No. 9 BYU (3-1) vs. No. 23 UConn (3-0)
- Tip: Saturday, 5 p.m. MDT
- Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
- TV: Fox
- Radio: 102.7 FM/1160 AM/Sirius XM 143
- Series: UConn leads 1-0 (most recent meeting: 2003)
The trends
- For BYU: 3-0 on the season, No. 18 in KenPom, averaging 84.7 points scored and 62.3 points allowed per game.
- For UConn: 3-0 on the season, No. 6 in KenPom, averaging 92.7 points scored and 54.7 points allowed per game.
The stakes
For BYU: The Cougars are taking part in their first top-10 matchup since 2011. With a win, BYU could establish itself as a true national title contender and potentially receive first-place votes in the next AP poll.
For UConn: The Huskies’ clash with BYU will be their first of several high-profile opponents in the preseason, facing No. 5 Arizona, No. 14 Illinois, No. 25 Kansas and No. 10 Florida all before the start of Big East play. Defeating the Cougars would be a great way to kick off such a gauntlet.
UConn captured consecutive national championships under Dan Hurley in 2023-24 before falling in the Round of 32 last year. Similar to BYU, a win Saturday could garner No. 1 votes for the Huskies in next week’s poll.
Players to watch
- For BYU: Forward AJ Dybantsa, guard Rob Wright III, guard Richie Saunders.
- For UConn: Center Tarris Reed Jr., guard Solo Ball, forward Alex Karaban.
