UNCASVILLE – UConn basketball is back. The Huskies will begin their season with a charity exhibition game against the University of Rhode Island at Mohegan Sun Arena on Monday night. The game will benefit Coaches vs. Cancer.
It will be the first time head coach Dan Hurley, entering his seventh season in Storrs, faces the previous school he coached, having spent six seasons with the Rams before taking over as Connecticut’s head coach following the 2017-18 season.
It will also be the first time assistant coaches Luke Murray and Tom Moore face their former program. Murray was on Hurley’s staff at Rhode Island from 2013-15. Moore was on the Rams’ staff for the 2017-18 season.
It is the Huskies’ first open exhibition since the 2019-20 season when UConn hosted Saint Michael’s. It is the first time the exhibition will have a Division I opponent since 2017 when the program faced rival Providence College at Mohegan Sun.
The two New England-based programs have met 143 times, with the first meeting in 1907. Rhode Island is the Huskies’ most-played opponent. However, it has been nearly a quarter century since their last meeting on Dec. 26, 2000, with the Huskies coming out victorious 87-76. While the exhibition will not count, it is worth noting that UConn holds a 77-68 advantage in the series.
It will be the first opportunity for fans to look at freshmen Ahmad Nowell, Isaiah Abraham and Liam McNeeley.
“Liam’s a really advanced, mature offensive player,” Hurley said on McNeeley. “I think he’s going to be consistently really good for us.”
The exhibition will also be the first time Michigan transfer Tarris Reed Jr. and Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney suit up for the Huskies. Hurley has loved what he has seen out of Mahaney lately.
“I think he’s ready to go,” Hurley said. “He had a really good day today.”
While he only saw himself on the court twice in his first and only year with the Huskies, Javonte Brown will now face his former school for the first time. He spent time at Texas A&M University and Western Michigan University the past three seasons and will make his Rhode Island debut against the defending national champions.
Hurley noted that Brown had “great energy and motor,” and was in a tough spot with being in the same recruiting class as Adama Sanogo.
“Javonte was a guy that practiced really really hard, was just a fun guy to be around and a fun guy to coach,” Hurley added. “We wished he would have stayed but we understand.”
According to the UConn Athletics website, this will be the first time URI head coach Archie Miller faces the Huskies as a head coach. He was on Arizona’s coaching staff during the 2011 NCAA Tournament when Connecticut squeezed past the Wildcats to clinch the program’s fourth Final Four appearance.
According to gopack.com, he faced the Huskies as a player at North Carolina State University, when the Huskies took down the Wolfpack during the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
UConn will be without their starting backcourt from last season, which consisted of Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle. With center Donovan Clingan departing for the NBA as well, the only returning starter from last season’s team is forward Alex Karaban, who has found himself on several preseason All-American teams.
Rhode Island finished the 2023-24 season with a 12-20 record, but things may be looking up for the Rams as David Green and Jaden House return after each player finished last season averaging 14 points per game.
Mohegan Sun may become part of the Huskies’ yearly rotation, Hurley said.
“Mohegan is a place that we want to try and get to play at once a year moving forward,” he said. “So, it’s nice to be able to get here and play one.”
Even though there is a lot of excitement surrounding college basketball, Hurley noted that his team is nowhere near where he wants to be on opening night. He noted that the team will not look like the team people saw in Phoenix or at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“I still don’t know who’s going to start tomorrow,” he said. “We’re not anywhere near where we’re going to be a couple of weeks from now, but it’s still a good opportunity to learn about the team and see how people respond.”
Speaking of being nowhere near where Hurley expects his team on opening night, there are a few minor but undisclosed injuries. The good news is that Hurley says it is “nothing significant.”
Following Monday’s exhibition, the busy week continues for the defending back-to-back national champions. The players from last season’s team will receive their rings on Thursday night and continue the festivities with the annual First Night on Friday night. Their first regular season game will be on Nov. 6 against Sacred Heart University at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
UConn’s charity exhibition against Rhode Island tips off at 6 p.m. The game can be watched on NBC Sports Boston and UConn+ .