UConn, BYU Finalizing Game at TD Garden in Boston
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports has revealed that UConn is finalizing a game against BYU in Boston at the TD Garden on November 14th or 15th. (Update 5/29/25: UConn has officially announced the game will take place on November 15th.) Both BYU and UConn are expected to be ranked in the top 10 in this upcoming pre-season.
This will be UConn’s first regular season game in Boston since December of 2007 at the TD Garden against Gonzaga. UConn did recently play at TD in the East Regionals of the 2024 NCAA tournament, where they went on the iconic 30-0 run against Illinois (and dispatched San Diego State in the prior round).
BYU’s interest in playing a game in the city of Boston stems from their recruitment of top-ranked freshman AJ Dybantsa. Dybantsa’s hometown is Brockton, MA and he attended Saint Sebastian’s in Needham, MA before heading out to basketball prep powerhouses in the western half of the USA to finish his high school career (and now BYU). Dybantsa’s homecoming will be against the Huskies in Storrs North.
BYU made the Sweet 16 this past season, and is assembling an impressive squad for 2025-2026. Head Coach Kevin Young was in his first year last season, following close to two decades coaching in the NBA and G League. Alongside Dybantsa, BYU recruited 4* top 50 center Xavion Staton and top 100 4* forward Chamberlain Burgess for this fall’s freshman class.
Out of the transfer portal, the Cougars received a commitment from former Baylor point guard (and former Liam McNeeley teammate at Montverde Academy) Robert Wright III, who was ranked the 13th best transfer this cycle by The Athletic. Wright put up 22 points against the Huskies in their matchup at Gampel in December. BYU also added Kennard Davis Jr., a versatile wing from Southern Illinois who earned second-team All-MVC honors as a sophomore and was ranked the No. 58 overall transfer by 247Sports.
The new players will join returning starters guard Richie Saunders and center Keba Keita, alongside returning bench rotation players Dawson Baker and Mihailo Boskovic, and redshirt freshman Khadim Mboup. Saunders was a 2024-2025 First Team All-Big 12 player and the league’s Most Improved Player. Bart Torvik has BYU 6th in the country in his early season projections.