Being a student in the Basketball Capital of the World means it is a de facto requirement for you to tune into the basketball teams as they hunt for more championships.  

While those games seem far away, with the first exhibition game scheduled for October, excitement has been building since the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.  

The UConn men’s basketball team will play arguably the most difficult non-conference schedule in the country. Not to mention, the Huskies play in the challenging Big East Conference every year.  

Wondering which home games will be the most sought after? Look no further than the list provided below.  

Nov. 19 – Arizona  

One of the two premier non-conference games on this list includes Arizona happening just before Thanksgiving break. The Wildcats are coming off a trip to the Sweet Sixteen last season, led by All-American guard Caleb Love. In addition to a superstar guard, Arizona had a lottery pick at small forward in Carter Bryant, who is now in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs. Head coach Tommy Lloyd has a competitive squad this year, headlined by Jaden Bradley and Koa Peat. Even though his playing time is expected to be low, the Wildcats also have Bryce James, LeBron James’s son. The Huskies have faced Arizona seven times in the past and hold a 5-2 lead in the series, with the two losses coming in the two most recent meetings. These two perennial powers have battled for spots in the Final Four and even during early-season tournaments.  

Dec. 12 – Texas  

UConn traveled to face Texas last season, and the Longhorns will return the favor this season in mid-December. I am not encouraging anyone to skip valuable study time during finals week, but if you have the time to see these two battle it out, I highly recommend you do so. Texas will be quite different from last season. They have a new but familiar head coach in Sean Miller, who has faced the Huskies at Arizona and Xavier. Tre Johnson, their star guard, left after one season to join the Washington Wizards in the NBA. Enter Tramon Mark, who is expected to be the leader of the Longhorns according to Bart Torvik’s T-Rank. The Huskies have an 8-3 advantage over Texas.  

TBD – St. John’s  

The UConn-Rick Pitino rivalry has been a lengthy one, dating back to the Hall of Famer’s days as the head coach at Providence in the mid-1980s. In his third season at St. John’s, Pitino has reloaded a team that swept the Big East championships last season. The Red Storm are loaded, with Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell, Ian Jackson and Bryce Hopkins making up four players that have All-Big East potential. T-Rank has the Red Storm as the No. 8 team in the country as of right now.  

TBD – Creighton  

UConn and Creighton have been two of the regulars at the top of the Big East standings this decade. Despite losing Ryan Kalkbrenner and Jamiya Neal, the Bluejays look sharp with sophomore forward Jackson McAndrew looking to take over for the four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Ranked 23rd on T-Rank, the Bluejays are only behind St. John’s and UConn out of the 11 Big East teams.  

TBD – Villanova  

Villanova is arguably UConn’s biggest rival, with Syracuse no longer a regular opponent on the schedule. Like Texas, the Wildcats will have a different but familiar look this season. Former Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard returns to the Big East after coaching at Maryland from 2022 to 2025. Villanova will miss Eric Dixon, the reigning NCAA scoring champion, but Tyler Perkins, Devin Askew and Acaden Lewis show some promise.  

TBD – Marquette  

The UConn-Marquette rivalry has never been as strong as it has been in the past few years. With Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones leading the Golden Eagles, Marquette was right up there with Connecticut as one of the best teams in the conference. But both of those guards are gone now, with Chase Ross expected to step into a massive role.