Breaking down UConn men’s monster non-conference games

If the UConn men’s basketball program was looking to make a statement with its 2025-26 schedule, it has.

Dan Hurley made waves online when he said UConn wouldn’t participate in three-game multiteam events anymore, inviting criticism after the reigning back-to-back national champs lost three straight at the Maui Invitational last November. Instead, UConn would only play home-and-home series and single-game events in big-time arenas, which just happen to be within driving distance.

That formula, with six high-major games revealed so far, has set up the Huskies for what will be an entertaining, yet highly challenging start to their quest for a third national title in four years.

The slate includes the only other two programs that have won the national title in the last four years, trips to TD Garden and Madison Square Garden, and a pair of high-major, potentially ranked games in Connecticut.

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Here is what we know so far:

Nov. 15 vs. BYU (TD Garden, Boston)

Sure to be one of the most highly anticipated games early in the season, this will be marketed as a homecoming game for BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, who was born in Brockton, Mass., before transferring to finish his high school career on the West Coast. Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 forward, was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class and projects to be the top pick in next year’s NBA Draft.

But it shouldn’t be ignored that this game will also be somewhat of a homecoming for UConn’s Alex Karaban, the Southborough, Mass., native who decided to come back for a third season as he looks to add on to one of the most successful careers in this age of college basketball.

Nov. 19 vs. Arizona (TBD)

Tommy Lloyd has had Bobby Hurley’s number, winning eight of the last nine rivalry matchups between Arizona and Arizona State. Dan Hurley can avenge his older brother when Lloyd and the Wildcats visit Connecticut for the first game of a home-and-home series in November. It has yet to be announced whether the game will be played at Gampel Pavilion or the newly named PeoplesBank Arena (formerly XL Center).

A perennial contender, Arizona was ranked No. 13 in ESPN’s way-too-early top 25 rankings earlier this month. The Wildcats will again have a talented roster, highlighted by returning point guard Jaden Bradley and forward Tobe Awaka. Arizona’s incoming freshman class is one of the best in the nation with three five-star recruits in Koa Peat, Brayden Burries and Dwayne Aristode, not to mention Bryce James, who is the youngest son of LeBron James and a three-star recruit.

Nov. 28 vs. Illinois (Madison Square Garden)

Perhaps still haunted by the 30-0 run UConn went on in Boston to punch its ticket to the 2024 Final Four, Illinois has a chance for some get-back.

Visiting another “neutral site” that will be stuffed with Huskies fans, Brad Underwood and the Illini have retooled their roster with a number of international recruits and were ranked No. 16 on ESPN’s early list. Andrej Stojakovic (son of former NBA player Peja), from Cal, and seven-footer Zvonimir Ivisic, from Arkansas, highlight Underwood’s incoming class and will be added to an experienced returning core.

Dec. 2 at Kansas (Allen Fieldhouse)

UConn will be making its second trip in three years to Lawrence, Kansas, to start a blue-blooded home-and-home series with the Jayhawks. The last meeting, part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle, served as the first of just three losses for the Huskies during their otherwise dominant 37-3 national championship season.

Last year was a step back for Bill Self and the Jayhawks, who finished 21-13 and exited the NCAA Tournament in the first round for the first time since 2006. Kansas’ incoming class is highlighted by the consensus No. 2 prospect in the nation, 6-6 guard Darryn Peterson.

Dec. 9 vs. Florida (Madison Square Garden)

The end to UConn’s NCAA Tournament dominance was going to be heartbreaking for the program no matter how it happened. But the Huskies went out with pride in a neck-and-neck game, playing their best defense of the season against a worthy adversary that ultimately won it all.

This matchup between the last two national champions at the World’s Most Famous Arena will certainly be one of the most anticipated during the nonconference slate. While Walter Clayton Jr. will no longer be there to hit ridiculous shots in clutch moments, Florida will return three of its high-impact bigs in Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu. The Gators have also brought in Boogie Fland from Arkansas and Xavien Lee from Princeton to boast what should be one of the best starting lineups in the country.

Dec. 12 vs. Texas (TBD)

UConn claimed the first game in this home-and-home series against the Longhorns, a 76-65 victory on the road between wins over Baylor and Gonzaga that helped the Huskies move past their Maui Invitational disaster.

It will be the third matchup between the two programs in as many years with UConn having won each of the last two, the first coming at Madison Square Garden in 2023. Texas is the only team on the Huskies’ nonconference schedule so far that was not ranked in ESPN’s early top 25, but it was mentioned in the “next in line” category as former Xavier coach Sean Miller readies for his first season with a new-look roster in Austin. Miller was 3-4 against Hurley over the last three years while coaching Xavier.

Originally Published: June 5, 2025 at 2:49 PM EDT