Dan Hurley has never been interested in hiding UConn from difficult competition. The Huskies’ 2025-26 nonconference schedule reinforced that reputation.
After beginning the season with three manageable home games, UConn will enter a six-game stretch capable of shaping its entire season. The Huskies will face BYU, Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Florida and Texas between Nov. 15 and Dec. 12.
All six programs reached the previous NCAA Tournament.
The schedule gives UConn numerous chances to build an elite resume, but it also leaves little room for growing pains as the Huskies attempt to respond to their earliest NCAA Tournament exit since 2022.
Florida rematch carries extra meaning
UConn’s most personal matchup comes against defending national champion Florida at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 9.
The Gators ended UConn’s pursuit of a third consecutive championship with a 77-75 victory in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. That loss brought an abrupt conclusion to the Huskies’ title defense, while Florida continued its run toward the national championship.
The rematch cannot erase that defeat, but it gives UConn an early opportunity to prove it belongs back among the country’s leading contenders.
It will be the Huskies’ second game at Madison Square Garden in less than two weeks. UConn also faces Illinois there on Nov. 28, renewing a matchup the Huskies dominated in the 2024 Elite Eight on their way to a national title.
UConn will be tested well beyond New York
UConn’s difficult stretch begins against BYU at TD Garden in Boston on Nov. 15. Four days later, Arizona visits Storrs for the opening game of a home-and-home series between programs that met for the 1999 national championship.
The Huskies’ only true nonconference road game comes at Kansas on Dec. 2. UConn has lost all four previous meetings with the Jayhawks, including a 69-65 defeat at Allen Fieldhouse in December 2023.
Texas then visits PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford on Dec. 12. UConn defeated the Longhorns 76-65 in Austin the previous season, powered by 21 points from Alex Karaban.
Before the games count, the Huskies will play exhibitions against Boston College and Michigan State. The regular season begins with home games against New Haven, UMass Lowell and Columbia.
According to Geoff Magliocchetti of Huskies Report, UConn’s schedule contains six opponents from the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
That path is packed with potential losses, but it is also filled with opportunities. If UConn survives it, nobody will question whether Hurley’s team is ready to chase another championship.
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