NEW YORK — The UConn men’s basketball team is in New York City awaiting a daunting task Saturday evening in Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena.
It’s No. 18 UConn (7-3) against No. 8 Gonzaga (7-4) at 8 p.m. on FOX in the Basketball Hall of Fame Series. It is a much-anticipated battle between two heavyweight programs that have a rich history of playing each other when the games mean the most.
While this matchup will occur in December instead of March, the stakes remain high for two teams looking to establish themselves as being among the best in the college game this season.
It will be the first time in the 2024-2025 campaign that the Huskies take the floor at MSG, their home away from home. Outside of their official home courts in Storrs and Hartford, there is no venue where UConn has played more basketball.
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In 135 games in the “Mecca,” UConn has a record of 75-60. The Huskies have won 12 championships at MSG, including eight Big East Tournament titles. Last season, UConn went 7-0 under the bright New York City lights, but this year’s team is much different, having lost four starters to the NBA Draft.
After a disastrous trip to Maui, where the Huskies lost three games to unranked teams in three days, UConn hasn’t lost since. Their recent victories include a comeback against then-No. 15 Baylor at Gampel Pavilion and a blow-out defeat of Texas in a hostile road environment.
It only gets tougher for UConn on Saturday, as Gonzaga’s resume includes a 38-point drubbing of Baylor, a victory over then-No. 23 San Deigo State, a win over a solid Arizona State team and a one-point loss to No. 5 Kentucky last Saturday. The UConn game will be Gonzaga’s first action since losing the heartbreaker to Kentucky.
There is no question how talented Gonzaga is. The team ranks in the top five of the KenPom, NET and Torvik rankings. KenPom ranks Gonzaga as the second-best team in the nation in offensive efficiency.
Gonzaga is led by forward Graham Ike, who is scoring 15.3 points and securing seven rebounds per game. Ryan Nembhard, a guard who transferred from Creighton, is a familiar foe, having played six career games against the Huskies. This year, he is averaging 10.9 points and a remarkable 10.7 assists per game, which is the highest mark in the country.
UConn and Gonzaga are matching up for the third straight season, and Gonzaga is surely looking for revenge. UConn handled Gonzaga in a matchup in Seattle last December and annihilated Gonzaga in the 2023 Elite Eight. UConn also defeated Gonzaga in the 1999 Elite Eight. In all three of those instances, UConn went on to win the national title.
A victory on Saturday could send UConn on a similar trajectory. The Huskies are 5-2 all-time against Gonzaga and will look to keep the momentum going in front of a loud, friendly audience Saturday.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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