UConn men’s basketball is in the early stages of its gauntlet non-conference slate, hosting Arizona four days after beating BYU in Boston. Both teams are 4-0, one spot away from each other at No. 3 and No. 4 in the AP Poll, and eager to take advantage of this early-season opportunity.
“Want to thank Arizona, think it’s great to be able to do a series with these guys,” Dan Hurley told the media before the game. “I think there’s a lot of similarities between the two programs... new blood type of programs with championship pedigree and all types of NBA players.”
UConn’s head coach emphasized the need for college basketball to promote itself early in the season. Offering matchups like this, part of a home-and-home series of two on-campus games featuring premier programs, is something the sport needs.
“That's the type of attention you want for the sport in November and December,” he said. “Obviously, we capture the imagination of the country for March Madness, but we all got to be willing to play more games like this against each other.”
The Wildcats are in their fifth season under head coach Tommy Lloyd, who joined the program after 20 years on the bench as Mark Few’s assistant at Gonzaga. They have taken down UCLA and Florida to start the season, with freshman wing Koa Peat playing a starring role alongside senior guards Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell’Orso.
“One of the best point guards in the country,” Hurley said, referring to Bradley. “It's amazing to see his growth from what we saw when he was at Alabama.”
Peat was a consensus five-star recruit ranked 11th in the country in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, whose Adam Finklestein described the 6-foot-8 playmaker as “a constant double-double threat who has good hands, instincts, touch, and a very polished ability to get to his spots inside of 15-18 feet.”
Hurley called Peat “a real physical mismatch at that 3/4, that wing spot. It really challenges you from the front of the rim all the way out to the three point line,” and said he’s “a tremendous rebounder.” Peat scored 30 points in their win over Florida, while Bradley added 27.
They also have two strong bigs in forward Tobe Awaka (10.5 rebs/game) and 7-foot-2 center Motiejus Krivas, both juniors. Hurley said they remind him of the big man duos his team has had in the past.
They’re part of a balanced Arizona side that’s top-15 in KenPom offensively (14th) and defensively (12th), with their main weaknesses appearing to be committing turnovers and allowing offensive rebounds.
The Huskies are also highly rated on both ends of the court, though a bit stronger offensively, sitting 4th in the country in efficiency and 16th on defense. They’ve been foul-prone but otherwise doing well across the Four Factors, with offensive rebounding lagging slightly.
Dan Hurley’s squad survived its first big test at TD Garden, jumping out to a double-digit lead in the first half and getting it up to 20 with under eight minutes left before the Cougars stormed back. It was close late, but the Huskies were ahead the entire way and their stars ran the show.
Overall, it was a good showing in their first game against serious competition. But they still have things to clean up. On the injury report, everyone is expected to be available aside from Braylon Mullins, who Hurley said may be a fast healer.
“It’s November…you’re not in championship form,” Hurley explained. “Playing a full 40-minute game with fundamentals and discipline and sustained excellence is something that you develop into as a team, it’s not something that you’re doing out of the chute, in November at least, for us.”
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. from Gampel Pavilion. The game will be televised on FS1. Check out our in-depth scouting preview of Arizona.
Don’t forget to swing by the Graduate by Hilton Storrs postgame for a Q&A with UConn MBB GM Tom Moore!
