After a (very long) wait, the American officially released its conference schedule last week, meaning the 2019-20 schedules for the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams are complete. For Dan Hurley, entering his second season at the helm, a return to the postseason in some fashion is the expectation.As the Huskies embark on their final season in the AAC, what games – within the league or otherwise – are the most intriguing? Here are the ones to which you should pay the most attention.
1) @ Cincinnati (Jan. 1):
The conference did UConn no favors, starting the Huskies with a pair of road games at two of the best teams in the league, starting on New Years’ night with the Bearcats. Mick Cronin is no longer the coach, as he took the UCLA job. In comes John Brannen, who inherits Jarron Cumberland, the league’s third-leading scorer a year ago (18.8 PPG). With the losses of Gary Clark (graduation) and Nysier Brooks (transfer) there are some frontcourt question marks. However, this has been the premier matchup in the short history of the American. Between this game and January 4 at upstart USF, we’ll know how far UConn has come.
2) @ Villanova (Jan. 18):
If the Cincy/USF trip will show us the Huskies’ potential within the league, the trip to Philadelphia will be a test for just how far the program needs to go on a national scale. Last year the then-defending champs strolled into Hartford and waltzed to a 81-58 victory, and this was far from Jay Wright’s best team, despite winning the Big East Tournament. Now in 2019-20 it’s expected to be another big year for the Wildcats, who will be a preseason top-15 (if not top-10) team.
Next year these two will duke it out in the Big East, just like old times. The question is: will it be a game Villanova circles on the calendar?
3) vs. Florida (Nov. 17):
The marquee home game of the year comes early, when the Gators come to Gampel Pavilion. Though a mid-afternoon Sunday tip during football season isn’t ideal, it’s still a game between two of the most successful programs of the 21st century.
The Gators were elite defensively last season (63.6 PPG allowed), but struggled to score (67.8 PPG, good for 292nd nationally). It’s an exceptionally young squad Mike White is relying on, with four freshmen or sophomores in the starting lineup, but the fifth projected starter is a good one. Grad transfer Kerry Blackshear was an All-ACC performer last season at Virginia Tech, and immediately brings the Gators from “young but talented” into the upper-half of the SEC.
4) @ Houston (Jan. 23):
Congrats to the Huskies, who will come out of the Villanova game and get rewarded with a trip to... *checks notes*... a team that went 31-3 last year and lost in the Sweet 16 to Kentucky. Even with Corey Davis, Galen Robinson and Breaon Brady gone, Kelvin Sampson has built a very good program that shouldn’t miss a beat. Armoni Brooks (13.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG) is now the go-to scorer as a senior, Dejon Jarreau was inconsistent last year on offense, but should slide into that second scoring option.
5) vs. Indiana (Dec. 10):
The Huskies’ annual trip to Madison Square Garden sees them take on the Hoosiers in the Jimmy V Classic. IU is coming off a disappointing 19-16 performance last season, and its top two scorers are gone. Archie Miller is now in his third season in Bloomington, meaning his grace period is likely over. If the Hoosiers don’t start climbing back toward the top of the Big Ten and miss the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row, that seat could get a little warm.
Personnel-wise, Trayce Jackson-Davis is a highly-rated recruit and leads the frontcourt, while Justin Smith is expected to get a big uptick in minutes and improve upon 8.2 PPG with the departures of Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan. In the backcourt Devonte Green and Aljami Durham will also be asked to improve on a combined 17.7 PPG.