STORRS, CONNECTICUT – JUNE 9: Colben Landrew #3 practices at the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center on June 9, 2026.
UConn Athletics/University Images via Getty Imag
An old-school Big East rivalry between UConn men’s basketball and Syracuse returns for the first time in eight years, thanks to the newfangled rise of preseason exhibitions.
The Huskies and Orange meet Tuesday evening at Mohegan Sun Arena for the first of UConn’s three exhibition games this season. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Tuesday’s game:
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Syracuse has inbounded to start the second half in Uncasville. Continue to follow along for live coverage all evening long!
Transfer Nils Machowski gave UConn some breathing room heading into the locker room, as the German native beat the buzzer with a tip-in off the offensive glass.
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Looking to snap a three-minute scoring drought, Nik Khamenia found Silas Demary Jr. on the left wing for what looked like a picture-perfect 3-point opportunity — only the UConn point guard had lost his shoe earlier in the play. Demary attempted the open perimeter jumper anyways and swished his first 3-pointer of the game, giving UConn a 29-26 lead with less than a minute until halftime.
After a dreary start to Tuesday’s game, both offenses have heated up as halftime approaches. Syracuse and UConn combined to hit their last three shots, with European freshman Egor Amosov knocking down UConn’s triple in his first action of the game.
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UConn leads 26-21 at the under-4 media timeout
Khamenia looked reminiscent of Alex Karaban on UConn’s latest possession, using a Na’jai Hines flare screen off an Iverson cut to knock down an open 3-pointer from the right wing. The Duke transfer now leads all scorers with eight points and three rebounds.
Nik
for
THREE! https://t.co/rf8O7WZ1pA
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) October 13, 2026
UConn leads 18-13 with six minutes left in the half as Syracuse calls timeout.
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The lone black mark on Dan Hurley’s typically elite defenses at UConn has been a propensity for fouling, which is on full display at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Huskies committed personal fouls on three consecutive defensive possessions, allowing Syracuse to trim the lead as a few Huskies battle early foul trouble.
Jayden Ross is in a precarious position with three fouls at the under-8 media timeout while Oskar Giltay has two fouls. UConn and Syracuse are tied at 13.
The Seton Hall transfer was a surprising omission from Hurley’s starting lineup, and Hines, a sophomore, showed some inexperience by committing an offensive foul shortly after making his first substitute appearance. Hines has looked much more comfortable with two recent baskets, creating his look on the offensive glass before catching a lob from Jayden Ross, while also flashing his rim protection skill set on the defensive end.
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OKAY JAH https://t.co/NWmlVVhJQI
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) October 13, 2026
UConn leads 12-6 at the under-12 media timeout.
Khamenia transferred in from Duke this offseason as a former five-star recruit and one of the nation’s most highly touted offensive prospects, and he’s showing that advanced skill set early against Syracuse. The California native bailed UConn out of a listless offensive possession minutes earlier with a deep contested three, the Huskies’ first field goal of the game, and most recently showed nice touch on a floated finished near the rim off a baseline-out-of-bounds sequence.
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His latest floater gives UConn a 10-4 lead with 12:40 remaining until halftime and continues a 9-0 Huskies run.
The offseason rust is evident early here in Uncasville — forget missed shots, Syracuse and UConn have struggled to even attempt field goals through the first few minutes of Tuesday’s game. The teams have combined for five turnovers before the first media timeout, and it took Garvey Dual more than two minutes to record the game’s first field goal attempt.
Syracuse leads 2-1, with all three points scored at the foul line, with 16:53 remaining in the first half.
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The NCAA cracked down on teams pushing foul limits in exhibition games, much to the chagrin of Dan Hurley and now Jayden Ross, who has picked up a pair of personal fouls inside the first two minutes. Ross, who is expected to compete for starting minutes on the wing this season, committed his latest foul on the offensive end and will head to the bench.
Syracuse controls the opening tip, and the first UConn game of the 2026-27 season is underway. Follow along for live updates all evening long.
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Dan Hurley named his first starting five of the season before Tuesday’s scrimmage, including a few unexpected faces. G Silas Demary Jr., G Colben Landrew, G Jayden Ross, F Nik Khamenia, C Oskar Giltay
Unlike all of UConn’s regular-season games, Tuesday’s television broadcast is limited to local audiences, airing on NBC Sports Boston. The game will also stream for free on UConn+ and be available on the UConn Sports Network radio (FOX Sports 97.9).
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The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, the longtime home of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.
UConn fans and Big East icons alike are excited for the return of college basketball, with Ray Allen and Carmelo Anthony expected to attend Mohegan Sun Arena. Allen was in Uncasville Monday to watch Geno Auriemma’s squad, noting his appreciation for the women’s game.
“I’ve always loved watching the women play,” Allen said on the NBC Sports Boston broadcast. “Because the women, you see how they play the game of basketball. They’re not playing above the rim, but they’re setting screens, they’re getting back on defense, they play downhill. I always think for young men, this is what they should watch to understand how to play the game the right way.”
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For the second straight year, Braylon Mullins has been sidelined by an off-season injury as the Huskies begin game action. Coach Dan Hurley said Monday that Mullins participated in live practice as he neared a return to full health, but he won’t be available for Tuesday’s game.
Tuesday’s matchup is the second game in a doubleheader between the two schools at Mohegan Sun Arena. On Monday evening, the UConn women’s basketball team impressed with an 88-60 win over the Orange in fans’ first glimpse of the Huskies in competitive action.
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Sarah Strong led the Huskies with 16 points despite an inefficient shooting performance, stepping into her leadership role seamlessly with the departure of Azzi Fudd while drawing effusive praise from Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack. Elsewhere, Jovana Popovic and Olivia Vukosa impressed in their first collegiate action, while Kelis Fisher teased a significant leap in production entering her sophomore season.
As two of the Northeast’s most storied college basketball programs and longtime Big East rivals, UConn and Syracuse have met 90 times since 1956. The Orange holds a 53-37 all-time edge in the series and built much of that advantage during the rivalry’s formative years, winning 14 of its first 17 matchups against the Huskies.
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UConn’s rise under Jim Calhoun helped narrow the gap, posting a 12-6 record against the Orange over a 10-year stretch beginning in 1997-98, and the Huskies upset No. 15 Syracuse in 2018 at Madison Square Garden, the rivalry’s most recent meeting.