UConn Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Huskies

Schedule breakdown for UConn Basketball

UConn’s non-conference schedule is essentially either quadrant 1 (Q1) or Q4 games. I suppose this doesn’t hurt nearly as much as it would if UConn were still in the American, but it’s still not great. For those who need a reminder, a Q1 game is against an opponent ranked 1-30 at home, 1-50 on a neutral court, and 1-75 for an away game. A Q4 game is ≥161 at home, ≥201 on a neutral court, and ≥241 for an away game.

That said, UConn will have plenty of chances to get some big wins early in the season. The team starts off with four home games against lesser opponents that will give Hurley an opportunity to mix and match lineups and perhaps give the freshmen some looks.

After that, UConn heads to the Bahamas to take on Auburn (22nd in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll) before a date with either Michigan State (26th in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll) or Loyola-Chicago. The Huskies will have one more game in this loaded tournament and could face Hurley’s brother in Arizona State, reigning champ Baylor, old Big East rival Syracuse, or VCU depending on how things shake out.

Upon returning home from the Bahamas, UConn will have two tuneup games before diving into the Big East-Big 12 battle against former rival West Virginia in Morgantown. This should be a fun matchup with two defensive-minded teams. The Huskies round out their non-conference slate against 23rd ranked St. Bonaventure in New Jersey in the Never Forget Tribute Classic before entering Big East play where they will face stiff competition nightly.

The Huskies will have to hold home court against some lesser opponents and take advantage of an opportunity or two to get a big non-conference win. It would be nice to see a bit more balanced schedule with some middle-of-the-road teams in the mix, but at least they will have an early opportunity to match up with at least four likely NCAA tournament teams.