Johnson and Miami transfer Norchad Omier have a premier big man battle inside. This is the best non conference game Gampel has hosted in ages, expect fans to really show up. UConn should win a close one here.
TEXAS
And then comes a road trip to the SEC’s newest member, Texas. The Longhorns are coming off a fine year that saw them make it to the NCAA round of 32, but return very little of their production. Like Baylor, they also have a top-level recruit in No. 5 prospect Tre Johnson. Oregon State’s Jordan Pope and Arkansas’ Tramon Mark were each high scoring options last year for their respective schools, giving Texas a huge scoring punch. UConn fans will also recognize Arthur Kaluma, who played for Kansas State last year after two seasons at Creighton. Texas has great potential heading into this year and could challenge the Huskies big time in a high-interest battle.
GONZAGA
The third game to finish up this gauntlet comes against Gonzaga, a team that UConn beat soundly on a neutral site in Seattle, WA last year. This year’s contest will be similarly neutral, coming at Madison Square Garden, also dubbed “Storrs South.” Unlike many teams in college basketball, the Bulldogs keep the majority of their core, sans Anton Watson. Leading scorer Graham Ike, along with third and fourth options Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard, all return. This provides a nice level of continuity that many teams won’t have heading into the early chunk of the season, which mixes nicely with a few solid transfers. It’s been ages since UConn has lost a game like this at MSG, so it’s hard to predict it any other way.
BUTLER
Heading into the Big East, we have Butler, who is trying to improve on another forgettable season. They’re without Posh Alexander, the leading assister and point guard from last year, but do have the benefit of keeping their two highest scorers, Pierre Brooks and Jahmyl Telfort. They don’t bring in any high level transfers and also lose DJ Davis. If DePaul or Georgetown make strides, Butler could fall to the bottom of the conference. Expect a Husky sweep.
2-0 vs Butler
CREIGHTON
Since the Huskies’ return to the Big East, Creighton has been a team that UConn has had fits trying to beat. They split with the Bluejays last year–and Creighton could be better this year. The Jays do lose Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander, their top pair of scorers, but in comes Pop Isaacs from Texas Tech and Jamiya Neal from ASU. All-Big East second team member Ryan Kalkbrenner will likely continue to play at a high level, while Steven Ashworth might look to use his strong NCAA tournament and explosion against UConn to take on a bigger role this year. Either way, Creighton isn’t going anywhere.
1-1 split with Creighton
DEPAUL
DePaul was bad last year. Like really bad. They whiffed on all 20 of their chances during 2024, meaning it’s been over 275 days since the Blue Demons have won a game. Old Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann takes over and this will not be a simple fix. His roster heading into this campaign is not great, with former UIC guard Isaiah Rivera positioned to lead the way. SIU transfer Troy D’Amico and former Davidson big David Skogman will also help out, but this team is not built to compete in the Big East. They won’t pose Connecticut much of a challenge.
2-0 vs DePaul
14-3 OVERALL, 8-2 in this set
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