Basketball season is fast approaching, and with another big offseason in the books, expectations are once again high for Dan Hurley and the Huskies. UConn men’s basketball is ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP top 25 poll and No. 5 in KenPom, signaling that both media and the analytically-minded have the Huskies as a legitimate national championship contender. UConn also received two first-place votes, and only No. 1 Purdue (35), No. 2 Houston (16) and No. 3 Florida (8) received more.
The No. 4 preseason
ranking marks the third-straight year UConn has been ranked inside the top 10 of the AP preseason poll. The Huskies were ranked No. 3 last season and No. 6 in 2023-24. UConn is one of three Big East teams in the preseason top 25, joining No. 6 St. John’s and No. 23 Creighton.
Since the Huskies’ season came to an end last year in the Second Round of the NCAA tournament, Hurley and UConn have put together arguably the best non conference schedule in program history. With the preseason poll now out, the rankings certainly bolster that claim and highlight the gauntlet the team will run through prior to Big East play.
The Huskies have five non conference opponents ranked in the preseason top 25, including two (No. 3 Florida, No. 8 BYU) in the top 10. UConn will take on the Gators at Madison Square Garden and the Cougars at TD Garden in Boston. The Huskies will also welcome No. 13 Arizona at home, take on No. 17 Illinois at Madison Square Garden on Black Friday and head to Lawrence to take on No. 19 Kansas.
UConn will also take on No. 22 Michigan State in an exhibition game at PeoplesBank Arena on October 28. But first, the Huskies unofficially kick off their season Monday night as they take on Boston College at Mohegan Sun Arena.
