UConn basketball starts the 2024-25 season on Wednesday night against Sacred Heart.
The college basketball season is underway and the reigning champion Huskies will take the floor for the first time against in-state opponent Sacred Heart on Nov. 6th at 7 p.m. EST. UConn basketball is 7-0 all-time against the Sacred Heart Pioneers dating back to their first matchup in the 2000-01 season.
General Information
Teams: UConn (0-0) and Sacred Heart (0-1)
Tip Time: 7 p.m. EST
Watch: FS1
Listen: Fox Sports 97.9 FM
What to know about Sacred Heart
The 2023-24 season was Sacred Heart’s last in the Northeastern Conference. They entered the conference tournament as the three seed but fell to Wagner, the six seed, in the quarterfinal finishing with a 16-16 record overall.
Head coach Anthony Latina enters the 12th season of his head coaching career, all with Sacred Heart. Before taking over the program, Latina was an assistant with Sacred Heart for eight seasons further showing that the university has a clear leader for their basketball program as they enter a new era in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
Sacred Heart enters its inaugural season in the MAAC projected to finish last in the pre-season coaches’ poll and ranked 336 in the country per Kenpom. It will certainly be an uphill battle for the Pioneers as they look to establish themselves in their new conference. The Pioneers are led by redshirt junior Tanner Thomas who was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Third Team.
While this may be UConn basketball’s season opener, the Pioneers have already taken the floor as they lost to Temple 81-70 on Monday. Thomas led the way in that matchup with 22 points on a high volume of shots taking 21 field goal attempts. Senior transfer Amiri Stewart also contributed 13 points off the bench. Two days will be a quick turnaround for the Pioneers, never mind the fact that they will face when it’s against a powerhouse like UConn.
Latest on UConn Basketball
The last item on the championship celebration checklist for the Huskies is to reveal their new banner which is scheduled to happen before tipoff on Wednesday. After those festivities, the three-peat will have officially commenced and head coach Dan Hurley has re-tooled his roster for this pursuit. Between returning players in new roles, two marquee transfers, and a highly touted five-star recruit there is plenty for Husky fans to be excited for in this season opener.
Only 2⃣ days until we hang number 6⃣ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jYa20pEVvL
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) November 4, 2024
UConn basketball took on Rhode Island this October in a charity exhibition match where they won 102-75. The Huskies displayed some growing pains which is understandable considering the new faces and returning players stepping into roles to fill the void left by losing four starters from last year’s team. The problems with rebounding and fouling in that matchup are certainly two items that Hurley focused on with his players over the past couple of weeks as they look to start their title defense on a strong note.
With a lot of pieces still to fit into place, expect junior forward Alex Karaban and senior guard Hassan Diarra to set the tone early. These two players have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders as the leaders of a team that has its eyes set on making history.
Notably, freshman Liam McNeeley has recently been dealing with a calf injury but appears ready to make his Husky debut against Sacred Heart. Sophomore Jayden Ross has also been dealing with an ankle injury that leaves his playing status in jeopardy going into the season opener, but it’s not expected to keep him out long-term if at all.
Check out our preseason ranking article on UConn basketball for an in-depth look at how the team is shaping up for this season.