UConn men’s basketball announces non-conference schedule

· Yahoo Sports

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) celebrates after making the game-winning three point field goal against the Duke Blue Devils in the final second of the game during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The long awaited non-conference schedule for UConn men’s basketball has finally been released. The Huskies are set to play three exhibition games and 12 regular season games before Big East play tips off at the end of December.

For the first time, UConn will be playing three public exhibition games in the month of October. The Huskies start their season at Mohegan Sun against Syracuse on Oct. 13, the first time the two programs will meet since Dan Hurley’s first signature win as head coach back in 2018. The team then travels to East Lansing for a bout with Michigan State on Oct. 20 in a rematch of this past year’s Sweet 16. Finally, the Huskies host Purdue a week after that on Oct. 27 in a rematch of the 2024 national championship game.

The season officially tips off on Monday, Nov. 2, when UConn hosts Gardner Webb on opening night. The two programs haven’t played since 2007.

Then the fun begins. The first of seven power conference regular season non-conference games is on Friday, Nov. 6, at TD Garden in Boston for a rematch of the 2026 national championship between the Huskies and Michigan. The Wolverines are one of just two programs to beat UConn in the NCAA Tournament the past four seasons, a stretch in which the Huskies are 18-2.

The rest of November features some other marquee games as well. The next one, Nov. 9 at home against Wagner, is a good warmup for Nov. 13, as the Huskies host Ohio State for their first of two Power 5 home games on the docket this fall.

UConn will then travel out to the desert for a pair of high level clashes. On Nov. 18 the team travels to Tucson for their lone true road game of the slate, taking on an Arizona team that knocked the Huskies off in Storrs in the first leg of the home-and-home last November. A week later on Nov. 25, UConn clashes with Duke at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in the first matchup between the two teams since Braylon Mullins hit “The Shot” in the Elite Eight last March. The official release from the school for the non-conference schedule paid a humorous homage to the game winner, catching some viral social media attention.

After Duke, UConn returns home for a game on Nov. 30 against Rider before traveling out to Chicago for the back end of a home-and-home, or “neutral-and-neutral”, series with Illinois on Dec. 4 at the United Center. The Huskies defeated the Fighting Illini twice last season, first at Madison Square Garden in November and in the Final Four in April.

The next three games wrap up the home non-conference schedule. On Dec. 8, UConn hosts Mississippi Valley State for the first time since 2023 and second time in program history. On Dec. 12, the Huskies welcome Kansas to Connecticut for the return game of a home-and-home after UConn defeated the Jayhawks in Lawrence last December. Finally, the Huskies host Delaware State on Dec. 15.

Last, and certainly not least, on the non-conference schedule is the Huskies lone trip to Storrs South until conference play. UConn takes on Virginia at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20, marking the first time that the two programs have met in nearly 30 years.

The venues for UConn’s home matches against Gardner Webb, Wagner, Ohio State, Rider, Mississippi Valley State, Kansas and Delaware State are currently unknown. Tip times and television information will also be released at a later date.

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