The Huskies will have some big battles in the non-conference this season.
After looking at the five teams that make up the soft underbelly of the schedule for UConn men’s basketball in 2024-25, it’s time to take a closer examination of some of the bigger games the Huskies will play before conference play begins.
Baylor
Fast Facts
Head Coach: Scott Drew (22nd season)
2023-24 record: 24-11 (11-7 Big 12)
Final 2023-24 KenPom.com ranking: No. 11
2024-25 KenPom ranking: No. 15
Series History
This is the final year of the Big East-Big 12 Battle and UConn is 1-2 in the event, losing on the road to West Virginia in 2021 and No. 5 Kansas in 2023, while beating Oklahoma State at Gampel Pavilion in 2022. This is just the second time the Huskies will play Baylor, as the squads matched up Dec. 28, 1965 at the Heart O’ Texas Coliseum. UConn won 96-88 as part of a trip to the Lone Star State that also included a game against SMU.
2023-24 in Review
The Bears have struggled to make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since cutting down the nets in 2021 and the 2023-24 season marked a third consecutive second-round exit in the Big Dance despite being a top-three seed each year. Baylor also bowed out after two games in the Big 12 Tournament. The program also opened Foster Pavilion on Jan. 2 against Cornell and finished 7-2 at home in conference play.
2024-25 Preview
Baylor rolled with a seven-man rotation for most of last season and senior guard Jayden Nunn is the only starter returning, while the sixth and seventh men, Langston Love and Josh Ojianwuna, respectively, are also in the fold. Jeremy Roach also came in from Duke, as did Norchad Omier from Miami (FL), each of whom were all-ACC performers.
The Bears also have a five-man freshman class, including highly-touted guard Robert O. Wright III and five-star forward Jason Asemota, as well as two-time New York Gatorade Player of the Year in VJ Edgecombe. Baylor should be primed for another big season and were picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason coaches’ poll. The Bears will take on UConn on Dec. 4 this season at Gampel Pavilion.
Gonzaga
Fast Facts
Head Coach: Mark Few (26th season)
2023-24 record: 27-8 (14-2 West Coast Conference)
Final 2023-24 KenPom.com ranking: No. 12
2024-25 KenPom ranking: No. 9
Series History
Gonzaga and UConn have met seven times in program history, twice deep in the NCAA Tournament, with all seven coming on a neutral floor. The Huskies have come out on top in both Elite Eight matchups and are 5-2 overall, including a 13-point win in Seattle last season. At least one team has been ranked in each regular season matchup, a trend that should continue this season.
2023-24 in Review
The Bulldogs have dominated West Coast Conference play, falling just six times in the past five seasons. Last season was no different, as Gonzaga had a gaudy record going into Selection Sunday like most other years, though it earned a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament after losing most of its marquee non-conference games. Mark Few’s team got to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, but fell to Purdue in the Sweet 16.
2024-25 Preview
The Gonzaga rotation was seven deep, as just one other player got more than four minutes per game. Ryan Nembhard, who was No. 20 in the country in minutes percentage, will be back, as is fellow starters Graham Ike and Nolan Hickman. Ben Gregg and Dusty Stromer combined for 33 starting nods and both are back in the fold for Few. Key reserve Braden Huff will look for a bigger role in his sophomore year, as well. Every significant player who did not exhaust his eligibility is back.
Michael Ajayi comes to Spokane from Pepperdine after leading the WCC in scoring, while Khalif Battle transferred from Arkansas, where he played significant minutes. They supplement a three-man freshman class headlined by McDonald’s All-American Graydon Lemke. The Bulldogs are experienced and are in the mix for another deep March run and will put that to the test against UConn on Dec. 14 at Madison Square Garden.
Texas
Fast Facts
Head Coach: Rodney Terry (third season)
2023-24 record: 21-13 (9-9 Big 12)
Final 2023-24 KenPom.com ranking: No. 25
2024-25 KenPom ranking: No. 18
Series History
This is the second of three consecutive seasons in which the Huskies and Longhorns will square off. This opens a home-and-home series, while they played in last year’s Empire Classic, which was a UConn win. It’s the fifth home-and-home the programs have scheduled and UConn is 7-3, with a 3-1 record in Austin. However, Texas did win in the 2003 Sweet 16.
2023-24 in Review
Texas flopped in the postseason, losing in its Big 12 Tournament opener to Kansas State, sending the Longhorns to the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed. They took down Colorado State in the first round in a game in which neither team reached the 60-point plateau, before a close loss to 2-seed Tennessee in the second round. Texas was 7-10 against KenPom top-50 competition.
2024-25 Preview
Max Abmas is gone as the only player to start each of the Longhorns’ 34 games. Of the eight-man rotation deployed by Rodney Terry, Kadin Shedrick and Chendall Weaver are the two that remain. They were role players, starting just 17 games, though Weaver is a solid rebounding guard. Last year’s Texas team was laden with seniors, as there were five that got regular minutes.
There’s plenty of reinforcements to replace them, including the No. 5 player in 247’s Class of 2024 in Tre Johnson. He highlights a three-man class, along with top-100 player Nic Codie and Jamie Bishop. Malik Presley also transferred from Vanderbilt, Tramon Mark comes in from Arkansas, while former Creighton Bluejay Arthur Kaluma enters the fold from Kansas State and Jordan Pope arrives from Oregon State. All four played large roles on their teams and will figure to do so in Austin. UConn and the Longhorns will face off in Austin on Dec. 8.