Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies may be coming off three appearances in the national championship game in the past four years, but they certainly are not shying away from competition when it comes to scheduling. A little over a week after their loss to Michigan in the national championship, Hurley said that next season’s non-conference slate would “end up blowing (last year’s) away.”
What it looks like
That may seem difficult to achieve considering the Huskies played BYU, Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Florida, and Texas last season, but it certainly appears to be trending in that direction. While schedules are not officially finalized until closer to the start of the season, some big time matchups have already been set. At the moment, UConn is reportedly set to face:
- vs Michigan - Nov. 6 at TD Garden (Boston)
- vs Duke - Nov. 25 at T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
- vs Illinois - Dec. 4 at United Center (Chicago)
- vs Virginia - Dec. 20 at Madison Square Garden (New York)
- at Arizona - TBD (away)
- vs Kansas - TBD (home)
- vs Ohio State - TBD (home)
What it means
That is already six games against highly respected and high-level college basketball programs, with still a few spots left to fill on the non-conference slate. While there is so much roster turnover from season to season in college basketball, all six of those teams reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago, including the other three teams that made the Final Four (Michigan, Illinois, and Arizona), as well as Duke who UConn defeated in that memorable Elite Eight matchup. Those six teams combined for a 211-48 record last season, and every one of them will likely be ranked in the preseason Top 25. On top of that, UConn will also take on its usual Big East schedule that is always a grind.
It will be fascinating to see how the rest of their non-conference schedule shakes out. The Huskies will likely add a few respected mid-major opponents, but it would not be surprising to see one or two more power-conference matchups as well. Scheduling became a major topic of discussion last season, particularly regarding power-conference teams not playing the stronger mid-major programs. However, it is difficult to criticize a team like UConn for avoiding those matchups when it already has a loaded non-conference schedule, and games against tough mid-major opponents offer no benefit to them.
After what happened in Maui in 2024, which led Dan Hurley to say he would never again participate in a three-game multi-team event, UConn is showing a different scheduling approach. The Huskies are still playing in several big time matchups, many of which will be played at neutral sites and can provide a valuable postseason type of experience that can help prepare a team for March. In addition, they’ll have a true road game in a hostile environment and marquee home matchups in front of the home crowd.
New look Huskies
Hurley will be working with a much different roster next season following key departures such as Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed, as well as Solo Ball who is expected to miss the entire year with a wrist injury. The Huskies did receive a major boost though with the return of Braylon Mullins as he, along with the rest of next season’s UConn team, will certainly be tested early by this gauntlet of a non-conference schedule.
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