UConn men finalizing agreement to play BYU, No. 1 prospect in Boston

The UConn men’s basketball team will return to Boston next season, according to a report from College Hoops Today’s Jon Rothstein Tuesday night.

Rothstein reported that UConn and BYU are finalizing an agreement to meet in November at TD Garden. The game will be somewhat of a homecoming for the No. 1 recruit in the freshman class, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, who is from Brockton, Mass, and UConn senior Alex Karaban, from Southborough, Mass. The date is still to be determined and there is no timetable for the official announcement, according to the report.

UConn most recently played in Boston during its 2024 national championship run, romping San Diego State and Illinois in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds to punch its ticket to Phoenix.

The only previous meeting between UConn and BYU came in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament – a 58-53 UConn win behind 20 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks from Emeka Okafor.

The Huskies appear to be piecing together a loaded nonconference slate for 2025-26 with BYU reportedly being the fourth high-major opponent, joining Arizona, Texas and, according to reports, reigning national champion Florida in the Jimmy V Classic. All four programs were mentioned in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings ahead of the 2025-26 season, which had BYU at No. 5, Arizona at No. 12 and Florida at No. 18, though that will likely improve with forward Alex Condon announcing his withdrawal from the NBA Draft on Tuesday. Texas was among the “next in line.”

UConn, No. 2 on the ESPN Top 25, is set to host its matchups with Arizona and Texas in Connecticut, with the arena to be announced at a later date.