The University of Connecticut men’s basketball team’s preseason approach looks a little bit different this year.
After playing just one exhibition game a year ago, a charity matchup against the University of Rhode Island, the Huskies are upping the intensity. They’ll open their 2025-26 season at Mohegan Sun Arena on Monday night, renewing their former Big East rivalry with Boston College in the Hall of Fame Exhibition.
This is UConn’s second year in a row participating in the event, after cruising past Rhode Island 102-75 last October. This year, the focus is less on celebration and more about preparation, a lesson that head coach Dan Hurley and his staff learned the hard way last season.
“We’re playing really hard exhibitions this year, which I think is going to have us more ready than we were last year for the beginning of the season,” Hurley said. “We were not ready for Maui, and it showed with our performance there. Part of that was because we didn’t schedule hard enough. Those types of games would have had us more ready for what we saw when we shared the floor with Memphis.”
After dominating through an uncontested nonconference slate last year, the then-reigning national champions were stunned at the Maui Invitational. The Huskies went home after being dealt three straight losses, exposing glaring issues in last year’s team.
The experience in Hawaii pushed Hurley to schedule a set of pre-season scrimmages against tougher opponents to expose any team weaknesses earlier on, rather than being surprised come November.
“Playing quality opponents tells you where you’ve got to get better,” Hurley said. “And then we’re going to get in front of two big atmospheres, which is going to help with the nerves come opening night.”
Monday’s game will be the first of UConn’s two-game preseason slate; the team will also host Michigan State at PeoplesBank Arena on Oct. 28.
“Playing Boston College and Michigan State — I think those are two exciting teams, both teams that will do well in their respective conferences and great tests for us,” fifth-year Alex Karaban said.
While the game won’t count in the official record books, it will rekindle a historic New England rivalry that dates to their first meeting in 1918. UConn boasts the all-time advantage, with a head-to-head record of 55-35.
The Eagles were one of the original seven members of the Big East conference along with Connecticut, before leaving in 2005.
The two teams have only crossed swords once since their departure, when the Huskies picked up a 72-70 win in 2013. Now, over a decade later, they will once again meet on the hardwood.
Boston returns their leading scorer from last season, senior Donald Hand Jr. Last season the 6-foot-4 guard averaged over 15 points per game for the Eagles while shooting 37% from the three-point line, earning him the 2024-25 ACC Most Improved Player.
The Huskies will return 60% of their scoring from last year’s team, with the likes of Karaban and junior Solo Ball and senior Tarris Reed Jr. staying in the offseason.
This will be UConn fans’ first opportunity to get a look at the team’s new transfers like junior Silas Demary Jr. and fifth-year Malachi Smith, as well as their McDonald’s All-American first-years Braylon Mullins and Eric Reibe.
“I think guarding the ball better starts at point guard with Silas, who’s a taller point guard,” Hurley said. “Malachi’s got the ability to pressure the ball, and then obviously the guys that are returning. I think Braylon’s got a chance to be a good defensive player because he’s a serious guy and he’s physically strong enough.”
Perimeter defense was a major point of concern for last year’s iteration of the team, which Hurley has impressed on both his returning players, who he chose to bring in during the offseason.
“I think we’ve got better individual defensive players,” Hurley said. “We struggled mightily on the perimeter last year, literally at all three spots, with the exception of a healthy Hassan. We didn’t get what we needed from anyone defensively on the perimeter, and that’s including guys who were really productive on offense.”
With the lessons of Maui still lingering, the Huskies will get an early start in their preparation as they look to return to the top of college basketball.
The tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and can be streamed on NBC Sports Boston and UConn+.